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USDA Provides $328 Million to Conserve Wetlands and Farmland, Boost Economy

Posted on Monday, September 8th, 2014 by aadmin

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that $328 million in conservation funding is being invested to help landowners protect and restore key farmlands, grasslands and wetlands across the nation. The USDA initiative will benefit wildlife and promote outdoor recreation and related sectors of the economy. “Conservation easements help farmers and ranchers protect valuable agricultural lands from development, restore lands that are best suited for grazing, and return wetlands to their natural conditions,” Vilsack said. “These easements are making a dramatic and positive impact for our food supply, rural communities and species habitat.” The funding is provided through the Agricultural Conservation
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$1.875 Million Secured for Working Forests in Franklin County, TN

Posted on Tuesday, August 12th, 2014 by aadmin

The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced this week that $1.875 million will be granted to a Tennessee project led by The Land Trust for Tennessee (LTTN) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) that will protect 4,800 acres of privately owned forestlands in Franklin County. Funding for the project is provided by the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program, which is designed to protect “working forests” from development.  Working forests provide clean water, wildlife habitat, wood products, recreational use and other public benefits. The Franklin County property will stay in private ownership and will continue to supply the area’s
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Posted on Tuesday, August 12th, 2014

The Cerulean Warbler—one of the Americas’ fastest-declining migratory birds—now has more protected wintering habitat in Ecuador, thanks to a cooperative effort by Fundación Jocotoco, American Bird Conservancy, March Conservation Fund, and World Land Trust that safeguards rain forest at elevations preferred by the species. Ecuador’s Narupa Reserve now totals 1,871 acres, including a new 117-acre parcel within the reserve in addition to a recently acquired 90-acre adjacent property. Situated in the province of Napo at elevations ranging from 3,300 to 5,250 feet, the reserve includes Andean foothill rain forest with a remarkable convergence of lowland and highland wildlife species. Narupa
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USDA conservation partnership program receives nearly 600 initial proposals

Posted on Tuesday, August 5th, 2014 by aadmin

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said today that USDA’s new Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), which brings together businesses, tribes, communities and other non-government partners to invest in conservation efforts, has drawn an overwhelming response from partners across the nation. Nearly 5,000 organizations partnered together to submit nearly 600 pre-proposals by the July deadline. “This program is an entirely new approach to conservation,” Secretary Vilsack said. “By establishing new public-private partnerships, we can have an impact that’s well beyond what the Federal government could accomplish on its own.  And we put our partners in the driver’s seat, allowing them to find creative solutions to the
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Posted on Tuesday, August 5th, 2014

The benefits from managing habitat for game species and managing habitat for songbirds are not mutually exclusive. Creating and enhancing a variety of habitats supports a diversity of wildlife and activities, from birdwatching to hunting. This is because habitats used by migratory songbirds are also home to turkey, quail, deer and other wildlife. An example is the Golden-winged Warbler, a birdwatcher’s bucket-list species and one of the fasting declining birds in North America. It requires patchy shrublands and forest edges, which are also prime real estate for American Woodcock, Ruffed Grouse, and Wild Turkey. By protecting and managing for such
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Posted on Wednesday, July 30th, 2014

The AMJV is one of many partners involved in the “Golden-winged Warbler Land Managers Workshop: Restoring Early Successional Habitat in the Southern Appalachians”. The two-day workshop sponsored by Audubon North Carolina and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will detail guidelines for developing habitat for Golden-winged Warblers (GWWA) and other species associated with early successional forest. It takes place on September 10-11 at Roan Moutanin State Park. The first day will consist of instructional talks and include most recent GWWA biology and status, best management practices, stewardship programs and tools available for private lands, and how to implement all components for efficient management. Day two will demonstrate management with local site visits. Land managers must
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