This week, Hurricane Isaac threatens to hit the same area that was hit by Hurricane Katrina seven years ago. Ever since I experienced a flood firsthand, I have been in awe of storms and how extreme weather can have an impact on people and places. The memory I have of being evacuated from my home [...]
Federal agencies are bracing themselves for a funding crisis with budget sequestration cuts looming if Congress fails to create a plan to reduce the federal deficit. To boost funding and support, could online media be a part of the solution? The Obama administration just announced a makeover to www.recreation.gov, the interagency website to get people [...]
Last fall, the Congressional Supercommittee failed to reach a final deficit reduction plan. If Congress doesn’t come up with a solution again this year; government programs are going to see some devastating budget hits. It can be hard to see how federal budget cuts impact our daily lives, but to give you an idea, this [...]
I’ve mentioned in a previous post that fire is a natural part of a forest’s life cycle that helps replenish soil nutrients. It’s for this reason that wildfires are usually allowed to burn out on their own , granted that they remain at a low intensity and are far from developed areas. However, a new U.S. [...]
The U.S. Forest Service estimates that the world’s forests sequester 2-2.8 billion metric tons of carbon annually. A new study published in Nature Geoscience indicates that evergreen forests ranging from northern Mexico to Canada took up a lot less carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during a 2000-2004 drought period, dropping 30-293 million metric tons below [...]
The Lacey Act was introduced more than a century ago and was the first piece of federal legislation to protect against wildlife trafficking. Today, because of a 2008 amendment, the Lacey Act is primarily used to protect against importing non-native plant species and illegal logging practices. This act has been an important part of protecting [...]
The Pacific Northwest is well known for its old-growth forests, untouched by humans for centuries. These diverse and resilient ecosystems are home to a host of wildlife, including the northern spotted owl. But unlike perception, not all of the forest has remained untouched. In the last few centuries, destructive activities such as clear-cut logging have [...]
It’s a really tough political climate for conservation programs right now. We just saw the House and Senate propose programmatic and funding cuts to conservation programs in the Farm Bill, cuts that would eliminate at least $6 billion in funding and consolidate 23 programs to 13 over the next 10 years. Congress is moving quickly [...]
I’ve mentioned the Farm Bill in a previous post, talking about its significance for forests and conservation program funding. The comprehensive bill also determines national policies for trade, rural development, research and many other affairs under the authority of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The current bill passed in 2007 to begin in fiscal year [...]
Rio de Janeiro is home to the largest urban forests in the world: the Tijuca Forest and the forest in Pedra Branca State Park. These lush rainforest ecosystems are home to several threatened plant and animal species, such as collared anteaters, brown capuchins, and channel-billed toucans. It makes sense that the United Nations would want [...]
