Growing Returns

How can communities get the most from investing in nature?

By Ann Hayden / Bio / Published: April 13, 2018

In places like Nevada, ranching has been a way of life for generations, and industries like mining provide key drivers of economic growth and community stability. But these landscapes also hold economic, historical and cultural values tied to the health and stewardship of natural resources.

The same is true for other communities across the country that are striving to address growing needs for infrastructure, economic growth, clean air and safe drinking water.

Balancing community resiliency, economic stability and stewardship of natural resources is no easy task. But a new funding mechanism is gaining traction on the ground in key places, providing proving grounds for how communities can make cost-effective investments in their futures. Read More »

Posted in Habitat Exchange / Tagged california, central valley, climate resilience, Coastal Master Plan, Coasts, conservation, ecosystem resilience, ecosystems, environmental impact bonds, financing, habitat, Louisiana, Nevada, pay for performance, sage grouse, wildlife | Comments are closed

4 ways to strengthen coastal communities’ resilience before the next storm

By EDF Staff / Published: April 12, 2018

This blog was authored by Shannon Cunniff, with contributions from Kate Zerrenner.

The 2017 hurricane season sounded the alarm for coastal communities across the country and across the world that are facing increased exposure to powerful storms.

Nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population lives in coastal counties, where hurricanes are often the most destructive weather phenomena bringing rain, wind, waves and storm surge that too often result in significant loss of life. With a changing climate, we can expect more extreme weather. But we don’t have to expect the same levels of devastation.

There are steps we can take to decrease coastal communities’ vulnerability to storms, lower the risk of damaging floodwaters, and reduce the impacts associated with these disasters. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged adaptation, building codes, buyouts, Coastal Master Plan, coastal protection, coastal resilience, Coasts, flood insurance, Harvey, hurricane, Matthew, mitigation, natural infrastructure, wetlands | Read 1 Response

Will we be prepared for the next natural disaster? Let’s make sure the answer is “Yes.”

By Paxton Ramsdell / Bio / Published: April 5, 2018

It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly a year and a half since Hurricane Matthew delivered devastating floods across eastern North Carolina. With so many families and communities still recovering from that storm, the thought of having to prepare for the next one is daunting, but it’s a necessary reality.

The wide-spread devastation that the 2017 hurricane season brought to the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean demonstrates the critical importance of planning and making necessary investments to reduce the vulnerability of our communities in the future. (Photo credit: The National Guard)

This month, a group of North Carolina state legislators will convene in Raleigh to discuss how to spend the state’s remaining federal disaster relief funds provided in the wake of Matthew.

In addition to the needs of still ongoing recovery efforts, the North Carolina House Select Committee on Disaster Relief is expected to begin exploring investment opportunities related to flood control and risk mitigation. Read More »

Posted in Wildlife Protection / Tagged Disaster Relief, ecosystems, floodplains, House Select Committee, Hurricane Matthew, hurricanes, legislature, natural disasters, natural infrastructure, North Carolina, resilience, restoration, rivers, storms, streams | Comments are closed

Federal rollbacks + huge new oil and gas project = trouble for Wyoming

By Sara Brodnax / Bio / Published: March 23, 2018

This blog was co-authored by Jon Goldstein and Sara Brodnax.

Last week, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management collected comments from citizens and groups concerned about the impacts of a proposed 5,000-well oil and gas project in eastern Wyoming.

The situation has a troubling irony, because as BLM reviews the project’s environmental risks, it is simultaneously working to roll back its own commonsense standards to stop oil and gas companies from venting, flaring, and leaking away pollution and valuable natural gas.

Rapid oil and gas development at times put Pinedale, Wyoming on par with smoggy Los Angeles in terms of ozone levels.

It’s the same story for the greater sage-grouse, which without strong mitigation measures will likely abandon critical breeding sites in the area set to be impacted by the planned oil and gas project. Here, too, BLM has signaled several attempts to unravel the collaborative, decades-forged plans to protect the imperiled bird.

The combination of weakening policies while expanding development could have disastrous consequences for Wyoming and other western states if methane pollution goes unchecked and the greater sage-grouse continues to decline.

[Tweet “Federal rollbacks + huge new oil and gas project = trouble for Wyoming”] Read More »

Posted in Climate Resilience, Wildlife Protection / Tagged air quality, BLM, BLM methane rule, Converse County, ecosystems, greater sage-grouse, Interior, Matt Mead, methane, natural gas, oil and gas, Pinedale, public health, report, secretary zinke, wildlife, Wyoming | Read 1 Response

USDA newcomer Bill Northey has 3 big opportunities to scale ag resilience and productivity nationwide

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: March 22, 2018

In his new role at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Undersecretary Bill Northey will oversee agencies and programs that are vital to agricultural resilience and productivity, including the Farm Service Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Risk Management Agency. His portfolio will include crop insurance, conservation, disaster assistance and producer lending services.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with Northey and have appreciated his collaborative approach, which I think will be an asset to USDA in pursuing gains in productivity and conservation.

As he leads ag sustainability efforts at USDA, Northey has three big opportunities to scale conservation and productivity innovations nationwide. Read More »

Posted in Supply Chain / Tagged Conservation Practice Standards, Conservation Technical Assistance, farm bill, Partnerships, public-private partnerships, regional conservation partnership program, sustainable agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Undersecretary Bill Northey, USDA, USDA NRCS | Comments are closed

A rare desert wildflower is no longer endangered, but the law that saved it may be

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: March 20, 2018

When most people think about the Endangered Species Act, they picture the bald eagle, the sea turtle or the grizzly bear. They don’t think as often about the grasses, ferns, flowers and conifers that the ESA also protects.

That makes sense when you consider that there are approximately 26 known animal species for every known plant species. But animals, including humans of course, rely heavily on plants for food, oxygen, shelter and more.

Just like animals, plants increasingly face habitat loss, pollution, disease and climate change, which threaten their existence.

There are currently 949 species of plants listed as endangered or threatened under the ESA, including several species of cactus, mint and milkweed – a vital plant for monarch butterflies. But even the more obscure and isolated plants demonstrate how closely plant resilience is tied to the health of both local and broader ecosystems. Read More »

Posted in Wildlife Protection / Tagged biodiversity, death valley, delisted, delisting, dune grass, ecosystems, endangered species, Endangered Species Act, endangered species act success stories, endangered species act success story, eureka valley, evening primrose, national park, plants | Read 2 Responses

The farm bill can make the ag data revolution a reality

By Callie Eideberg / Bio / Published: March 12, 2018

For big data to truly revolutionize agricultural productivity and sustainability, data needs to be accessible. Industry and government have already collected troves of data points. The trick now is to combine disparate data sets and make them available to farmers, researchers and advisers – all while meticulously protecting producer privacy.

The private sector moved aggressively in 2017 to provide farmers with solutions for collecting and interpreting their data. $500 million in investments flowed to start-ups providing farm management software, sensing and other data solutions – a sector with 27 percent year-over-year growth.

It’s time for the public sector to do the same. Here’s how the next farm bill can ensure farmers see benefits from their data. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged crop insurance, data, extreme weather, farm bill, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Senator John Thune, sustainable agriculture, USDA | Comments are closed

Unlikely allies are crowdsourcing funding and habitat to save the monarch butterfly

By David Wolfe / Bio / Published: March 1, 2018

The monarch butterfly has a new chance at recovery, thanks to the launch of the Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange and inspiring commitments from early participants.

The Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange is an innovative market-based program dedicated to restoring and conserving high-quality monarch habitat on America’s private working lands. It’s been dubbed an ‘Airbnb for butterflies’ because it’s the only program of its kind that can open the vast untapped potential of large-scale farms and ranches to make habitat available for monarchs at an unprecedented scale and pace.

[Tweet “Powerful partners have teamed up to launch a groundbreaking program to recover the monarch butterfly.”]

Studies estimate that the monarch’s population has declined by 95 percent since the 1980s, and the butterfly faces a June 2019 deadline for an Endangered Species Act listing decision.

To change the monarch’s trajectory and avoid the need for restrictive regulations that often accompany a listing, we need to restore millions of acres of native milkweed and wildflowers across the butterfly’s vast migration route, fast.

Posted in Habitat Exchange / Tagged conservation, environmental defense fund, milkweed, missouri, monarch butterfly, prairie, Smithfield Foods, Texas, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wildlife | Read 11 Responses

What can Nebraska teach the American West about managing water? A lot.

By Christina Babbitt / Bio / Published: February 23, 2018

Nebraska is one of the top producers of corn, soybeans and hogs in the country. With 91 percent of the state’s total land area dedicated to agricultural production, a lot of water is needed to support all of Nebraska’s farms and ranches.

Fortunately, the state sits atop one of the largest underground aquifers in the world. The High Plains Aquifer, commonly referred to as the Ogallala Aquifer, underlies parts of eight states from Texas to South Dakota, and is a vital resource to Nebraskan farmers.

But as farms have expanded and demand for agricultural products has grown, pressure on the aquifer has increased and groundwater levels have been in steady decline for decades.

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged california, groundwater, groundwater management, groundwater recharge, Nebraska, sustainable groundwater management act, water use, western water | Comments are closed

For California water managers, establishing new traditions takes time

By Maurice Hall / Bio / Published: February 16, 2018

The California Water Commission sent ripples through the water world recently when it gave tepid “public benefit” scores to 11 water storage projects vying for taxpayer funding.

Project proponents were understandably frustrated, and many were openly critical of the Water Commission’s process for determining public benefits. After all, they’re vying for a big pot of public money – $2.7 billion that was set aside in 2014 with the passage of Proposition 1 – and their public benefit scores are a key factor in determining whether or not they get funded.

But let’s not be so critical. The Water Commission has been handed a difficult task, and is doing the right thing by carefully considering and scrutinizing each project. Here’s why.

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged California Water Commission, groundwater recharge, Proposition 1, water storage, Water Storage Improvement Program, water use, western water | Read 1 Response