conservation
Bison will soon be America’s first national mammal
The bison will soon join the bald eagle as America’s national animal—and its only mammal, says The Guardian.
Putting more money into the doomsday vault for seeds
The Crop Trust, which runs a seed bank in the Arctic, "secured a doubling of its core funds" from national donors at a pledge meeting in Washington, enough to boost its endowment to $300 million.
New rule to protect West Coast forage fish
A new federal rule bans fishermen from catching eight kinds of forage fish in a 200-mile zone off the coasts of Oregon, Washington State and California, reports The Seattle Times.
Climate change may spread marine diseases northward
Rising water temperatures in the world's oceans can expand the range of marine diseases into new regions, says researcher Charlotte Eve Davies at The Conservation website.
Eastern monarch butterfly at risk of extinction
The population of the Eastern monarch butterfly declined 84 percent in less than two decades, says a team of researchers.
Satellite monitoring tracks forest loss, says green group
A new satellite-based monitoring system can spot logging of endangered forests in as little time as a week, depending on cloud cover, says the environmental group World Resources Institute.
Environmentalists say Utah’s Public Lands proposal is DOA
While the Malheur occupation continues in Oregon, a potentially bigger public lands debate is unfolding in southeast Utah. Last week, after three years of debate and 1,200 community meetings, Reps. Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz, revealed their Public Lands Initiative.
Traditional farming systems win global recognition
The "floating gardens" of Bangladesh and mountain farming in Japan are among four traditional farming systems declared "globally important agricultural heritage systems" by the Food and Agriculture Organization.
USDA offers $350 million to buy land easements
Some $350 million is available this fiscal year "to help landowners protect and restore key farmlands, grasslands and wetlands across the nation," said USDA. The money will flow through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program for voluntary purchase of easements to keep land in farming and ranching and to protect wildlife habitat and water resources.
Texas votes on constitutional right to hunt and fish
Voters in Texas will decide today whether to amend the state constitution to specify "the right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife, including by use of traditional means," subject to game laws. The proposed amendment, Proposition 6, also says, "Hunting and fishing are the preferred methods of managing and controlling wildlife."
USDA publishes conservation compliance, sodbuster rule
The Agriculture Department published an interim rule on Monday to require farmers to practice conservation in order to qualify for federally subsidized crop insurance coverage. The so-called conservation compliance requirement was one of the hardest-fought items in the 2014 farm law.
USDA extends enrollment for green payments by two weeks
Farmers and ranchers have two additional weeks to enroll in the Conservation Stewardship Program, which pays producers for practicing conservation on working lands. The deadline for applications initially was set for Friday but now will be March 13, says the Natural Resources Conservation Service. An official announcement will be made this morning.
U.S. aims to restore 200,000 acres for monarch butterfly
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and two conservation groups launched a campaign to save the monarch butterfly that includes restoration and enhancement of 200,000 acres of habitat.
Obama mentions farm use while discussing drone rules
In a CNN interview, President Obama called for regulations for drones to ensure "that we get the good and minimize the bad." The president commented one day after a two-foot wide drone crashed on the White House grounds.
USDA offers $20 million to aid new markets for carbon credits
Up to $20 million is available in grants to "facilitate the creation of new, innovative markets for carbon credits," USDA announced. It says carbon markets provide additional revenue sources for producers who practice soil and water conservation.
USDA conservation program “misses the mark”-farm groups
The biggest USDA conservation program, the Conservation Stewardship Program, slights ongoing work by farmers in favor of operators who are new to the program or agree to take on additional land, water and wildlife work, say two small-farm groups.
USDA funds $370 million in projects from dead zones to birds
Swamped by proposals, USDA selected 115 "high impact" projects to receive $370 million in funding in the initial awards through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The projects range from improving habitat for endangered birds to preventing a "dead zone" in Long Island Sound and reducing runoff in the lush wheat-growing Palouse regionof the Pacific Northwest. Federal funds will be matched by $400 million from "partners" that include governmental units and conservation groups such as Ducks Unlimited.
China Tuna withdraws IPO after criticism of its methods
China Tuna Industry Group Holdings has withdrawn its application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to become a publicly traded company because of adverse publicity, says Undercurrent News.