Growing Returns

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 »

Posted in Habitat Exchange, Wildlife Protection / Tagged bald mountain gold mine, BLM, Colorado Habitat Exchange, ecosystems, Endangered Species Act, environmental defense fund, habitat exchange, Interior department, kinross, mining company, mitigation, Nevada, nevada conservation credit system, Partnerships, ryan zinke, sage grouse, Wyoming Conservation Exchange | Comments are closed

Sorting through nutrient management marketing claims

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: November 8, 2017

Farmer and advisor in a corn field putting precision agriculture technology to use

Farmers need assurance that a nutrient management tool is worth their investment.

Farmers and their advisors face increasing challenges from low crop prices, extreme weather and pressure to improve water quality. A growing marketplace of tools and products promises to help meet these challenges, but has in turn created a new problem: information overload.

This problem is especially acute for precision management of nutrients, one of the fastest growing agricultural sub-sectors. Companies promise their nutrient efficiency tools and products will enable farmers to grow more with less, save money and boost yields. But there is often little available data behind these claims.

As one of the farmers I regularly turn to for advice put it, “We (farmers) need a ‘Big Sort’” – something that sorts through this flood of information, separates the wheat from the chaff and helps farmers make informed decisions about what will work best for them.

To initiate this “Big Sort,” Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) teamed up with a group of experts in technology and nutrient management to develop NutrientStar, which helps farmers determine which products deliver on their promises and are worth the investment. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged fertilizer, fertilizer optimization, field trials, Indiana, Michigan, nutrient management, nutrient use efficiency, NutrientStar, Ohio, on-farm research, precision agriculture, sustainable agriculture | Comments are closed

California’s upcoming water bond measure will do more than meets the eye

By David Festa / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: October 27, 2017

California Capitol Building, Sacramento

There’s a lot to like about SB 5, the $4 billion parks and water bond legislation signed by Governor Jerry Brown, qualifying it for the June 2018 ballot.

For starters, its largest allocation – $725 million – will go toward building new parks in underserved neighborhoods. That’s a good thing for communities who are often overlooked when it comes to environmental investments and protections.

But that’s not all. SB 5 contains some funding programs unlike those seen in past park bonds. A renewed focus on the agricultural community and the Salton Sea is a clear sign that California is taking a magnifying glass to the most serious resource issues in the state. The bond’s “hidden gems” aim to make California more resilient to the droughts, downpours and wildfires that are expected to intensify as a result of climate change.

That’s a good thing for all Californians, not to mention the state’s wildlife. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged agricultural sustainability, central valley, groundwater recharge, Oroville Dam, resiliency, salton sea, SB 5, sustainable groundwater management act, water bond, water use, western water, working lands | Comments are closed

The next farm bill can jump-start agricultural conservation. Here’s how.

By Callie Eideberg / Bio / Published: October 24, 2017

An Ohio farmer uses the latest agricultural technology.

Precision agriculture technology can accelerate on-farm conservation, including nutrient management. (Photo: John Rae)

Benjamin Franklin, an experimental farmer and author of Poor Richard’s Almanac, once said that in order to succeed, you must jump as quickly at opportunity as you do at conclusions.

The 2018 farm bill is an opportunity for agriculture policy to champion locally led projects, new ideas and entrepreneurship. Such policies can move the needle on conservation outcomes with relatively minimal investment from the federal government. So let’s jump quickly.

In the face of a changing climate, growing population and complex macroeconomic shifts, agricultural resiliency is more important than ever. We need to protect water quality, address climate impacts, establish species habitat and maintain farm profitability. Government alone can’t accomplish these goals. But smart policies can catalyze investments and innovations that do. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged farm bill, Partnerships, public-private partnerships, RCPP, regional conservation partnership program, Senator Debbie Stabenow, Senator Joni Ernst, sustainable agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA | 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 »

Posted in Climate Resilience / Tagged california fires, california wildfires, ecosystems, 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 »

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

How John Deere and Cornell can ensure big data benefits farmers and the environment

By Robert Parkhurst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: October 13, 2017

5 gigabytes of data is the equivalent of up to 1.6 million emails. (Photo credit: Flickr user Judd McCullum)

Modern farm equipment comes more outfitted than a fully loaded car. These precision farming machines are furnished with multiple sensors that collect data during planting, nutrient application and harvest. A typical farmer now has 5 gigabytes of data, five seasons’ worth, in storage.

This trove of data promises to revolutionize farming, giving farmers unparalleled insights for business and stewardship decisions. Unfortunately, the data collected tends to stay on equipment hard drives, greatly reducing its usefulness to farmers.

A new partnership between John Deere and Cornell University promises to change that. Ag-Analytics, a Cornell data platform, syncs with John Deere’s Operation Center and makes it easier than ever for farmers to access and analyze farm data. Cornell is the first university to integrate with John Deere, and the analytical tools now available to farmers include a crop insurance estimator and yield and risk management forecasts. Read More »

Posted in Supply Chain / Tagged big data, Cornell University, data analysis, data management, John Deere, Partnerships, precision agriculture, sustainable agriculture | Comments are closed

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 »

Posted in Wildlife Protection / Tagged ecosystems, Endangered Species Act, 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 »

Posted in Wildlife Protection / Tagged department of interior, ecosystems, Endangered Species Act, Governor Hickenlooper, governor mead, greater sage-grouse, mitigation, Partnerships, secretary zinke | Comments are closed

EPA’s rationale for withdrawing the Clean Water Rule is dead wrong. Here’s why.

By David Festa / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: September 29, 2017

The Clean Water Rule was established to clarify which bodies of water are protected by the federal Clean Water Act of 1972. (Photo Credit: Geoff Livingston)

We live in a nation of laws and rules for a reason. They make democracy possible.

That’s why Environmental Defense Fund last week submitted public comments on the Clean Water Rule, which the Trump Administration is proposing to rescind.

The Clean Water Rule, also known as Waters of the United States (WOTUS), was established in 2015 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers to clarify which bodies of water are protected by the federal Clean Water Act of 1972.

Soon after it was enacted, stakeholder groups sued – practically standard practice anytime a significant policy is put forward. We recognize the different opinions around WOTUS, but aversion to controversy is not basis for setting policy.

And yet, that’s what the EPA is trying to do – remove a policy not because it is unlawful, but because it is under litigation, which the EPA claims “produces uncertainty.” Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Tagged Administrative Procedure Act, clean water rule, EPA, water policy, western water, WOTUS | Comments are closed