In the News
News articles and events on WLFW and Target Species sites.
Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, and WLFW East Region Webinar Series
Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever, in partnership with USDA-NRCS’s Working Lands for Wildlife, has reformed the WLFW Pollinator Conservation webinar series to include broader topics and changed platforms to Zoom. This series aims to enhance understanding, confidence, and knowledge of conservation concepts. It is designed for conservation professionals working in the WLFW East Region. NRCS staff and partner organizations are welcome to attend (click image for more details), so please feel free to share it with your field staff.
News: Guidebook for Prescribed Burning in the Southern Region
Learn how to plan, conduct and evaluate prescribed burns with this new Guidebook designed for burners of all skill levels. This book takes you step-by-step through the prescribed burning process in addition to providing more in-depth chapters on many of the concepts.
Can Agriculture and Biodiversity Coexist?
To free up land for biodiversity conservation while satisfying growing food demand, techno-optimist narratives suggest indefinitely increasing agricultural productivity, including through massive pesticide use. But this view, which has made its way from an academic niche into corporate and policy-making circles, overlooks the complexity of natural ecosystems and the market dynamics that regulate access to food.
Landscape Partnership Newsletter-USDA Doubling Down On Growth Of NRCS Working Lands For Wildlife!
USDA Doubling Down on Growth of NRCS Working Lands For Wildlife!
Landscape Partnership Newsletter-Announcing Bobscapes: A Mobile App To Track Northern Bobwhite On Our Landscapes
Working Lands for Wildlife is happy to announce the launch of Bobscapes, a Mobile App to track Northern Bobwhite. Bobscapes is the newest online tool to join the suite of decision-support tools hosted on the Landscape Partnership Portal.
Landscape Partnership Newsletter Announcing The Literature Gateway: Bird-Vegetation Relationships in Eastern and Boreal Forests
Working Lands for Wildlife is happy to announce the launch of the Literature Gateway: A Systematic Map of Bird-Vegetation Relationships in Eastern and Boreal Forests. The Literature Gateway is the newest online tool to join the suite of decision-support tools hosted on the Landscape Partnership Portal.
News: Opportunities for Research on Carbon Sequestration in Longleaf Pine Ecosystems Fact Sheet
Based in part on the recent Fact Sheet on Opportunities for Research on Carbon Sequestration in Longleaf Pine Ecosystems by Kevin Robertson, Ph.D., Fire Ecology Research Scientist, Prescribed Burning has been added to the USDA Climate Smart Priorities List for FY24.
News: Mapping Fires Across the Southeast-Science to Solutions
The Southeast fire map (SE FireMap), funded by NRCS and managed by Working Lands for Wildlife staff, aims to develop a fire tracking map to allow for improved decision making.
USDA Accepts Nearly 2.7 Million Acres in Grassland CRP Signup
COLLEGE STATION, Texas, July 19, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting offers for nearly 2.7 million acres from agricultural producers and private landowners through this year’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grassland signup. This program allows producers and landowners to continue grazing and haying practices while protecting grasslands and further CRP conservation efforts. Grassland CRP is part of the Biden-Harris administration’s broader effort to address climate change and conserve natural resources. This year’s signup results include more than 144,000 acres in Texas.
Quail Forever Hires Lauren Stamm as Southwest Regional Rep
Quail Forever is proud to announce the hiring of Lauren Stamm as a regional representative in the southwest United States. In her new role, Stamm will provide support for dedicated members and volunteers throughout Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico, working closely with local chapters to improve public and private lands conservation efforts for quail and other wildlife.
Historic USDA Investment in Working Lands for Wildlife is Great News for Hellbenders
Working Lands for Wildlife will dedicate $500 million over the next five years to strengthen and expand efforts to protect wildlife and restore habitat on private agricultural and forest lands.
USDA Doubling Down on Growth of NRCS Working Lands For Wildlife!
Most of America’s biodiversity, sensitive species, landscape connectivity, and natural carbon storage opportunity depend heavily on private working lands, where we can partner with great land stewards to achieve shared conservation goals - while helping avoid regulatory outcomes.
NRCS Staff Support the Hellbender WLFW Program by Learning About Natural Design Principles
NRCS staff from four states met in Western NC to tour stream restoration projects for hellbenders and get a close up look at best practices.
Celebrating Bog Turtles During Wild Turtle Week
Wild Turtle Week gives us an opportunity to bring extra attention to turtles and our conservation efforts on their behalf.
Analysis: Why protecting very large swaths of land matters for wildlife conservation
Although bison are the U.S. national mammal, they exist in small and fragmented populations across the West. The federal government is working to restore healthy wild bison populations, relying heavily on sovereign tribal lands to house them.
To Restore Hellbender Habitat, a Biologist Visits the Farmers' Market
When working to restore wildlife habitat on agricultural lands, outreach to producers can be challenging. Private Lands Biologist Mike Knoerr figured out a way to make it much more efficient.
Gopher tortoises in Southern states deserve federal protections, groups say
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Gopher tortoises imperiled by loss of habitat largely caused by human development should be placed on the endangered species list in four southern states, environmental groups said Wednesday as they prepared to sue the federal government over the issue.
Are Hellbenders Found Downstream of the Ohio Train Derailment Really a Sign That the Water is Safe?
Ohio authorities have called the recent capture and release of two hellbenders downstream from the site of a train derailment and toxic chemical spill a 'positive discovery,' because hellbenders are an indicator of a healthy aquatic ecosystem, but the reality is more complicated.
USDA Invests More than $48.6 Million to Manage Risks, Combat Climate Change
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest more than $48.6 million this year through the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership for projects that mitigate wildfire risk, improve water quality, restore forest ecosystems, and ultimately contribute to USDA’s efforts to combat climate change. This year, the USDA Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will invest in projects, including 14 new projects, bringing together agricultural producers, forest landowners, and National Forest System lands to improve forest health using available Farm Bill conservation programs and other authorities.
