Iowa State University Extension and Outreach - Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Post

Have I got newts for you? So no-one got back to me with any actual examples of newts holding up development in the last 7 years since we have been delivering District Licensing across 65 partner Local Authorities under Natural England's regulation. Just for a bit of context, a couple of years ago NatureSpace examined all the planning applications across one calendar year in one District Authority in the English Midlands. On the clay belt so lots of ponds, lots of newts and lots of development, you'd expect there to be significant conflict right? Out of 1500 planning applications in the year less than 30 had any kind of impact on newts and, therefore, would (or should) apply for a licence. Of course, giving these 30 developments a quick and risk-free path through planning is important, and that's exactly the option that District Licensing provides. Of the 30, only a handful had a significant impact and so chose to pay into the conservation scheme. Better for developers, better for planners, better for newts. I'm not sure the political rhetoric about "newts too often holding up development" accurately reflects the fact that, even in the high pressure areas of the English lowlands, more than 98% of planning applications are completely unaffected by newt legislation. Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP Angela Rayner MP for Ashton Sarah Swash Paul McCaffrey NatureSpace Partnership Newt Conservation Partnership Natural England

Career and Technical Education (CTE) enrollment in Maine is higher than ever, with over 10,000 students enrolled in programs across the state. Through Maine Jobs and Recovery funding, CTE schools all over Maine can invest in new building and equipment updates that provide students with the latest industry standards, better preparing them to enter the Maine workforce. You can follow the link to our Newsroom to read about the latest improvements to CTE schools in Houlton and Biddeford. 

Educators, learn about professional development opportunities to bring forestry into the classroom offered at no cost to Oregon teachers through our partnership with the Oregon Natural Resources Education Program. Check out these upcoming workshops and conferences covering topics such as water education and wildfire resilience. Follow the link below to our educator newsletter for details on dates, times and registration. #OFRI #EducatorTraining #ProfessionalDevelopment #OutdoorEducation https://ow.ly/c0qy50U8HKS

For anyone looking at getting their OSAP certificate!

The State of Utah just upped the ante on its public lands disposal effort. On August 20th, it asked the US Supreme Court to accept jurisdiction in an original action that could have significant impacts on the future of public lands in Utah and beyond. Utah asks the Court to deem unconstitutional the federal government's perpetual ownership of "unappropriated" public lands in Utah. It further asks that the Court order the federal government to begin disposing of these lands in Utah. Reading Utah's motion for leave to file Bill of Complaint and its accompanying brief in support left me with many questions that I am currently wrestling with, including: (1) Would an order declaring perpetual ownership of "unappropriated" federal lands in Utah as unconstitutional be limited only to lands in Utah, or would it apply to all "unappropriated" federal lands unconstitutionally held nationwide? (2) What are "unappropriated" federal lands, and is Utah's loose definition of them correct? (3) Would a decision declaring perpetual ownership of federal lands as unconstitutional only apply to lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management as Utah suggests, or also to lands managed by the Forest Service, National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Reclamation, etc.? (4) If Utah prevails, should we expect the federal government to transfer ownership of these federal lands to the State of Utah, sell them to the highest bidder, or some combination of the two? What about land in other states? I recognize that there is a school of thought suggesting that the likelihood of the Supreme Court agreeing to hear this case is low, and that it's not worth taking seriously. I disagree. Should the court decline to hear the case, Utah could very well file the same case in Federal District Court. Further, it is investing millions of dollars on a public relations campaign in state to justify its action. It has a state law calling for the transfer of federal public lands to the state, and commissioned a legal white paper nine years ago that served as the blueprint for this litigation. Let's also not forget the ways in which this sort of lawsuit could be used as political leverage in Congress and with the White House, or the ways in which other states that have been frustrated with the way in which the federal government manages public lands are watching and contemplating ways to get involved. Could this go away? Yes. Could this be the beginning of a well-financed and strategic multi-year effort to change the federal land management landscape? Also, yes. I'll be paying close attention, and hope each of you will too. Interested in learning more? Check out the most recent episode of Your Mountain, a conservation law/policy podcast I've co-hosted for the past six years. We tackle some of the questions I pose above, and more about this issue. https://lnkd.in/gkMPYvc5

I found a treasure map amongst the #secondhand books at Launceston City Mission weekend book sale. It was tucked into the TAMAR Outline Development Plan commissioned by the Tamar Regional Master Planning Authority in 1971. This Authority was established by local #councils in northern Tasmania in 1969 & lasted about 20 years. The 1971 Plan was intended to guide the Authority in creating 'a blueprint on broad lines for the future development of the Tamar Valley Region' (Angus Bethune then Premier). Lots in this report: demography, industry, natural resources, conservation, land use planning, potential governance models. Even citizen committees for accountability. There's awareness of nascent Federal Government interest in regional planning. This Authority & a similar southern authority did not survive - government and state corporations were not bound by its recommendations & by the early 1990s state wide planning was in play. But their reports are useful and overlap many of the issues we are still working on today. There is also renewed state and federal government interest in #regional #planning which is welcome. So certainly a forerunner of Northern Tasmania Development Corporation - NTDC #TEER #TEMT Visit Northern Tasmania #LREZS Chris Griffin Craig Perkins Linda Kelly GAICD Jo Fearman Local Government Association of Tasmania (LGAT) James McKee

In our work to protect and plan natural spaces, I found myself looking for a standardized approach to guide efficient, objective land stewardship decisions... And when existing tools fell short, we teamed up with the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities and Resilient Communities Project to create one from scratch! The result is an innovative tool that offers research-based insights for sustainable management practices—a game-changer for making informed, impactful decisions for our public natural areas. Big thanks to Ashley Petel (Pethan) for her ideas, research, and dedication in bringing this to life. I’m excited to see this work continue to evolve as we implement it in the field. Check out the article to learn more about this valuable resource and how it can help: #NaturalResourceManagement #SustainableSolutions #ResearchInAction

REGISTER NOW! OPEN TO ALL! Ecological Range Management and Adaptive Grazing Class Taught by Wendell Gilgert M.S. Feb 11- March 21, 2025 Fully online with an optional in-person field day. Class lectures can be viewed anytime. Or attend live online, Tuesdays 9-11am. 48 hrs CE This course addresses whole ranch and grazing management planning and design with a focus on climate smart/regenerative practice implementation and assessment. We will explore key concepts include the Holistic Management (HMI or Savory) and the Nine Step Conservation Planning Process from NRCS. Topics Include: • Prehistoric and historic herbivory in California. • Resource assessments (walking/reading the land). • Enhancing land doctoring skills. • Grazing management strategies. • Ranch conservation planning. • Grazing management plans. • Transition to new grazing strategy. • Multi-species grazing. This course can be taken singly for continuing education purposes or general interest. It can be taken as an elective in the Technical Assistance Provider Certification Program. Sign up by Feb 4th 2025: https://shorturl.at/S37S8 or use the QR code. #CRARS #regenerativegrazing #holisticmanagement #adaptivegrazing #rangemanagement

Working on communications around Combined Sewer Overflows has been one of my long-standing projects at the Mystic River Watershed Association. It can be challenging to write about it. The problem is very clear - we have RAW SEWAGE going into the river; the solution is clear - stop dumping sewage in the river; but how we get there can be hard to communicate. This was my attempt to describe the ongoing processes to address the issue and the role that our organization and the public have in those processes. Ultimately, our job is to aggressively push the entities involved to come away from the next phase of CSO control with the best possible outcome that protects public health and local ecology. Our primary responsibility is to our residents, who continue to bear the adverse impacts of CSOs on their neighborhoods and communities. Read the blog post: https://lnkd.in/e3ecA_gN

Soil Mission project survey on soil education - both formal and vocational. EJP SOIL