Growing Returns

Selected tag(s): wildlife

What if God wants the lesser prairie-chicken to go extinct?

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: June 14, 2016

Lesser prairie-chicken. Photo credit: USDA NRCS

A version of this piece previously ran as an op-ed in the Houston Chronicle.

A few years ago, I was invited by Texas farmer David Cleavinger to visit his family’s farm near Amarillo. This was during a period of time when my organization, Environmental Defense Fund, was deeply involved in conservation efforts for the lesser prairie-chicken, a colorful bird whose habitat is in decline throughout its five-state range, which includes the panhandle of Texas.

David picked me up at the airport and asked if we could make a quick stop on the way to his farm. That stop turned out to be at local radio station KGNC, where David had arranged for me to go on air and talk about wildlife conservation with a particular focus on the local implications for efforts to revive the lesser prairie-chicken.

I agreed to join the show with some trepidation, but it quickly subsided as we got into a lively discussion with the host, James Hunt, and several listeners. Toward the end of my appearance, a caller asked a surprising and provocative question – What if God wants the prairie-chicken to go extinct? Read More »

Posted in Habitat Exchange, Wildlife Protection / Also tagged Bible, Christianity, conservation, creation, creation care, dominion, Earth, ecology, environmental defense fund, extinction, farmer, farming, gas, Genesis, God, habitat, lesser prairie-chicken, Permian Basin, redemption, sin, stewardship, sustainability, Texas, theology | Comments are closed

Monarch butterflies get help from Texas ranch

By David Wolfe / Bio / Published: June 6, 2016

A monarch caterpillar eats antelope horn milkweed growing at Shield Ranch.

A few weeks ago, I visited Shield Ranch, a 6,000-acre property devoted to responsible cattle management and wildlife conservation. I made the visit to the ranch – less than 20 miles west of my home in Austin – to test a new tool being designed to more accurately assess habitat for the monarch butterfly.

Standing in a field of wildflowers with a team of scientists, we used the monarch butterfly habitat quantification tool to measure vegetation and determine what monarch habitat was available on the property. We’ve used similar habitat quantification tools for other at-risk wildlife like the lesser prairie-chicken and greater sage-grouse, but this was the first time we tested a tool for monarch butterfly habitat.

Posted in Habitat Exchange / Also tagged agriculture, conservation, environmental defense fund, farmers, farming, golden cheeked warbler, habitat, land stewardship, milkweed, monarch butterfly, ranchers, ranching, sustainability | Comments are closed

What do western ranchers and a southern environmentalist have in common?

By Will McDow / Bio / Published: May 12, 2016

Sagebrush in Carson Valley, Nevada. Photo credit: Flickr user loren chipman.

I trace my love of the outdoors to two memories: the first, sitting with my grandmother watching the goldfinches, chickadees and wrens that visited her feeder, and the second, camping in Pisgah National Forest with my parents and sister.

Days spent with my grandmother in our small South Carolina town left an indelible mark on my life. She taught me a conservation ethic that led me to Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Camping taught me a love of the land and a respect for those that manage it.

As director of habitat markets, I’m focused on building conservation solutions for wildlife like the greater sage-grouse, a bird that lives more than 2,000 miles from my home in a landscape unlike any of the forests or farms I grew up exploring.

The sage-grouse is an indicator species of a vast declining ecosystem spanning more than 150 million acres across 11 states. The grouse relies on the cover of sagebrush – one of the most iconic symbols of the western landscape.

Because EDF puts a premium on policy, science and collaboration with diverse stakeholders, we’ve been working with landowners, industry, and state and federal agencies to create a habitat exchange program to better ensure the bird’s survival. Common values make this collaboration possible. Read More »

Posted in Habitat Exchange, Wildlife Protection / Also tagged colorado, Colorado Cattlemen's Association, Colorado Habitat Exchange, conservation, ecosystems, environmental defense fund, farmers, greater sage-grouse, habitat exchange, habitat exchanges, habitat markets, landowners, natural resources, Nevada, North Carolina, Partnerships, ranchers, South Carolina, Wyoming | Comments are closed

These reforms can unclog California’s water market and help the environment

By Ann Hayden / Bio / Published: May 4, 2016

California has a long tradition of conflict over water. But after five years of drought and an El Niño that failed to live up to its “Godzilla” hype, the conflict has become a crisis. How will the state adjust to a changing climate, increasing demands and prolonged periods of water scarcity?

That’s the question my colleagues and I set out to answer in Better Access. Healthier Environment. Prosperous Communities: Recommendations for Reforming California’s Water Market.

We analyzed the state’s existing market and offered a set of policy reforms to improve the efficiency, accessibility and transparency of the market so that cities, rural communities and ecosystems can benefit without altering existing water rights.

We realize that it will take a portfolio of strategies to increase the state’s resiliency in the face of a growing population and increasingly severe weather. But markets have an especially important role in leveling what has become an uneven playing field. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged AB 2304, agriculture, california, central valley, climate change, disadvantaged communities, drought, ecosystems, El Niño, environment, environmental defense fund, environmental justice, farmers, regulations, resiliency, The California Water Market Exchange Act, water management, water markets, water transfers, water use, western water | Comments are closed

Lesser prairie-chicken numbers are up. Is it good conservation or just good weather?

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: April 12, 2016

2015 marked the end of a five year drought, bringing much needed relief to the parched prairie region. But climate impacts such as drought and wildfires are only expected to increase in duration and frequency in the future, so one wet year is not going to be sufficient to protect lesser prairie-chickens in the long run.

2015 marked the end of a five-year drought, bringing relief to the parched prairie region. But climate impacts like drought and wildfires are only expected to increase in the future, threatening lesser prairie-chicken recovery efforts. Credit: Lesser Prairie Chicken via photopin (license)

Recent media reports have touted population rebounds for the lesser prairie-chicken – up 25 percent from last year. That’s great news for the bird, which was nearly wiped out in recent years as booming oil and gas industries encroached on the bird’s range across Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado and New Mexico.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the bird as “threatened” in March 2015, at the same time that the five states embarked on a conservation plan of their own. The plan was officially assembled and endorsed by the five members of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA).

Now that bird numbers are up, WAFWA is claiming success – attributing the chicken’s rebound to effective implementation of their Lesser Prairie-Chicken Rangewide Conservation Plan (RWP). Certainly that program has provided some benefit, but the key question is whether the program has been a big enough boost to set the lesser prairie-chicken on a path to recovery. Read More »

Posted in Habitat Exchange, Wildlife Protection / Also tagged Dan Ashe, ecosystems, EDF, greater sage-grouse, industry, lesser prairie-chicken, Lesser Prairie-Chicken Rangewide Conservation Plan, oil and gas, U.S. Fish and Wlidlife Service, WAFWA, Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies | Comments are closed

Butterfly numbers may be up, but they still need our help

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: March 4, 2016

Earlier this week, The Washington Post reported that the monarch butterfly, along with the manatee, is on a “big rebound.” It’s true that the iconic North American butterfly is in better shape today than this time last year. But it’s too soon to celebrate.

A sensitive species

The population of monarch butterflies has historically had drastic dips and spikes. That’s because the monarch is a sensitive species greatly impacted by extreme weather events.

In January 2002, the species experienced unprecedented and catastrophic mortality due to a rare freeze at its overwintering site in Mexico, killing an estimated 500 million butterflies. That’s more than two times the size of today’s population, even with this year’s boost.

Fortunately, the monarch is as resilient as it is delicate. This year’s bump in number proves that. It also shows that recovery is possible, that conservation efforts can make a difference. Read More »

Posted in Habitat Exchange, Wildlife Protection / Also tagged agriculture, ecosystems, endangered species, farmers, habitat, habitat exchange, herbicides, milkweed, monarch butterfly, population | Comments are closed

Nevada landowners eager to generate conservation credits, help sage-grouse

By Will McDow / Bio / Published: February 18, 2016

The state of Nevada recently made $1 million available to landowners for enhancing and restoring habitat for the greater sage-grouse, with another $1 million becoming available in the fall of 2016.

Nearly two dozen landowners submitted letters of interest to generate conservation credits for the bird – a clear signal that the market for conservation is viable and competitive.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may have determined that listing the greater sage-grouse on the Endangered Species List was “not warranted,” but that isn’t stopping landowners in key states from stepping up to help the bird, ensuring that it stays off the list. That’s because new conservation programs are coming online that are attractive to landowners, conservationists, and state and federal agencies. Read More »

Posted in Habitat Exchange, Wildlife Protection / Also tagged conservation, ecosystems, environmental defense fund, greater sage-grouse, habitat exchanges, Nevada, nevada conservation credit system, RCPP, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA, will mcdow | Comments are closed

My quest to balance nature and the agricultural economy

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: February 3, 2016

California’s Sutter Buttes are the remnants of a volcano that are sometimes called the “smallest mountain range in the world.”

On a clear day I can see the Sutter Buttes, the smallest mountain range in the world, from my office in Sacramento. It’s a landscape that inspires me.

Although the Sacramento Valley is not without its problems, when I look out my office window, explore the local outdoors with my kids, or catch the woodsy whiff of a pencil made from California incense cedar (yes, I collect those), what I sense in those sights, sounds and smells is balance.

Striking the right balance in our working landscapes

The Sacramento Valley is a real working landscape. I use that term a lot: “working landscape.” By that I mean a place where natural resources are used to provide economic benefit – “working” to support jobs, industries and economies, both local and of scale – in a way that strikes a balance between maximizing profits and sustaining the natural resources, or the “landscape.”

Striking that balance between economic output and environmental protection has been a pillar of my work at EDF. I’ve long believed that if we can find and replicate this delicate mix everywhere, we’d be in much better shape. Read More »

Posted in Habitat Exchange, Wildlife Protection / Also tagged conservation, ecosystems, eric holst, greater sage-grouse, habitat exchanges, Interior, Michael Bean, mitigation, monarch butterfly, robert bonnie, sustainable agriculture, USDA | Comments are closed

New White House mitigation standard opens market opportunities for farmers and ranchers

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: November 3, 2015

Today, President Obama announced a plan to safeguard America’s land, water and wildlife by establishing a “no net loss” standard for mitigating impacts on natural resources and encouraging related private investment to deliver better outcomes for the environment.

The plan will create a more sustainable future for the energy and agriculture sectors, for example, that provide our nation’s food, fuel and fiber.

If there is one sector that I believe can gain the most from this new mitigation standard, it’s agriculture.

Posted in Habitat Exchange, Supply Chain, Wildlife Protection / Also tagged CEQ, conservation, ecosystems, environment, environmental defense fund, habitat exchanges, land, markets, mitigation, net benefit, no net loss, President Obama, presidential memorandum, sustainable agriculture, water, western water, White House | Read 1 Response

Walnut grower Craig McNamara on water banking, hedgerows, and the birds and the bees

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: September 24, 2015

Craig McNamara on his farm in Winters, California.

Craig McNamara embodies agricultural leadership in California. He has farmed a 450-acre organic walnut orchard in Winters, California for the past 35 years. He’s been an innovator in implementing conservation practices on his land that both enhance wildlife and benefit his farming operation. He’s also the president of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, and an influential sustainable agriculture educator.

I’ve known Craig for about 10 years and have had the honor of serving with him on the State Board for the last two. I spoke with him about how he integrates farming with ecology and his plan for dealing with potential El Niño rains. Read More »

Posted in Wildlife Protection / Also tagged california, California State Board of Food and Agriculture, conservation, craig mcnamara, drought, ecosystems, El Niño, fertilizer, hedgerows, sustainable agriculture, water banking, water use, western water | Comments are closed