Chesapeake Bay Program’s Post

“Partners within the Commonwealth are working to “de-list” 30 streams impaired by farm runoff by installing best management practices such as streamside trees, stream fencing and manure storage facilities. In 2024, five stream segments were delisted and an additional 12 segments are close to joining them.”

BREAKING: We just sued the U.S. Forest Service for not protecting Humboldt martens from off-road vehicles in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area — even though the Endangered Species Act safeguards both the martens and their habitat there. Humboldt martens — aka coastal martens — are stealthy, bushy-tailed carnivores in the weasel family who live only in Northern California and Oregon. Believed extinct until their rediscovery in the 1990s, these martens still have a tiny population: fewer than 400. Through nearly 15 years of unflinching legal work, the Center for Biological Diversity won federal protection for these martens in 2020 and, this spring, about 1.2 million acres of critical habitat — including 28,843 acres in the Oregon Dunes. We'll keep doing everything we can for these charismatic little carnivores.

“Activists are hell to live with but they make great ancestors” – Robert Liberty 51 years ago, Oregon defined itself as a visionary pioneer for sound land use planning. In reaction to the unbridled growth and urban sprawl across farmland and forests of the 1960s and 1970s, Oregonians advocated for a solution to the rapid loss of natural resources and shared values. On May 29, 1973, Senate Bill 100 was signed into law. This landmark system it created was based on this simple concept: urban uses and development belong inside cities and towns while rural lands should be preserved for farms, forests, and open space. Since then, the legacy of SB 100 has shaped our remarkable quality of life and allows us to continue defending and planning for Central Oregon’s livable future. Learn more about the land use system that makes Oregon different: https://lnkd.in/gJ--dv8q

What makes your home a sweet one? 🏠♥️ 95% of Texas is privately owned. This means landowners are vital to a future rich in natural resources. Landowners can: 💧 Restore native plants to create reliable food sources and habitat while protecting groundwater. 🐗 Manage invasive species like feral hogs or non-native plants. ⭐ Work with a land trust to establish a conservation easement, permanently protecting the land from future development while retaining ownership. Our Business member, Texas Farm Credit supports the East Foundation and Witte Museum’s Land Stewardship Ambassadors program, which introduces high schoolers to concepts and careers in land management. Partnerships like these are perfect reasons to #ThankATxNBusinessMember for advancing conservation in Texas! If you’re ready to start your conservation legacy, we created a resource guide with everything you need to know to get started! 🌱Check it out here: https://bit.ly/3LfZXxG

The Federal Highway Administration announced Friday that the North Carolina Department of Transportation will receive $25 million to build new wildlife crossing structures on U.S. 64 to help save the endangered Red Wolf from extinction. “In the face of environmental changes that are increasingly transforming and fragmenting the landscape, this funding comes at a critical time, when we have the opportunity to make our roadways safer for motorists and wildlife alike.” – Ben Prater, Southeast Program director. Read more. https://dfnd.us/49MYSZc

Tune in to the Minnesota DNR’s livestream of the annual greater prairie-chicken mating ritual at The Nature Conservancy’s Bluestem Prairie in Clay County, Minnesota. Early risers can witness the intricate courtship display where prairie-chickens hop, strut, flap their wings, fill their vibrant orange air sacs, and make a low booming sound. (Late risers can rewind the stream to see what they missed!) Prairie-chickens were once abundant across the Great Plains. Today, there are only about 360,000 living in small pockets of grassland. Habitat loss is the main culprit for the greater prairie-chickens’ decline. The birds rely on large, nearly treeless grassland. Most of their original range has been converted to agriculture over the last several decades, reducing their suitable habitat to a small fraction of what it once was. At The Nature Conservancy, we’re working to protect and restore this habitat to help prairie-chickens thrive. https://nature.ly/3TNZzd5

Turtle Creek | This is a story about the long-term, piece-by-piece restoration of Turtle Creek in north-central Pennsylvania. It’s also a story about the power of partnerships, innovation, the environmental stewardship of landowners, and the resiliency of natural systems. It’s a success story suggesting broader opportunities for Pennsylvania’s waters, and for the Chesapeake Bay. https://lnkd.in/ety4KVFi

This week, Haley chats with Erik Glenn, Executive Director of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT), to discuss the critical work CCALT does to conserve Colorado’s working landscapes. Erik shares the history of the organization, the vital role of conservation easements in protecting agricultural lands, and how urban and rural communities alike benefit from these efforts. As Colorado Gives Day approaches, discover how you can support this mission to ensure these iconic landscapes thrive for generations to come. https://lnkd.in/gybNEj_N

Here's a summary of new California fish listings relevant to some of the work I do: https://lnkd.in/gfcQGXJB

"This report, which covers the years 2009 through 2019, is the sixth in a series of reports going back to 1954. The reports are used by natural resource managers and policy makers to make strategic decisions regarding the future of America's #wetlands."