Jill Whitcomb’s Post

What am I most thankful for? Primarily, that my family are happy and healthy and employed doing interesting and meaningful work. Professionally, that our local stakeholders and elected officials have made the restoration of Sarasota Bay a priority, with literally hundreds of millions of dollars already spent on wastewater treatment plant upgrades, stormwater retrofits, habitat restoration projects, and public outreach. What do you get when you focus on a biased-towards-action approach with evidence-based restoration techniques, rather than falling into the trap of “paralysis by analysis”? A bay healthier than any at time over the past 10 to 15 years.

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.

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

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

Along the Colorado-Wyoming border, hotter, dryer summers and recent megafires have threatened the vulnerable water supply of the Colorado River basin. To address this crisis, forest and river managers, conservation organizations, water districts, and family ranches have formed a new coalition, the Headwaters of the Colorado Initiative. The coalition has brought its divergent perspectives to tackle tough questions playing out on a rural western landscape facing catastrophic wildfire, such as: How much does the forest need fire to be healthy? To what extent should timber harvesting be encouraged to support the local economy, and how much vegetation should be left on the ground?   The Headwaters of the Colorado Initiative has engaged CBI to help it answer these and other questions. You can read more about this work in our latest "CBI in Action": https://lnkd.in/eAnH8-RN

A watershed moment at #HLTHUSA 2024!💧 Verily, Southern Nevada Health District, and Clark County Water Reclamation District joined forces for a groundbreaking wastewater pilot program, offering real-time insights into pathogen levels during the event. Discover how this innovative approach is shaping the future of public health, from detecting seasonal outbreaks to enhancing community safety. Read more from Andrew Trister, MD PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Verily➡️https://lnkd.in/gd4V44HQ

"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."

Cheers to 20 years! 🎉 NFWF and Walmart this week announced the 20th year of funding through the Acres for America program, one of the most effective public-private partnerships in the history of U.S. land conservation efforts. To date, the Acres for America program has helped to conserve more than 2 million acres across all 50 states, Puerto Rico and D.C. Check out some of the vital work we’re undertaking together to protect and conserve landscapes across the country.

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

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