Growing Returns

Trump attacks vital conservation tool for threatened and endangered species, misses real problem

By Holly Pearen / Bio / Published: September 19, 2018

Critical habitat designations are an essential tool in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) toolbox. They are the primary mechanism Congress created to accomplish the goal of the act, “to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved.”

Critical habitat is the science-based determination of specific areas that are essential for a species’ survival. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service designate critical habitat for threatened and endangered species, like the marbled murrelet and piping plover, to signal to federal agencies, landowners, industries and conservationists where habitat protections should be prioritized and impacts avoided. Photo credit: Kathy1006

Because habitat loss and fragmentation is currently the leading cause of extinction, it’s vital to protect areas that currently contain the physical and biological features that are essential for species survival today.

Supporting imperiled species also requires that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (Services) identify and protect historic ranges that can be restored or rehabilitated, provide key features or dynamic forces essential to species, or potentially become suitable habitat due to climate change. Critical habitat designations are the tool the Services use to do this.

As important as they are, critical habitat designations don’t come without controversy. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture / Tagged climate change, conservation, critical habitat, dusky gopher frog, endangered species act success stories, National Marine Fisheries Service, piping plover, polar bear, red-cockaded woodpecker, regulation, Supreme Court, Trump, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wildlife | Comments are closed

As much as Trump would like, economics do not trump science. These laws say so.

By Holly Pearen / Bio / Published: September 7, 2018

The Trump administration has made several attempts to remove science-based decision-making at multiple federal agencies, including those responsible for keeping the American public and our nation’s vital ecosystems healthy.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore

The latest proposal to insert economic considerations into Endangered Species Act (ESA) decisions is not only illegal – prohibited by the act itself – it’s also a misplaced attempt at incorporating economics where they simply do not belong.

It’s the latest in this administration’s politicization of science and, if successful, will ultimately interfere with efforts to craft durable, realistic solutions to public and ecosystem health. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture / Tagged Clean Air Act, donald trump, economic considerations, endangered species act success stories, ESA, ESA reform, Fish and Wildlife Service, FWS, listing decisions, National Marine Fisheries Service, NMFS, Trump | Comments are closed

Climate change will force us to make tough decisions. Adaptive management can help.

By Natalie Snider / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: August 23, 2018

In the face of climate change, it can be difficult to balance environmental, economic and community needs, but it’s a challenge we must overcome to adapt, survive and thrive.

To do this, professionals from multiple sectors across the globe are increasingly incorporating adaptive management techniques into resource planning for all kinds of essential ecosystems – from major watersheds like the Mississippi River Delta to high food production regions like the Corn Belt.

The lessons learned from past management decisions in these places will help shape resilience strategies for communities and industries around the world as they prepare for a new normal. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture / Tagged Adaptive management, agriculture, climate change, Coastal Louisiana, ecosystem resilience, infrastructure, Louisiana, Mississippi River Delta, Missouri River Adaptive Management Plan, navigation, recreation, water supply | Read 2 Responses

How a farmer ‘think tank’ is shaping agricultural sustainability, far beyond the field

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: August 10, 2018

One of the best parts of my job at Environmental Defense Fund is working with our farmer advisory network – a group of 19 producers who farm across the Corn Belt and Great Plains on operations ranging in size from about 5,000 acres to 30,000 acres.

EDF’s advisers farm across the heartland, from Minnesota to Texas, and from Idaho to Ohio.

They’re brilliant business people who know how conservation can benefit their bottom line. With their guidance, we’re making real progress aligning economic and environmental outcomes for agriculture.

Here’s how this unique partnership came about, and three of the most important areas of progress we’ve made through our collaboration over the past eight years. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture / Tagged Ag Retailers Association, agriculture, American Society of Agronomy, conservation, Corn Belt, farm bill, farmers, Field to Market, Great Plains, National Corn Growers Association, nutrient management, NutrientStar, sustainability | Comments are closed

4 ways drones are helping people and nature prepare for climate change

By David Festa / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: August 2, 2018

Drones have taken off in popularity, as updates in technology have made them more affordable and maneuverable. These advancements are allowing researchers to capture high-resolution data with accuracy, precision and ease, making drones a valuable tool for understanding how the world around us is changing, and how we can manage this change.

My Environmental Defense Fund colleagues are exploring ways drones can help us build ecosystem resilience, from corn fields in the heartland to wetlands along our coasts.

Here are four inspiring examples. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture / Tagged aerial imaging, agriculture, conservation, data, drones, drought, farmers, fourth wave, groundwater, resilience, restoration, technology, wildlife | Comments are closed

Trump’s ESA overhaul won’t give Americans what they want. Here’s what will.

By David Festa / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: July 26, 2018

We are observing the most coordinated set of attacks on the Endangered Species Act since it was signed into law nearly a half century ago.

Bald eagle soars thanks to endangered species act

The bald eagle – our nation’s symbol – would have likely gone extinct if not for the protections of the Endangered Species Act. Learn how our nation’s symbol soared back from the brink. Photo Credit: Bob Jensen

The latest series of assaults – from legislation introduced in Congress to proposed changes by the Trump administration – fall into the increasingly perilous partisan trap that pits industrial and economic interests against the environment and public health.

This two-sided narrative consistently drowns out moderate voices in national media coverage and has created an illusion of broad disagreement around the ESA that simply does not exist.

Recent surveys show that 83 percent of Americans support the ESA, including 74 percent of conservatives.

That’s a lot of bipartisan support. Yet House legislators and the Trump administration are pushing extreme proposals that cater to the political whims of a few special interests.

Americans deserve better. Here are six actions that will improve protections for wildlife, preserve our outdoor heritage and strengthen local communities. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture / Tagged bald eagle, Congress, conservation, ESA reform, landowners, monarch butterfly, Trump, wildlife | Read 2 Responses

The market for grassland carbon credits is on the rise. Here’s why.

By Robert Parkhurst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: July 19, 2018

A new study from UC Davis found that “grasslands and rangelands are more resilient carbon sinks than forests in 21st century California.”

While forests remain vital to global climate mitigation efforts, the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires has heightened the need to explore additional carbon sinks in fire-prone regions. Grasslands lock carbon into the soil, and they don’t release it during wildfires.

Photo credit: Nicole Rosmarino, Executive Director of the Southern Plains Land Trust

It’s because of this resilient carbon-capturing power that grasslands and rangelands are essential to meeting climate goals. Unfortunately, these ecosystems are being converted into croplands at the highest rate in decades. Landowners converted 1.6 million acres of long-term grasslands – those that have existed for 20 years or more – into croplands between 2008 and 2012.

Record high land rental values make land conversion a compelling economic choice, but a new market opportunity may soon change this calculus. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture / Tagged American Carbon Registry, carbon market, carbon sink, climate action reserve, climate change, colorado, grassland, grassland project protocol, grasslands protocol, greenhouse gas emissions, Microsoft, rangeland, Southern Plains Land Trust, wildfire | Comments are closed

Elite food consumers won’t make sustainable ag the norm. Here’s what will.

By Josette Lewis / Bio / Published: July 13, 2018

I recently participated on a panel discussion with a provocative title: “Elite Food Consumers: A Force for Environmental Good?” The panel was moderated by The Washington Post columnist Tamar Haspel and organized by the Breakthrough Institute.

It was a great discussion because there is no doubt that consumer preferences are changing food – and not just for elite consumers. Even the larger and more affordable food retailers are responding to new consumer demands for how food is produced, what ingredients it contains and how products are marketed. But consumer choices alone won’t reshape the food system.

Minimizing the environmental footprint of agriculture – in ways that don’t hurt farmers’ profitability or consumers’ pocketbooks – will require additional levers. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture / Tagged farm bill, organic, USDA, water quality | Read 1 Response

From satellites to artificial intelligence, how tech will change conservation as we know it

By Evan Patrick / Published: June 28, 2018

Wyoming is known for its panoramic landscapes, jagged mountains, and herds of pronghorn and bison. This imagery is associated with parks like Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. But not all of Wyoming’s landscapes are encapsulated in iconic national parks.

In southern Wyoming, the continental divide splits to form an enormous arid basin marked by vast sand dunes and grey, alkali lakes. The largest unfenced area in the lower 48, this region is known by Wyomingites as the Red Desert.

The Red Desert stretches across 4 million acres in south central Wyoming. It is home to the largest herd of pronghorn in the continental U.S., the largest desert elk herd, and the longest migrating mule deer herd in North America. Nearly three quarters of the area is covered by sagebrush grassland, and sage-grouse leks are present in much of the region. In the Red Desert’s northeastern corner, a series of alkali lakes known as the Chain Lakes provide critical wetland oasis for migrating shorebirds like ducks, trumpeter swans and white pelicans.

What differentiates the Red Desert from Wyoming’s other iconic landscapes is the rapidly increasing land use for energy development.

Posted in Agriculture / Tagged energy, energy development, habitat, national parks, Natural Language Processing, oil, red desert, satellite imagery, wildlife, Wyoming | Read 1 Response

How the farm bill helps landowners and wildlife thrive together

By Sara Brodnax / Bio / Published: June 27, 2018

This week, the Senate advanced a farm bill that includes many important provisions for conservation on America’s working farms, ranches and forestlands. Among these provisions is language codifying the Working Lands for Wildlife program that helps farmers and ranchers restore habitat for at-risk wildlife. It’s the first time the program has been formally recognized in the farm bill.

Thanks to the work of private landowners, conservation groups, tribes, and state and government agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided in September 2015 to remove the New England cottontail from the endangered species candidate list due to recovery. (Photo credit: Brian Tefft, Principal Wildlife Biologist at Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife.)

Through the Natural Resources Conservation Service program, USDA provides technical and financial assistance to landowners who voluntarily make improvements to wildlife habitat on their property. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pairs this with regulatory predictability under the Endangered Species Act.

It’s a win-win approach for improving agricultural productivity while enhancing habitat for wildlife.

Posted in Agriculture / Tagged conservation, endangered species, ESA, farm bill, greater sage-grouse, habitat, lesser prairie-chicken, monarch butterfly, NRCS, prairie-chicken, sage grouse, USDA, USDA NRCS, wildlife, wildlife conservation, Working Lands for Wildlife | Comments are closed