Conservation Clip List for Friday February 25th 2022
Conservation Clips is a weekly collection of articles distributed by NACD that provides our members and partners with the latest news in what’s driving conservation. These articles are not indicative of NACD policy and are the opinions of their authors, unless otherwise noted. If you have a relevant submission or need assistance with accessing articles, please contact the NACD Communications Team.
With the mission to conserve, protect, and restore wild and working landscapes, the Mendocino County Resource Conservation District has several projects underway in the North County.
In early February, five $800 grants were given out by the Chippewa Luce Mackinac Conservation District to fund local conservation projects that support wildlife habitat, erosion control, recreation opportunities, student learning, pollinator habitat restoration, outdoor education, and vegetative management.
Over 200 attendees came together, virtually and in-person, for the two-day 2022 Delmarva Soil Summit (DSS) at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center in Salisbury, Maryland.
The Chamberlin’s conservation practices prevent soil erosion, slow water runoff rates and protect groundwater and surface water, such as Island Lake, which are adjacent to their land.
Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust present the Leopold Conservation Award to private landowners in 23 states for extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation. In New England the $10,000 award is presented with, New England Forestry Foundation and Wildlands Woodlands Farmlands & Communities.
Still, the number of Black farmers today is a dramatic drop from the early 1900s, when more than 900,000 Black farmers owned about 15 million acres, mostly in the Southern states, but all across the country, said Valerie Grim, director of undergraduate studies, African American and African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University.
“That is actually pretty proactive. A lot of times, in watershed planning, you’ll see it occurring because there’s an issue. There’s something going on in the area that needs to be addressed. But in this situation, we’ve got the county saying we’d like to get watershed planning done in our whole county,” Johnson said.
Embracing regenerative farming practices and giving the health of the soil priority shape the heart of his advice to producers. Adopting no-till and planting cover crops are core practices he suggests.
Researchers over the next three years will analyze soil samples from several parcels of state land scattered around western North Dakota to better understand the potential for carbon storage in grasslands.
Cover crops—which are typically added to a crop rotation in between two commodity or forage crops—provide living, seasonal soil cover with a variety of on-farm benefits, such as increased soil moisture capacity, improved nutrient cycling, and weed suppression.
New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard A. Ball announced two grant opportunities totaling $21 million for projects that will help New York’s farmers reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote energy savings, mitigate water and soil quality concerns, and increase on-farm resiliency to climate change.
For almost 20 years, Trice has committed herself to documenting Maxville and Oregon’s Black logging history, eventually founding the Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center, located about 40 miles from the actual town site.
Putting soil health at the center of a no-till operation can take a farm from status quo to truly regenerative with balanced and diversified soil biology, improved aggregate stability, increased water infiltration rates and improved nutrient cycling.
The new report shines a light on the hard lessons California is learning — including what it’s getting right and what more needs to be done. In the fire-prone American West and around the world, too much focus remains on response instead of preparation.
Researchers have identified a species of milkweed that holds promise for planting on roadsides to improve conservation habitat for migrating monarch butterflies.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced a $16 million investment in agricultural education and workforce development for undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds.
Considering the importance of effective soil health management, there is a need for real-time monitoring and solutions to address concerns. This calls for judicious use of technologies, not restricted to physical inspection and help in continuous monitoring that goes beyond physical quality and fertility.
In one teaspoon of soil, we can find more than 5,000 species of bacteria, fungi, nematodes and other microbial organisms. Such “soil biota” support a wide range of functions, such as nutrient cycling and water regulation and purification.
“Farming has long been a staple of Michigan’s economy, and for many families, is a way of life,” LaSata said. “This legislation will help strengthen Michigan’s rich agricultural industry by removing some of the barriers new farmers face when starting their life as a farmer.”
DNR lays out a ‘Tree to Sea’ effort for recovering salmon habitat in the Snohomish River and a roadmap to improve and restore every watershed in our state.
(Subscriber Only) In a sector that skews older and male, women are gaining leadership roles in California agriculture at a faster rate than ever before. Their efforts have charted a path for the next generation of female leaders by building supportive networks through volunteer groups and by seeking out new talent—with benefits that can pay off decades later.
Maine will receive $16.2 million from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program to help conserve the state’s outdoors, manage wildlife populations, and support outdoor recreation opportunities for future generations, according to a news release on Thursday.
On February 7, 2022, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced a $1 billion competitive grant offering to fund pilot projects through it’s “Partnerships for Climate-Smart-Commodities” program.
A new survey conducted by Colorado College has found strong support in the Rocky Mountain region for conservation efforts. Three-fourths of voters would support conserving 30 percent of America’s lands within the next decade.
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