The Nature Conservancy completed a major restoration project in the high-elevation forest of West Virginia’s Randolph County this month, planting 34,000 red spruce trees in land that is now part of the Monongahela National Forest. The trees were planted over a three-week period on the slopes of Mount Porte Crayon, about 30 miles from Elkins. The project was funded by a $250,000 climate adaptation grant from the Wildlife Conservation Society and is part of a larger effort by the Central Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative to bring back West Virginia’s iconic mountaintop forests. “These little spruce trees are only about 12-18 inches tall now, but when
Read More
A habitat workshop series is being offered to landowners wishing to improve habitat for wildlife and other conservation goals. The workshop series is sponsored by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife, ODNR Division of Forestry, Pheasants Forever (PF), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), The Ohio State University Extension, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The Grassland Habitat workshop is the second in the series and will take place on Saturday, July 13th from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm on the Rammel Farm located at 6879 Arcanum-Bears Mill Rd., Greenville,
Read More
State and federal environmental officials announced today that two land purchases have been made to benefit the wildlife, people and landscape of the Kittatinny Ridge. The two purchases are the Moreton and Alpine Motorsports tracts east of Palmerton in the Aquashicola Creek watershed. Funds for these purchases came from the Palmerton Zinc natural resource damages settlement, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Monroe County Open Space Program, Audubon PA, Blue Mountain Preservation Association, Lehigh Gap Nature Center and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary with the land acquisition expertise of the Wildlands
Read More
Audubon North Carolina is pleased to introduce our field technicians for this year’s continuing research on Golden-winged Warblers and the effects of management on their productivity and habitat requirements. These positions are funded through a Conservation Effects Assessment Project Grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Audubon North Carolina is pleased to be partnered with Indiana University of Pennsylvania, West Virginia University, and the University of Tennessee Knoxville for this work. Clifton Avery A junior in college at Appalachian State, Clifton is majoring in Ecology/Evolutionary Biology. In the last few years, Clifton has fallen in love with the field of
Read More
Governor Martin O’Malley today signed into law first-of-its-kind legislation that amends Maryland’s forest conservation policy to maintain the State’s current 40 percent tree canopy ─ a no-net-loss. The bill establishes new and expanded reforestation incentives and tools to help landowners and local governments meet and surpass the statewide goal. “Healthy forests support our economy, our communities, human health and our natural world,” said Governor O’Malley. “This landmark legislation will ensure we are using the most efficient and sustainable practices, to not only maintain our forests, but strengthen and expand them. It is vital we take the steps today that will
Read More
In 1982, New Jersey’s only remaining bald eagle nest failed for at least the sixth consecutive year. Every year, the eagle eggs at the Bear Swamp nest were just too thin to withstand normal incubation—a result of residual contamination from the pesticide DDT. With hopes of securing a future for the species in the Garden State, biologists intervened. “In a delicate procedure, we removed the egg after just two weeks, replacing it with a fake egg to keep the adults incubating at the nest,” says Kathleen Clark, a biologist with the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Endangered and
Read More