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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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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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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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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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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New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens today encouraged New Yorkers to participate in surveys for two popular game birds: wild turkeys and ring-necked pheasants as part of Governor Cuomo’s NY Open for Fishing and Hunting Initiative. “Science efforts that the public can assist in providing our wildlife managers with invaluable data and give people the opportunity to partner with DEC to help monitor New York’s wildlife resources,” Commissioner Martens said. “I encourage residents to take the time to record your observations of turkeys or pheasants while exploring the forests and fields around your home or
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Click here to view and download the 2023 AMJV Partnership Year in Review!
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The 2023 AMJV Impact Report is now available for downloading and sharing! Starting in 2022, this beautiful report has been designed annually by Liz Brewer (AMJV Outreach Specialist) to…
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by Liz Brewer, AMJV Outreach Specialist Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture (AMJV), in partnership with the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), and the West Virginia…
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