Growing Returns

Climate-resilient agriculture requires both global and local action. Here’s how.

By Josette Lewis / Bio / Published: February 1, 2018

2017 saw 16 weather and climate disasters that cost a billion dollars or more, from freezes and hail, to fires and flooding. Agricultural losses from Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria and California wildfires alone totaled more than $5.7 billion – and counting.

With extreme weather becoming more common, we all have a stake in building a food system that can absorb and recover from such stress. A resilient food supply equips farmers with the tools and incentives to find climate-smart solutions, and that requires action globally and locally. Read More »

Also posted in Agriculture, Climate Resilience / Tagged california, climate change, climate-smart agriculture, extreme weather, farm bill, food system, iowa, Maryland, Oklahoma, regional conservation partnership program, resilience | Read 2 Responses

7 lessons from a California water leader on managing for the future

By Ann Hayden / Bio / Published: January 23, 2018

David Guy is president of the Northern California Water Association (NCWA), an organization committed to ensuring that water supplies are available for the Sacramento Valley — both for today’s users and for future generations.

“The Sacramento Valley is a rich mosaic of farmlands, cities, rural communities, refuges, managed wetlands and meandering rivers,” David said. “Every drought we experience reveals numerous pressures on the water supplies that support this vibrant region. We have to be motivated and forward-thinking to advance the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the Sacramento Valley by enhancing and preserving its water rights, supplies and water quality.”

I recently had the opportunity to speak with David about his role at NCWA, some of the challenges that he and the region face, and how to prepare for the future. Here’s what David had to say. Read More »

Also posted in Habitat Exchange, Water / Tagged agriculture, birds, california, central valley habitat exchange, fish, northern california water association, Sacramento Valley, salmon, water use, wildlife | Comments are closed

New online hub pairs landowners with conservation investors

By Kjellen Belcher / Published: December 19, 2017

Assessing habitat for songbirds at a ranch in the Central Valley.

The drive through the Central Valley’s mosaic of agricultural land, water infrastructure, riparian zones and floodplains has become a familiar one for me and my colleagues. We meet frequently with landowners who are creating, restoring and protecting habitat for wildlife on these working lands.

At each farm and ranch we visit, I am inspired by the landowners who are stepping up to do what they can for the at-risk species that are a part of the Central Valley’s ecology and history.

Whether they are managing flooded fields for Chinook salmon and giant garter snakes, planting trees for Swainson’s hawks and riparian songbirds to nest, or allowing native milkweed and wildflowers to grow for monarch butterflies to breed and feed, these landowners are showcasing conservation innovations that honor and sustain the region’s natural heritage. Read More »

Also posted in Agriculture, Habitat Exchange / Tagged agriculture, california, central valley, central valley habitat exchange, Chinook salmon, conservation, farmers, giant garter snake, monarch butterfly, ranchers, riparian songbirds, Swainson's hawk, wildlife | Read 3 Responses

The wild turkey may be America’s greatest wildlife conservation success story

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: November 16, 2017

Three male wild American turkeys displaying full plumage. The turkey’s bald head can change color in seconds with excitement or emotion. The birds’ heads can be red, pink, white or blue. [Photo credit: Larry Smith2010]

When most Americans think about great wildlife success stories, they think about the bald eagle, the peregrine falcon, or possibly the recent news of sea turtle recovery.

What many people forget, or perhaps never knew, is that America’s wild turkey population was once estimated to be approximately 30,000 – a number comparable to today’s estimates for polar bears worldwide.

Thankfully for us (and the gobblers), American wild turkeys now number close to seven million.

So how did the turkey bounce back? The answer lies in what some consider America’s greatest wildlife conservation success story. Read More »

Also posted in Agriculture / Tagged American wild turkey, bald eagle, conservation, endangered species act success stories, forest service, hunting, National Wild Turkey Federation, Thanksgiving, theodore roosevelt, turkey, wildlife | Read 1 Response

10,000-acre deal to protect sage-grouse marks milestone in conservation

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: November 9, 2017

The imperiled greater sage-grouse avoided an endangered species listing in September 2015 after Western landowners, conservation groups, and state and federal agencies forged a plan to protect its habitat. Read more >>

Today, Kinross Gold U.S.A., Inc., will complete the first purchase of habitat credits to offset impacts to greater sage-grouse through the Nevada Conservation Credit System. The transaction will take place at a signing ceremony in Carson City, Nevada to commemorate the long-term stewardship of nearly 10,000 acres of vital sage-grouse habitat.

Kinross is the first company to participate in the program, buying credits to offset the environmental impacts of its Bald Mountain gold mine in northeast Nevada. The credit projects will include a variety of conservation activities, such as grazing management and fencing maintenance, which will take place over the next 30 years.

The transaction marks a significant milestone in the sage-grouse story, and in America’s conservation history. Read More »

Also posted in Agriculture, Habitat Exchange, Partnerships / Tagged bald mountain gold mine, BLM, Colorado Habitat Exchange, environmental defense fund, habitat exchange, Interior department, kinross, mining company, mitigation, Nevada, nevada conservation credit system, ryan zinke, sage grouse, Wyoming Conservation Exchange | Comments are closed

Why were California’s wildfires so deadly? The answer lies in the forest

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: October 20, 2017

This post was updated on October 23, 2017.

The intense fires that have ravaged my neighboring communities over the last week have been on my mind constantly.

My heart goes out to those who have experienced great loss – loss of houses, loss of cherished items, loss of pets, and loss of life.

Many of us are left wondering, how could this happen? Could it have been prevented? How can we avoid another extreme event like this?

I don’t have all of the answers. No one does.

But we do know some things that can help us become more resilient in the face of increasingly intense and frequent fires.

What we know about the California fires

We know that in California, wildfires often occur in October after dry, hot summers. This year, we experienced record heat. When coupled with the high winds we’ve experience in recent months, small fires can quickly become monstrous and deadly. Read More »

Also posted in Climate Resilience / Tagged california fires, california wildfires, fire prevention, fire suppression, forest management, forestry, Gregory Giusti, power lines, santa rosa, sonoma county, wildfires | Read 2 Responses

Why I have more hope than ever for the monarch’s recovery

By David Wolfe / Bio / Published: October 18, 2017

A monarch butterfly nectars on an eryngo plant at Wagley Ranch on October 11. Read more about the monarch and explore David’s notes from the field here.

I recently returned to Wagley Ranch near Mineral Wells, Texas to work with some of the very first landowners participating in the emerging Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange.

The visit was the last on my fall field testing tour of the state, during which I visited five Texas ranchers in just six weeks. It was great to end on a high note at Wagley Ranch, where we had the chance to see southward migrating monarchs. We even saw one monarch feeding on an eryngo plant.

It was a wonderful reminder of why our work with these ranchers is so important, because the habitat they are restoring and enhancing is providing a new home to monarchs. Each acre of healthy habitat restored will support 70 butterflies on their migration to their wintering grounds in Mexico.

So how do we bring these activities to scale in time to save the monarch from extinction? With the right tools, the right practices, and the right people. Read More »

Also posted in Habitat Exchange, Partnerships / Tagged conservation, Elm Ridge Ranch, milkweed, monarch, monarch butterfly, monarch butterfly habitat exchange, monarch butterfly population, pollinator, rust ranch, Shield Ranch, Wagley Ranch, winters-wall ranch | Read 3 Responses

A plume of hope for an endangered bird and its forest

By Michael Bean / Published: October 10, 2017

The red-cockaded woodpecker is a keystone species of the longleaf pine ecosystem. (Photo credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region)

In the pine forests of the Southeast, a small black and white bird spends its days hammering out cavities in the trunks of mature longleaf pine trees. The red-cockaded woodpecker is endangered, and its status reflects the condition of the entire forest ecosystem upon which it depends.

It was the gradual but steady disappearance of the region’s unique longleaf pine forests due to increased settlement, timber harvesting and development that initially raised concerns about the decline of the red-cockaded woodpecker population in the 1960s.

Since then, collaborative efforts between the federal government and private landowners initiated an encouraging uphill comeback for the keystone species. Read More »

Also posted in Agriculture / Tagged endangered species act success stories, longleaf pine, national wildlife refuge, red-cockaded woodpecker, Safe Harbor, Safe Harbor agreements, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Read 1 Response

“We sink or swim together” in the sagebrush sea, and beyond

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: October 5, 2017

Western governors, landowners, conservationists and others celebrated the collaborative and bipartisan conservation effort that led to a “not warranted” listing decision for sage-grouse in September 2015.

Today, the Interior Department opened up federal sage-grouse plans to potential changes, despite the concerns of many state, industry, landowner and conservation stakeholders across the country.

John Swartout, a senior policy advisor to Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, said that it would be bad for Colorado if the sage-grouse plan, developed over years with local and state involvement, was eliminated, for fears that this would lead to a future Endangered Species Act listing.

“We didn’t work this hard to throw it all away and get a listing,” he said, echoing concerns of others that upending the plans could ultimately lead to the sage-grouse being listed.

Wyoming Governor Matt Mead reiterated what many western governors have told Secretary Zinke – that the states should be consulted about revisions to the plans because they are ultimately the ones who have to face the consequences if the plans fail and a federal listing is warranted.

“If it was a state by state listing decision, that’d be one thing,” Mead said. “But the way we are with the law right now, if one state gets listed, we all are going to get listed. We sink or swim together.” Read More »

Also posted in Agriculture, Partnerships / Tagged department of interior, Governor Hickenlooper, governor mead, greater sage-grouse, mitigation, secretary zinke | Comments are closed

Sea turtles swim towards a brighter future

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: September 29, 2017

Sea turtle populations are showing promising signs of recovery after years of decline. (Photo credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region)

There’s some good news in the animal kingdom. Sea turtles, the beloved green jewels of the world’s vast blue oceans, appear to be bouncing back after decades of decline.

Six of seven sea turtle species are currently listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) – the green, loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, olive ridley, hawksbill, and leatherback – and many of them have been on the list since 1970. Since then, conservation efforts have made significant strides in protecting nesting beaches, reducing mortality in fisheries and establishing marine protected areas.

Recent research suggests there is hope for beleaguered sea turtles. Important recovery in some local populations has shown that we can turn things around for sea turtles, especially with effective endangered species policy and improved management.

This comeback is promising, not just for turtles, but also for marine ecosystems and the marine economy at large.

Also posted in Agriculture / Tagged endangered species, endangered species act success stories, fishermen, green sea turtle, hawksbill sea turtle, kemp's ridley sea turtle, leatherback sea turtle, loggerhead sea turtle, olive ridley sea turtle, sea turtles, wildlife | Comments are closed