Great horned owlets will remain in the nest for about 40 days before being able to roam around nearby branches.
Photo: Young great horned owl courtesy of Rick Leche/Creative Commons.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Great Horned Owlets
From the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region:
Great horned owlets will remain in the nest for about 40 days before being able to roam around nearby branches.
Photo: Young great horned owl courtesy of Rick Leche/Creative Commons.
Great horned owlets will remain in the nest for about 40 days before being able to roam around nearby branches.
Photo: Young great horned owl courtesy of Rick Leche/Creative Commons.
Is the bus finally sexy? - May. 4, 2015
This is not the bus you remember.
Last year, a company called Vonlane started running regular bus service between Dallas and Austin, Texas. But instead of being crammed in a smelly old coach, Vonlane outfitted its buses with less than half the usual number of seats.
Is the bus finally sexy? - May. 4, 2015
Last year, a company called Vonlane started running regular bus service between Dallas and Austin, Texas. But instead of being crammed in a smelly old coach, Vonlane outfitted its buses with less than half the usual number of seats.
Is the bus finally sexy? - May. 4, 2015
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Dusky Grouse
From Yellowstone National Park:
A dusky grouse, in full display, struts through an open mixed conifer forest on the northern range in hopes of attracting a mate.
A dusky grouse, in full display, struts through an open mixed conifer forest on the northern range in hopes of attracting a mate.
USDA Wildlife Habitat Program Going Strong - 30 Years, 1 Million Acres Later
From the #USDA:
Farmers and ranchers were among the first to practice conservation. It’s not surprising when you think about it. They’ve always understood the importance of caring for our land and water, and they depend on our natural resources for their livelihoods. They’re at the forefront of our country’s efforts to keep the land healthy, productive and resilient. And we’re proud to partner with them in that effort.
This year, we’re celebrating two more conservation milestones: the 30th anniversary of USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), one of the largest private lands conservation programs in the nation; and registering the 1 millionth acre in CRP’s State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) initiative.
The 1 millionth acre is part of the Coteau-Drift SAFE, located in North Dakota. The state has a total of four SAFE projects, covering over 122,000 acres. The projects are helping a wide range of species – from pheasants, grouse, prairie-chicken, grey partridge, deer and other game animals – flourish and grow. The Coteau-Drift SAFE is designed to register more than 69,000 acres in the state’s Missouri Plateau and Drift Prairie region to support waterfowl, shorebirds and terrestrial birds.
Through SAFE, state agencies, nonprofit conservation organizations, and even local groups work together to identify at-risk wildlife, and to submit proposals to USDA for review. Once approved, agricultural producers within an approved SAFE area can voluntarily enroll acres in 10 to 15 year contracts. In exchange, USDA provides annual rental payments, incentives, and cost-share assistance for establishing plant species that attract wildlife. There are now 98 SAFE habitat partnerships in 37 states and Puerto Rico.
And the numbers don’t end there. Each year, through CRP programs, we work with hundreds of thousands of farmers and ranchers to implement voluntary conservation practices on their operations. CRP, one of the largest private lands conservation programs in the nation, provides significant economic and environmental benefits to hundreds of rural communities.
CRP initiatives, like SAFE, encourage federal, state and local partnerships, showing us that when we all work together, everyone benefits.
Visit www.fsa.usda.gov/conservation to learn more about our conservation efforts and how you can be part of the movement. Farmers and ranchers who want to offer land in SAFE and CRP can contact a local FSA county office.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Secretary Vilsack Accepts Climate Leadership Award
From the #USDA:
On April 28, 2015, the American Carbon Registry (ACR) presented Secretary Vilsack with its 2015 Climate Leadership award, intended to recognize an individual whose career commitments to address the changing climate have made a difference and whose example we hope will inspire other individuals to action.
ACR stated that it recognized Secretary Vilsack for his career-long actions as a steward of the environment from his accomplishments as Governor of Iowa to his more recent achievements as Secretary of Agriculture. ACR specifically mentioned the Secretary’s leadership in establishing the USDA Regional Climate Hubs, enabling record enrollments of farmers, ranchers and forest landowners in voluntary climate-beneficial conservation programs, efforts to lower GHG emissions on US dairies through innovative waste-to-energy projects, and work to improve the health and resiliency of forest ecosystems.
“I am honored to accept this award from the American Carbon Registry. I accept the award on behalf of the real climate leaders–America’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners,” said Secretary Vilsack. “They are responding to climate change and extreme weather events in the same way that they respond to every challenge, with resilience, innovation and a commitment to stewardship for future generations.”
The ACR award comes on the heels of a speech on April 23, 2015 in which Secretary Vilsack unveiled a plan to help farmers, ranchers, and forest land owners respond to climate change. The plan builds on a framework consisting of ten mitigation “building blocks” that span a range of technologies and practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase carbon storage, and generate clean renewable energy. Learn more about the building blocks and read a transcript of the Secretary’s speech.
25 Years Later, Forest Conservation Programs Still Help Keep Our Working Forests Thriving And Working
From the #USDA:
Senator Patrick Leahy, (left, at podium) speaks at a commemoration on Capitol Hill of this year’s 25th anniversary of the Forest Legacy Program and other initiatives that help states and communities conserve forest land. The Senator authored forest conservation programs that he first included in the 1990 Farm Bill, when he chaired the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Photo courtesy of Jay Tilton, office of Senator Leahy.
Patrick Leahy is Vermont’s senior U.S. senator and led in authoring forest conservation programs that he first included in the 1990 Farm Bill, when he chaired the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Robert Bonnie is USDA’s undersecretary for natural resources and environment. This week they headed a commemoration on Capitol Hill of this year’s 25th anniversary of the Forest Legacy Program and other initiatives that help states and communities conserve forest land. Wayne Maloney, Office of Communications
Twenty-five years ago, the Senate’s 1990 Leahy-Lugar Farm Bill authorized the creation of three pivotal forestry programs that today are a resounding success. The Forest Legacy, Forest Stewardship and Urban and Cooperative Forestry Programs help private and state forest landowners keep their forests healthy. That in turn supports tens of thousands of jobs, benefiting rural and urban communities across the nation. This week we joined in a celebration in the Capitol Hill Visitors Center marking this milestone.
These programs have made a big difference in the Green Mountain State. Last year, for example, USDA helped fund Vermont Forest Legacy projects that will conserve critical forestlands in the Groton Forest Legacy Initiative and the Windham Region Working Forest.
These two projects when completed will conserve more than 11,600 acres of forestland in Vermont that will permanently protect wildlife habitat and wildlife corridors. These projects also preserve public access, including hiking, hunting, fishing, cross-country skiing and designated trails for snowmobiles. The Forest Legacy Program by now has conserved more than 80,000 acres on 65 tracts in 16 different projects in Vermont since 1993. Projects like these are critical; although Vermont is the fourth most forested state, a report to the Vermont General Assembly this month finds that forest fragmentation is accelerating and forest cover is declining and recommends continued strategic investments in land conservation.
The Forest Legacy program has also had a big impact nationwide. Nearly two and a half million acres of working forests — equivalent in size to two Delawares — have been permanently conserved through the Forest Legacy Program. 53 states and territories today are participating in Forest Legacy. This program is particularly important in states like Vermont where the largest portion of forest land, 80 percent, is privately owned and, unless conserved, is subject to development.
Funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which expires in September unless it is reauthorized by Congress, Forest Legacy focuses on the voluntary protection of working forests — those that provide forest products and recreational opportunities that keep rural economies vibrant.
The Forest Stewardship Program partners with state forestry agencies with a variety of programs to support private forest-owner planning and management efforts, including tree improvement and seedling production, and landowner education programs. Active in 50 States and six territories, since 1990, the program has funded more than 225,000 management plans encompassing approximately 25 million acres of private forests.
For tens of millions of Americans, the forests they know best are urban forests: urban parks, street trees, public gardens, river and coastal promenades and city greenways. Urban forests work hard cleaning air and water, helping to control stormwater runoff, conserving energy, providing recreation spaces, and providing beauty and economic value to their communities. The Urban and Community Forestry Program plays a central role in the management of 100 million acres of forests where more than 83 percent of Americans live, work and play. In Vermont this program has helped to train more than 500 Vermonters to be local urban and community forestry leaders and citizen-scientists who advise and advocate for the planting, protection and maintenance of their trees and forests. Each year these Vermonters donate more than 10,000 hours of service. Although Vermont is one of the most rural states, our local communities have benefited greatly from this program, which has helped to deliver crucial one-on-one technical assistance to local communities. Last year alone 93 Vermont communities were able to receive assistance under this program.
Twenty-five years ago Congress understood the need to focus efforts on protecting our working forests. Today we understand with even greater clarity the need to keep our forests healthy, resilient and intact, to help address large-scale issues of reducing wildfire risk, maintaining rural jobs, protecting watersheds and protecting at-risk species.
We are proud partners in this important work that helps keep our working forests working.
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
From the U.S. Department of Energy:
Spring is a wonderful time to visit Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey. Located just 26 miles from New York City's Times Square, the refuge consists of 7,768 acres of varied habitats, making it an important resting and feeding area for more than 244 species of birds. Fox, deer, muskrat, fish, and a wide variety of wildflowers and plants can be found on the refuge -- like this cute little red fox kit. Photo by Matt Sullivan via USFWS National Wildlife Refuge System.
Spring is a wonderful time to visit Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey. Located just 26 miles from New York City's Times Square, the refuge consists of 7,768 acres of varied habitats, making it an important resting and feeding area for more than 244 species of birds. Fox, deer, muskrat, fish, and a wide variety of wildflowers and plants can be found on the refuge -- like this cute little red fox kit. Photo by Matt Sullivan via USFWS National Wildlife Refuge System.
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