The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners on Tuesday approved a purchase that will add nearly 13,000 acres to State Game Lands 25 in Jones Township, Elk County, which provides an opportunity to create more early-successional forestland habitat statewide that will benefit a variety of species. The 12,911-acre acquisition is mainly forested with mixed northern hardwoods, with a small component of mixed conifers in locations, interspersed with forest openings. Streams and tributaries – many of them containing wild trout – as well as upland wetland areas, are located on the acquired tracts. These lands are bisected by U.S. Route 219, and
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Governor Martin O’Malley today announced an exciting new stewardship program to help Marylanders who own one to four acres of land convert unused lawn to forest cover at no cost. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forest Service and the Arbor Day Foundation have partnered to launch Lawn to Woodland, which will kick off as a pilot in select central counties this spring. “Healthy forests are our greatest defense when it comes to improving air and water quality, and reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that are disrupting our climate,” said Governor O’Malley. “Our new Lawn to Woodland program will provide
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From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, bird watchers from more than 100 countries are expected to participate in the 17th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), February 14–17, 2014. Anyone anywhere in the world can count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count and enter their sightings at www.BirdCount.org. The information gathered by tens of thousands of volunteers helps track the health of bird populations at a scale that would not otherwise be possible. The GBBC is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society with partner Bird Studies
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The U.S. Department of the Interior today honored two OSM projects with the Department’s prestigious Partners in Conservation Awards. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell recognized OSM’s work with public and private collaborators for ongoing reforestation at the Flight 93 National Memorial as well as the development of a widely used software application that estimates the cost of treating mine-related water pollution. The Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative Flight 93 Reforestation Project began in 2011 when the National Park Service (NPS) requested OSM’s help in reforesting previously mined and reclaimed land at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. On September 11,
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The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is among several state agencies that will manage vital natural heritage areas acquired through recent grants of $16.26 million from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund. The Clean Water Management Trust Fund board made 30 awards at its December meeting, including $2.55 million to the Wildlife Commission for acquisition of additional lands in Columbus, Randolph and Ashe counties. Approved funding includes $1.5 million toward acquiring the Riverstone Project, an 18,000-acre property south of Lake Waccamaw, in Columbus County. The Commission is attempting to obtain the property in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. The Riverstone Project
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For a jaw-dropping natural spectacle, it’s hard to beat a bird festival. Of all the wildlife in the United States, birds attract the biggest following. According to the Service’s most recent National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, about 18 million people a year take trips to see wild birds. National wildlife refuges make great bird festival locales because they’re bird magnets; many protect important bird habitat along the country’s major flyways. To see great masses of birds, look for festivals that coincide with spring or fall migration. Here are some major refuge-centered festivals scheduled for 2014, in the
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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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