Did You Know?
Find out what's happening across our country in the world of
Conservation, brought to you by the
National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and
the Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department
Enjoy!
Conservation, brought to you by the
National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and
the Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department
Enjoy!
“The Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department does not promote or oppose the
practices mentioned in the following articles. We only strive to provide our readers with the most
up-to-date information so they can make informative, personal decisions based on facts.”
practices mentioned in the following articles. We only strive to provide our readers with the most
up-to-date information so they can make informative, personal decisions based on facts.”
(February, 2020)
Colorado State University: Animals large and small once covered North America’s prairies – and in some places, they could again
Land conservation in the heartland has been underwhelming. According to most estimates, less than 4 percent of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem that once covered some 170 million acres of North America is left. And when native grasslands are altered, populations of endemic species like prairie dogs shrink dramatically.
Phys.org: As groundwater depletes, arid American West is moving east
Even under modest climate warming scenarios, the continental United States faces a significant loss of groundwater—about 119 million cubic meters, or roughly enough to fill Lake Powell four times or one quarter of Lake Erie, a first-of-its-kind study has shown.
(December, 2019)
Star Tribune: As flooding and erosion rise, more Minnesota farmers buck tradition and plant cover crops
In a year when flooding and erosion smacked farmers in Minnesota and much of the country, a small but growing number of farmers are leaving fields unplowed and planting cover crops to protect their soil in the winter.
Scientific American: Farming Degrades Land; Farming Can Also Bring It Back
(Opinion) Agroforestry—the practice of growing trees intermixed with crops or livestock—can fight erosion and restore nutrients.
Science Daily: Warming climate will impact dead zones in Chesapeake Bay
In recent years, scientists have projected increasingly large summer dead zones in the Chesapeake Bay, areas where there is little or no oxygen for living things like crabs and fish to thrive, even as long-term efforts to reduce nutrient pollution continue. Researchers factored in local impacts of climate change to make projections of what the oxygen content of the Chesapeake Bay will look like in the future.
Phys.org: Wildfire residue may contribute to climate change
Wildfires leave behind large swathes of blackened earth when they raze a landscape. That charred material contains a host of molecules that could continue to release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere days and weeks after the fire has gone out, according to new research.
(November, 2019)
USA Today: Our bird populations are dying off. Here's how we can save them.
By Sen. John Boozman, Sen. Martin Heinrich, Rep. Mike Thompson and Rep. Rob Wittman
(Opinion) Congress can take an important step to restore and promote even more habitat for birds by reauthorizing the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. The measure provides grants to increase bird populations and wetland habitat, while supporting local economies and American traditions such as hunting, fishing, bird watching, family farming and ranching.
Science Daily: Dead-zone report card reflects improving water quality in Chesapeake Bay
The 2019 'dead-zone' report card for Chesapeake Bay indicates that the volume of low-oxygen, 'hypoxic' water was on the high end of the normal range, a finding that scientists consider relatively good news given the unfavorable weather conditions.
CPR News: Sagebrush Helps Support Ecosystems Throughout The West. But Today, 50 percent Of The Plant’s Habitat Is Gone
By Michelle P. Fulcher
Sagebrush, which makes up the largest interconnected habitat in America, is vital for the survival of 350 species of plants and animals, and the plant is in trouble.
Penn Live: Research looks into 400 years of Pennsylvania’s forests, which have been ‘completely transformed’
By Marcus Schneck
While forests of the northeastern U.S., from Pennsylvania north to Maine, may hold mostly the same tree species as they did 400 years ago, significant differences emerge under closer inspection.
University of Tennessee: Mathematician Develops Model to Control Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species
Adjusting the water flow rate in a river can prevent invasive species from moving upstream and expanding their range. An applied mathematician at UT has developed a partial differential equation model to find the desired flow rate to reduce invasive populations.
(October, 2019)
The Spokesman-Review: Inland Northwest’s thriving turkey population is an invasive nuisance or a conservation success – or both
By Eli Francovich
How did a species that didn’t exist in the Inland Northwest less than a lifetime ago, and that was on the verge of extinction throughout the continent, become so ubiquitous? The answer starts thousands of years ago. In Mexico.
The Atlantic: The Forest Service Is About to Set a Giant Forest Fire—On Purpose
By Maddie Stone
A man-made blaze on a remote Utah mountainside could provide valuable insights into the behavior of the powerful wildfires growing more and more common out West.
Deseret News: Crisis in the West: Americans will soon have a $5 billion wild horse problem and few know about it
By Amy Joi O’Donoghue
Nearly 90,000 wild horses and burros roam in 10 Western states where government range watchers say there should be just under 27,000, and the horses are multiplying quickly.
KCUR: Missouri Farmers Try To Reduce Runoff, But Cleaning Gulf Dead Zone May Take Decades
By Eli Chen
Missouri has not set targets for the reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus. The state’s approach to curtailing farm runoff, which environmentalists say lacks strength, is to use sales tax revenue to provide farmers financial incentives to improve crop and livestock practices.
Civil Eats: Planting Native Prairie Could Be a Secret Weapon for Farmers
By Nathan Beacom
In Iowa, researchers and farmers are discovering that planting strips of native prairie amidst farmland benefits soil, water, biodiversity, and more.
Colorado State University: Animals large and small once covered North America’s prairies – and in some places, they could again
Land conservation in the heartland has been underwhelming. According to most estimates, less than 4 percent of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem that once covered some 170 million acres of North America is left. And when native grasslands are altered, populations of endemic species like prairie dogs shrink dramatically.
Phys.org: As groundwater depletes, arid American West is moving east
Even under modest climate warming scenarios, the continental United States faces a significant loss of groundwater—about 119 million cubic meters, or roughly enough to fill Lake Powell four times or one quarter of Lake Erie, a first-of-its-kind study has shown.
(December, 2019)
Star Tribune: As flooding and erosion rise, more Minnesota farmers buck tradition and plant cover crops
In a year when flooding and erosion smacked farmers in Minnesota and much of the country, a small but growing number of farmers are leaving fields unplowed and planting cover crops to protect their soil in the winter.
Scientific American: Farming Degrades Land; Farming Can Also Bring It Back
(Opinion) Agroforestry—the practice of growing trees intermixed with crops or livestock—can fight erosion and restore nutrients.
Science Daily: Warming climate will impact dead zones in Chesapeake Bay
In recent years, scientists have projected increasingly large summer dead zones in the Chesapeake Bay, areas where there is little or no oxygen for living things like crabs and fish to thrive, even as long-term efforts to reduce nutrient pollution continue. Researchers factored in local impacts of climate change to make projections of what the oxygen content of the Chesapeake Bay will look like in the future.
Phys.org: Wildfire residue may contribute to climate change
Wildfires leave behind large swathes of blackened earth when they raze a landscape. That charred material contains a host of molecules that could continue to release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere days and weeks after the fire has gone out, according to new research.
(November, 2019)
USA Today: Our bird populations are dying off. Here's how we can save them.
By Sen. John Boozman, Sen. Martin Heinrich, Rep. Mike Thompson and Rep. Rob Wittman
(Opinion) Congress can take an important step to restore and promote even more habitat for birds by reauthorizing the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. The measure provides grants to increase bird populations and wetland habitat, while supporting local economies and American traditions such as hunting, fishing, bird watching, family farming and ranching.
Science Daily: Dead-zone report card reflects improving water quality in Chesapeake Bay
The 2019 'dead-zone' report card for Chesapeake Bay indicates that the volume of low-oxygen, 'hypoxic' water was on the high end of the normal range, a finding that scientists consider relatively good news given the unfavorable weather conditions.
CPR News: Sagebrush Helps Support Ecosystems Throughout The West. But Today, 50 percent Of The Plant’s Habitat Is Gone
By Michelle P. Fulcher
Sagebrush, which makes up the largest interconnected habitat in America, is vital for the survival of 350 species of plants and animals, and the plant is in trouble.
Penn Live: Research looks into 400 years of Pennsylvania’s forests, which have been ‘completely transformed’
By Marcus Schneck
While forests of the northeastern U.S., from Pennsylvania north to Maine, may hold mostly the same tree species as they did 400 years ago, significant differences emerge under closer inspection.
University of Tennessee: Mathematician Develops Model to Control Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species
Adjusting the water flow rate in a river can prevent invasive species from moving upstream and expanding their range. An applied mathematician at UT has developed a partial differential equation model to find the desired flow rate to reduce invasive populations.
(October, 2019)
The Spokesman-Review: Inland Northwest’s thriving turkey population is an invasive nuisance or a conservation success – or both
By Eli Francovich
How did a species that didn’t exist in the Inland Northwest less than a lifetime ago, and that was on the verge of extinction throughout the continent, become so ubiquitous? The answer starts thousands of years ago. In Mexico.
The Atlantic: The Forest Service Is About to Set a Giant Forest Fire—On Purpose
By Maddie Stone
A man-made blaze on a remote Utah mountainside could provide valuable insights into the behavior of the powerful wildfires growing more and more common out West.
Deseret News: Crisis in the West: Americans will soon have a $5 billion wild horse problem and few know about it
By Amy Joi O’Donoghue
Nearly 90,000 wild horses and burros roam in 10 Western states where government range watchers say there should be just under 27,000, and the horses are multiplying quickly.
KCUR: Missouri Farmers Try To Reduce Runoff, But Cleaning Gulf Dead Zone May Take Decades
By Eli Chen
Missouri has not set targets for the reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus. The state’s approach to curtailing farm runoff, which environmentalists say lacks strength, is to use sales tax revenue to provide farmers financial incentives to improve crop and livestock practices.
Civil Eats: Planting Native Prairie Could Be a Secret Weapon for Farmers
By Nathan Beacom
In Iowa, researchers and farmers are discovering that planting strips of native prairie amidst farmland benefits soil, water, biodiversity, and more.