Growing Returns

To help the environment, we must first help people

By Audrey Archer / Bio / Published: March 27, 2017

Author Audrey Archer explores her natural surroundings and assesses need for conservation practices

Now living in Austin, Texas where diverse wildlands are numerous and easily accessible, Audrey takes any opportunity she can get to put on her hiking boots and explore her natural surroundings. She also volunteers with the City of Austin to give guided hikes on preserves. Credit: Rob Binder

I grew up in the high and dry panhandle plains of Texas, where trees are scarce, wind is always blowing, and the smell of feedlots lingers in the air. Needless to say, I was not overly inspired by my surroundings – at least not at the time I lived there.

Had I not traveled with my family growing up, I wouldn’t have known what I was missing. Throughout these travels, I became enraptured by the biodiversity and lushness of other ecosystems and felt compelled to learn as much as I could about them.

But the stark contrast between some of the natural ecosystems and working landscapes I was exposed to led me to develop a pretty pessimistic view of humans’ impact on the environment. Surely, there had to be a better way of balancing human needs for things like food, water and shelter with nature’s needs.

Determined to tackle this problem, I got my Master’s in Environmental Management from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and took a job at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), where I had heard that scientists and economists were developing incentive programs for landowners to improve water quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and restore habitat for at-risk wildlife.

Little did I know my worldview was about to be turned upside down.

Putting people first Read More »

Also posted in Agriculture, Habitat Exchange / Tagged conservation, Duke University, environmental defense fund, farmers, habitat, habitat exchange, Kristin Weeks Duncanson, Minnesota, monarch butterfly, Nicholas School of the Environment, ranchers, Texas, wildlife | Read 2 Responses

What it’s going to take to fund California’s water infrastructure

By Pablo Garza / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: March 6, 2017

Central Valley's levee system is damaged and needs repair

Crews are working to repair damage to the Central Valley’s levee system.

The situation at Oroville Dam garnered national attention and brought into clear focus the limitations of our aging flood protection infrastructure – California’s complex system of dams, levees, and bypasses – as well as the need for greater investment in maintaining and upgrading this system.

It is appropriate, then, that Governor Brown recently unveiled a plan to bolster dam safety and flood protection. By requiring emergency action plans, beefing up our dam inspection program and increasing our investment in emergency response, Governor Brown is taking an important first-step in tackling this difficult problem.

This comes at an especially important time as infrastructure maintenance is at the forefront of state and national discussions, and we still have a few months to go before we are out of the rainy season.

Also posted in Water / Tagged california, flood, floodplain, governor jerry brown, infrastructure, natural infrastructure, Oroville Dam, Proposition 1, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, water quantity, water use | Comments are closed

Why wholesale repeal of environmental protections is a losing business strategy

By David Festa / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: February 16, 2017

Taking aim at government regulation is a favorite pastime in Washington, but the Trump Administration and the 115th Congress have upped the ante.

In the course of a few weeks, the House of Representatives voted down a measure to curb methane leaks from oil and gas rigs on public and tribal lands. It also voted to overturn a common-sense rule to prevent coal companies from polluting local streams. Meanwhile, the president signed an executive order requiring the arbitrary removal of two existing regulations for every new one created.

Next in their sights: gutting Environmental Protection Agency programs and possibly repealing the Endangered Species Act.

There’s no question we can improve how we go about implementing environmental laws to ensure they deliver the biggest bang for the buck for people and nature. But as an advocate for the environment and a former policy director at the U.S. Department of Commerce, I find the rhetoric-driven rush to rescind these protections short-sighted – even dangerous. Read More »

Also posted in Agriculture, Water / Tagged bipartisan, clean air, clean water, Congress, economy, Environmental Protection Agency, environmental protections, EPA, ESA, Interior department, regulation, Trump Administration, wildlife | Comments are closed

What the Oroville Dam crisis tells us about natural infrastructure

By Maurice Hall / Bio / Published: February 15, 2017

Oroville Dam is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills about 80 miles north of Sacramento. At 770 feet, it’s the tallest dam in the U.S.

The crisis at Oroville Dam in Northern California has abated, but problems could return with more rain in the forecast for later this week.

If you haven’t heard, the reservoir behind the dam reached capacity last weekend, sending water over an emergency spillway for the first time since its construction in 1968. Authorities ordered more than 180,000 people downstream to evacuate their homes over concerns that the spillway could fail, sending an enormous uncontrolled rush of water down the Feather and Sacramento Rivers.

While the evacuation order has since been lifted, our thoughts still go out to those affected. We continue to monitor and try to make sense of the situation, and while many lessons will eventually be pulled from this experience, there is much to reflect on today.

Also posted in Water / Tagged green infrastructure, groundwater management, infrastructure, natural infrastructure, Oroville Dam, reliable water supply, water use | Comments are closed

How healthy riparian forests benefit California ranchers

By Evan Patrick / Published: January 5, 2017

John Anderson overlooking his riparian forest and restoration area on Yanci Ranch.

California landowners have a number of important reasons to value riparian forests. They offer shade to cattle, provide critical erosion and flood control, sequester carbon and support abundant wildlife.

Yet many landowners, especially those already stretched to manage their farms and ranches, often overlook these benefits in their day-to-day work.

Unfortunately, California’s riparian forests are dwindling, covering only 5 percent of their historic range. That’s why Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is working with leading researchers in the state to measure the wildlife and carbon benefits of riparian restoration, with the objective of bringing new funding sources to stewards of private lands.

Meet John Anderson

One landowner who is working actively to create riparian forests on his ranch is John Anderson, owner of Yanci Ranch in Yolo County. An experienced steward of his land, John has gone the extra mile restore the remnant riparian forest on his property. Read More »

Also posted in Agriculture, Habitat Exchange / Tagged california, central valley habitat exchange, conservation, habitat quantification tool, national bird day, ranchers, riparian forests, wildlife | Comments are closed

The year the private sector stepped up for land, water and wildlife

By David Festa / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: December 29, 2016

Read an update on methane, manure and community impacts in North Carolina

The private sector stepped up for land, water and wildlife

By this time next year, I believe we’ll reflect back on 2017 as the year that the private sector stepped up to protect our land, water and wildlife for future generations.

I believe this because major retailers, food companies, agricultural businesses and farmers laid the groundwork in 2016, making sizeable commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), improve water quality and conserve habitat for imperiled wildlife.

President-elect Trump has made political theater by threatening to kill the regulations that protect our nation’s air and water. But in the real world, the private sector is going the other direction.

Forward-thinking businesses are rolling up their sleeves and finding ways to make those regulations work better by accelerating the uptake of practices that are good for the planet and the bottom line.

These are three areas to watch in 2017.

Also posted in Agriculture, Habitat Exchange, Partnerships, Supply Chain, Water / Tagged Arizona, at-risk species, california, Campbell Soup, Cargill, drought, Drought Contingency Plan, fertilizer efficiency, General Mills, greater sage-grouse, habitat quantification tool, Kellogg's, Land O'Lakes, midwest row crop collaborative, monarch butterfly, Nevada, PepsiCo, Smithfield, soil health, SUSTAIN, voluntary conservation, Walmart, water quality, water scarcity | Read 3 Responses

Three threats to the monarch butterfly’s winter habitat and what we can do about it

By Audrey Archer / Bio / Published: December 20, 2016

Monarchs cluster on oyamel fir branches to stay warm. Tens of thousands of monarchs can cluster on a single tree. Photo credit: Pablo Leautaud (license)

Just as some people travel great distances to spend the holiday season with family and friends, monarch butterflies, too, make a long journey to spend the winter gathered together in the oyamel fir forests of Mexico.

The eastern population passes through Oklahoma and Texas on its annual migration south, stopping periodically to fuel up on nectar, ultimately reaching their destination in the mountains of central Mexico.

Unfortunately, the monarch’s winter home is under stress, which has contributed to a 90-percent decline in the species’ population over the last two decades. Read More »

Also posted in Agriculture, Habitat Exchange / Tagged biosphere reserve, climate change, conservation, extreme weather, forests, freeze, habitat, landslides, mexico, monarch butterflies, monarch butterfly, overwintering habitat | Read 7 Responses

Water heroes emerge in California’s Central Valley

By Ana Lucia Garcia Briones / Bio / Published: December 19, 2016

Water board leaders from 13 communities throughout California’s Central Valley attended the Leadership Academy to build engagement capacity and share lessons about small water system management. (Credit: Kike Arnal)

California’s Central Valley, which stretches 450 miles from Redding in the north to Bakersfield in the south, is the nation’s richest agricultural region, producing 40 percent of our fruit, vegetables and nuts on nearly 9 million acres of irrigated farmland. The Valley is also ground zero for California’s water problems.

As California endures its fifth year of drought, cities, farms, and communities across the state are experiencing severe water stress. Rivers, lakes and reservoirs are drying up, so residents are turning to groundwater pumping to quench their thirst. As a result, many of the state’s groundwater aquifers are being depleted, causing wells to run dry or become contaminated.

The most critically overdrawn aquifers are in and around small, rural communities in the Central Valley. Here, thousands of people—many of them low-income farm workers—live without safe drinking water.

Also posted in Partnerships, Water / Tagged California drought, central valley, disadvantaged communities, drinking water, environmental defense fund, environmental justice, groundwater, groundwater management, sustainable groundwater management act, water consumption, water markets, water use, working lands | Read 1 Response

How Interior pick can make good on Trump’s promise to honor Theodore Roosevelt

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: December 8, 2016

On Tuesday, President-elect Trump vowed to honor “the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt … one of our great environmentalists.” How will he make good on this promise with his Interior pick? (Credit: Harvard College Library)

Let’s face it. Over the last 30 years, when a democrat is elected president, the environmental community tends to let out a sigh of relief and cheer the appointment of a conservation-minded Secretary of the Interior. Aggies and industry, meanwhile, prepare to hunker down and fight against more endangered species listings and greater restrictions on public lands.

When a republican is elected president, enviros dust off their armor and prepare for battle against the likes of James Watt and Manuel Lujan – two former Interior secretaries known for their anti-environmental, anti-ESA agendas – while farmers and energy industry staff anxiously await the promised freedom of relaxed regulatory burdens.

Appointees on both sides take office prepared to undo the so-called “overreach” of the previous administration. But the new appointees often overreach themselves, resulting in years of lawsuits and delays in achieving their ideological master plan.

Lawyers prosper, but it’s not clear that anyone else does. Meanwhile, the environment continues to suffer. Read More »

Also posted in Agriculture, Habitat Exchange, Partnerships / Tagged conservation, donald trump, environmental defense fund, habitat exchanges, Interior, Interior department, interior secretary, legacy, mitigation, newmont mining corporation, president-elect, sage grouse, theodore roosevelt, western governors | Read 1 Response

Will Trump’s victory defeat the environment? It’s time to rally around shared values

By David Festa / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: November 16, 2016

Like all Americans, I woke up on November 9 to a new reality: A few more Democrats in Congress, and yes, a President-elect who promised to dismantle our nation’s core environmental protections.

Though the overwhelming majority of rural counties voted for Donald Trump, I do not believe they voted to increase air and water pollution or jeopardize wildlife.

We live in amazing times. Compared to 40 years ago, our environment is healthier, even as our economy has grown 300 percent.

But 40 years is a long time ago, and it’s easy to forget that progress didn’t happen overnight. It took Republican and Democratic administrations to put our bedrock environmental protections in place so the rules laid out in them could be enforced. These laws include:

A wildlife protection act that brought our national symbol, the bald eagle, back from the brink of extinction.
A clean air act that has helped to reduce smog and acid rain that was threatening our children’s health and killing our forests.
A water quality act that has cleaned up our rivers so they may never catch fire again. (Yes, the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland was so polluted that it ignited in 1969.)

Also posted in Agriculture, Habitat Exchange, Partnerships / Tagged America, bipartisan, conservation, donald trump, election, environment, farmers, fertilizer use, habitat, habitat exchanges, market-based, Nevada, pollution, protection, public health, public-private partnerships, ranchers, stewardship, sustainability, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, water quality, wildlife | Comments are closed