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Aerial view of Carlos Gonzalez Torrez, an experienced farmworker, hand picking artichoke, strawberry and Brussels sprouts for many years, but he always wanted to be a farmer on his own; today, with the education and experience from the Agricultural Land Based Training Association (ALBA); who receives assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Farm Service Agency (FSA); he is a 2015 graduate of their Farmer Education Course (PEPA) and is now in his third of five (possible) incubator years where he rents farm land, currently 4.35 acres of ALBAâs 100 acre facility in Salinas, Ca., on Nov. 14, 2018.
The Agricultural Land Based Training Association (ALBA) is a training program that helps low income farmworkers and others learn how to become farmers. New farmers begin with a series of classroom courses and on-hands training, and graduate to farming their own piece of land on the farm. Eventually these new graduates hope to become successful farmers.
ALBAâs Farmer Education and Enterprise Development (FEED) Program educates and trains new farmer-entrepreneurs to plan, launch, and establish viable organic farm businesses or advance their careers. To accomplish this, ALBA has 100 acres of organic land, an experienced team with diverse expertise, and a hands-on, 5-year farmer development program. FEED is comprised of three main components:
1.The Farmer Education Course (PEPA) is a one year, bilingual, 300-hour curriculum featuring classroom instruction and field-based training, readying participants to launch an organic farm business.
2.The Organic Farm Incubator allows course graduates to launch their farm on ALBAâs land. Starting at ½ acre, farmers gradually scale up to 5 acres over 4 years under ALBAâs supervision before transitioning to fully independent farming.
3.ALBA Organics, aggregates, markets and ships participantsâ products to growing markets around California. Doing so gives farmers access to clients that would otherwise be out of reach and allows them to focus on growing and business management in their initial years.
For more information about PEPA please see www.albafarmers.org/programs/
Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) is the USDAâs focal point for the nationâs farmers and ranchers and other stewards of private agricultural lands and non-industrial private forest lands. FPAC agencies implement programs designed to mitigate the significant risks of farming through crop insurance services, conservation programs and technical assistance, and commodity, lending, and disaster programs. The FPAC team includes, Farm Service Agency (FSA) (www.fsa.usda.gov/), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/national/home/), and Risk Management Agency (RMA) (www.rma.usda.gov/).
Farm Service Agency (FSA) is equitably serving all farmers, ranchers, and agricultural partners through the delivery of effective, efficient agricultural programs for all Americans. FSA is a customer-driven agency with a diverse and multi-talented work force, dedicated to achieving an economically and environmentally sound future for American Agriculture. The vision is to be a market-oriented, economically and environmentally sound American agriculture delivering an abundant, safe, and affordable food and fiber supply while sustaining quality agricultural communities.
Here, FSA works with non-profit organizations such as ALBA to provide program information and outreach to beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged farmers and limited income farmers. ALBA works with a unique farmer base of nontraditional, diverse and beginning farmers.
FSA staff has worked with ALBA for many years in the following ways:
1. Provide classroom training to new ALBA students at the ALBA farm during their regular coursework. FSA provides training on:
a. How to apply for a farm loan and prepare a cash flow statement.
b. How to apply for FSA programs that help with risk management on the farm, such as the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) or other regional crop insurance options.
c. How to apply for Disaster Assistance through FSA in case of an adverse weather event or other emergency.
2. FSA has provided micro loans, operating loans and ownership loans to help ALBA farmers become independent and successful in their operations. FSA has provided Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Noninsured Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) payments to these farmers.
3. FSA has provided bookkeeping training courses to ALBA students, on farm tours, and has helped students apply for USDA scholarships to attend agricultural conferences and other trainings.
4. FSA has referred ALBA farmers to NRCS for help with resource management issues.
âThese farmers are the future face of American Agriculture. It is so important for FSA to help them get a strong start in ensuring the success of their operations, said FSA County Executive Director Vivian Soffa. Carlos will need support when he graduates from ALBA and hopefully FSA will be able to assist him with his capital needs when he is farming on his own in this very competitive agriculture market. Familiarity with FSAâs programs at the beginning of a new farmerâs endeavor may be the difference between success and failure.â
For more information please see www.usda.gov.
USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
OVERALL VIEW OF THE DOE REFCOM PLANT.
THIS FACILITY IS AN EFFORT TO PROVE THE CONCEPT OF THE ANAEROBIC DIGESTION OF A MIXTURE OF SOLID WASTE AND SEWAGE SLUDGE, TO DEVELOP DESIGN PARAMETERS,TO ESTABLISH ECONOMICS,AND TO DEVELOP DATA ON THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF GAS PRODUCED. URBAN WASTE IS SHREDDED AND SEPARATED INTO LIGHT AND HEAVY FRACTIONS. THE LIGHT FRACTION IS COMBINED WITH UP TO 10 PERCENT SEWAGE SLUDGE AND DIGESTED. WHEN OPERATING AT FULL CAPACITY, THE FACILITY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE ALMOST 300 MILLION CUBIC FEET OF METHANE PER YEAR. THE METHANE PRODUCED MAY BE USED AS FUEL FOR POWER GENERATION IN THE LOCALITY OR CLEANED FOR INJECTION INTO NATURAL GAS LINES. THE VIEW SHOWS THE CLASSIFICATION BUILDING (LEFT), ANAEROBIC DIGESTOR TANKS AND TOWER (RIGHT), SLUDGE TRAILER (CENTER).
For more information or additional images, please contact 202-586-5251.
VH Produce owner Vue Her is a Hmong farmer on a 10-acre field, who grows several Asian specialty crops in Singer, CA, near Fresno, on November 9, 2018. He has worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to implement many conservation improvements, including help replacing an old tractor for a more efficient lower emission tractor and installation of seasonal high tunnels.
Growing up on a farm and learning the skills was just not possible for Vue Her who was born to farmer parents in a refugee camp in Thailand. He could not put into practice all the farming skills they used in Laos. General schooling in the refugee camps was minimal. At the age of 15, he started working a variety of odd jobs and work as a craftsman in the camp. This 'on the job' experience taught him an appreciation for hard work, and he took pride in being able to contribute to his family. There he married and started his own family.
Eager to work, he started with Foster Farms as a janitor. Then he stocked produce at an Asian grocery store. He kept working hard and saved his money. After years of factory work, he started his farm operation on leased land, in 2011, with plans to buy his own land in two years.
As a young man with a growing family, starting a farm in the United States was a big challenge and he knew he needed help. While listening to a local Asian language radio station, he heard NRCS soil conservationist Sam Vang’s NRCS radio program (in the Hmong language). Producer Vue Her said, “I am a big fan of the program and without the NRCS radio program, I don’t think I knew USDA programs.” (Note: The radio station is no longer producing the program.)
Farming, in the beginning, was hard and not efficient for Vue Her because he had to wait to use a borrowed tractor. This caused the soil to be worked out of schedule, causing the harvest to be out of the schedule for the farmer's markets where he sells his produce. To stay on schedule and meet market needs he purchased his own tractor that was supported by the USDA through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) program. www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/...
He quickly learned from Sam Vang that the farming practices his parents used are different from the standard practices in the US. Soil conservationist Sam Vue helped him learn about soil conservation, management skills, business knowledge, and time management. Some examples of this are the practice of rotating the crops in each plot to promote soil health and using standardized tractor attachment settings to save time and effort. For this Mr. Her says, "I'm happy to be part of NRCS programs and to know the staff. I have less stress, and I'm thankful for the farm management skills. Whenever I have a question, I call Sam."
The EQIP program also helped him purchase two seasonal high tunnels so that they can grow dozens of different varieties of Asian vegetable in the long arched plastic wrapped structures. In the tunnels, many of the vegetables are planted as seeds and are very sensitive to either frost or heat. High tunnels also helped him to maintain steady production and income year-round.
As a family business, his workforce is his seven children who pitch in after school. Each week, they push to pick, clean and box the produce just before the weekend markets. Today, wife Mai Houa Yang, son Bee Her, and daughter Chai Her harvest peanuts for sale tomorrow.
"I appreciate being able to produce traditional vegetables for other cultures, says Mr. Her. "I feel good about working hard and being accepted in the community of growers and by my customers."
When asked, what is a good day? He laughs, every day is the best day because I spend more time on the farm than at home.
USDA Photo by Lance Cheung. Growing up on a farm and learning the skills was just not possible for Vue Her who was born to farmer parents in a refugee camp in Thailand. He could not put into practice all the farming skills they used in Laos. General schooling in the refugee camps was minimal. At the age of 15, he started working a variety of odd jobs and work as a craftsman in the camp. This 'on the job' experience taught him an appreciation for hard work, and he took pride in being able to contribute to his family. There he married and started his own family.
Eager to work, he started with Foster Farms as a janitor. Then he stocked produce at an Asian grocery store. He kept working hard and saved his money. After years of factory work, he started his farm operation on leased land, in 2011, with plans to buy his own land in two years.
As a young man with a growing family, starting a farm in the United States was a big challenge and he knew he needed help. While listening to a local Asian language radio station, he heard NRCS soil conservationist Sam Vang’s NRCS radio program (in the Hmong language). Producer Vue Her said, “I am a big fan of the program and without the NRCS radio program, I don’t think I knew USDA programs.” (Note: The radio station is no longer producing the program.)
Farming, in the beginning, was hard and not efficient for Vue Her because he had to wait to use a borrowed tractor. This caused the soil to be worked out of schedule, causing the harvest to be out of the schedule for the farmer's markets where he sells his produce. To stay on schedule and meet market needs he purchased his own tractor that was supported by the USDA through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) program. www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/...
He quickly learned from Sam Vang that the farming practices his parents used are different from the standard practices in the US. Soil conservationist Sam Vue helped him learn about soil conservation, management skills, business knowledge, and time management. Some examples of this are the practice of rotating the crops in each plot to promote soil health and using standardized tractor attachment settings to save time and effort. For this Mr. Her says, "I'm happy to be part of NRCS programs and to know the staff. I have less stress, and I'm thankful for the farm management skills. Whenever I have a question, I call Sam."
The EQIP program also helped him purchase two seasonal high tunnels so that they can grow dozens of different varieties of Asian vegetable in the long arched plastic wrapped structures. In the tunnels, many of the vegetables are planted as seeds and are very sensitive to either frost or heat. High tunnels also helped him to maintain steady production and income year-round.
As a family business, his workforce is his seven children who pitch in after school. Each week, they push to pick, clean and box the produce just before the weekend markets. Today, wife Mai Houa Yang, son Bee Her, and daughter Chai Her harvest peanuts for sale tomorrow.
"I appreciate being able to produce traditional vegetables for other cultures, says Mr. Her. "I feel good about working hard and being accepted in the community of growers and by my customers."
When asked, what is a good day? He laughs, every day is the best day because I spend more time on the farm than at home.
USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
Many years of research are celebrated in the birth of two cheetah cubs at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute—the first cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park facility in Front Royal, Va.
The cubs were born to two separate females; the first to 5-year-old Amani Dec. 6, the second to 9-year-old Zazi Dec. 16. Cheetahs that give birth to only one cub, called a singleton, cannot produce enough milk to keep the cub alive. Typically, females in the wild will let a single cub die, after which they will enter estrus and breed again to theoretically produce a larger litter. So scientists at SCBI resorted to an alternative technique. The cub born to Amani, a first-time mother, was hand-raised for 13 days before being placed with Zazi, creating a litter of two that will likely help stimulate milk production from Zazi. Researchers have observed both cubs nursing from Zazi.
“When we realized that Amani had a singleton, we removed the cub to hand rear it,” said Adrienne Crosier, SCBI cheetah biologist. “So when Zazi gave birth, we decided it was the perfect opportunity to give both cubs a chance at survival as one litter under her care without any additional interference by us. Only a few institutions in North American have ever successfully cross-fostered cheetah cubs and this is a first for SCBI.”
Amani’s cub showed abnormal cranial tremors when pulled for hand rearing. Initially veterinarians thought the tremors were associated with the cub’s hypothermia, but they became concerned when the tremors did not resolve despite the cubs’ seemingly normal growth and appetite. With the possibility of a lethal congenital brain disorder or developmental defect, the cub underwent some tests and advanced diagnostic imaging in the form of magnetic resonance imaging. The MRI results did not show a developmental brain disorder, and the severity and frequency of the tremors slowly improved. At that point, SCBI staff determined they could incorporate the cub into the foster family. They will continue to monitor the cub closely for any indications that his health could be compromised.
Both cubs were sired by 2-year-old brothers that arrived at SCBI in April 2010. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan, which pairs cheetahs across the country in order to maintain genetic diversity in the population, will likely consider the two genetically valuable, Crosier said. Eventually, they will be transferred to other breeding facilities.
These births are especially significant, as cheetah births in zoos across the country have dwindled over the past five years, worrying animal care managers about the sustainability of the North American population in human care. Approximately 35 percent of female cheetahs in the SSP are older, and researchers have found that after 8 years of age they do not reproduce well. SCBI is trying to address the dearth of cheetah cubs through a number of research projects, including one project that looks at the reproductive potential of females as they age. SCBI scientists are also studying whether they can harvest eggs from an older female, fertilize them and then transfer them to a younger surrogate female.
“We are proud to help find a solution to maintaining a sustainable captive cheetah population,” said Steve Monfort, director of SCBI. “This is only our first year of having breeding pairs at SCBI, so it’s really exciting that we have produced two cubs. The more that we understand about our cheetahs, the more we can do for those in human care throughout North America and for those in the wild.”
Cheetah cubs in human care have about a 20 percent mortality rate (compared to up to 70 percent in the wild in east Africa), and animal care staff will continue to monitor the two cubs closely in the coming weeks and months. Thirty-three cheetah cubs (including the cubs born at SCBI this month) have been born in North America this year and have survived. With the new arrivals, the Zoo’s two facilities now care for 13 cheetahs.
Although SCBI is not open to the public, three cheetahs from SCBI were recently moved to the Zoo’s Washington facility, where visitors can see them in their outdoor habitat. Two litters of cheetahs have been born at the Zoo’s Washington facility since 2004, including one by Zazi, the cheetah now rearing the two cubs at SCBI.
Historically, about 95 percent of all cheetah cubs in the SSP have been produced in off-exhibit breeding centers. This includes five centers, including SCBI, that make up the Conservation Centers for Species Survival (C2S2), a group that collectively manages more than 25,000 acres of land devoted to the survival of threatened species with special needs (including those requiring large land areas, natural group sizes and minimal public disturbance). All five groups maintain a cheetah breeding facility as part of their long-term commitment to cheetah breeding and research. Collectively, these five centers manage more than 40 percent of the SSP population, and each C2S2 institution has produced cheetah litters this year.
As the result of human conflict, hunting and habitat loss, there are only an estimated 7,500 to 10,000 cheetahs left in the wild. The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers cheetahs a vulnerable species.
This work was made possible, in part, through the generous contributions of William P. McClure, William H. Donner Foundation, CGH Technologies, Ohrstrom Foundation, Nick Arundel and Magalen O. Bryant.
Mexican farmers and CIMMYT partners Porfirio Ernesto Bastida Olivares and Josefina Ruiz Cano are proud to show off the plant matter that covers the soil beneath their thriving maize crop. They farm 0.5 hectares of land in the community of Magdalena Panoaya, close both to CIMMYT's headquarters and to the urban sprawl of Mexico City. Water availability has been falling as the city grows, spurring the couple to adopt conservation agriculture (CA).
By keeping all of their crop residues—like leaves and stems—on the soil, they help it to retain moisture. “The earth gives us something, but we also need to give back to the earth,” says Bastida. Before they started using CA, the couple's yield was 2.5 tons per hectare (about the national average). After three years of CA, it is now 4 tons per hectare. They sell part of their crop, and, in addition to their own consumption, Ruiz uses the rest to make tortillas and tlacoyos (traditional Mexican foods) that she sells locally at a stand.
The aim of CA is to produce stable, high yields with low environmental impact, through applying the three key principles of zero tillage, residue retention, and crop rotation. These practices help to protect the structure of the soil, retain soil moisture, and prevent erosion. Direct seeding—without plowing—also cuts down on labor and resource use.
CIMMYT is developing an increasing number of hubs throughout Mexico and the world that function as centers for collaborative CA research, capacity-building, demonstration and dissemination, engaging diverse actors and fostering the emergence of regional CA networks. Farmers are crucial partners in developing and spreading effective CA systems. Satellite trial and demonstration plots in farmers' fields help to adapt CA practices to local conditions, and let other farmers see how well CA works.
Bastida and Ruiz appeared in a report featuring several aspects of CIMMYT's work by the U.S. "Marketplace" radio news program, as part of its "Food for 9 Billion" series. The piece is available, with transcript and photo slideshow, at: www.marketplace.org/topics/sustainability/food-9-billion-....
For the latest news on conservation agriculture, see CIMMYT's blog at: blog.cimmyt.org/?s=conservation+agriculture.
For more on CIMMYT's ever-growing network of hubs in Mexico, see the August 2009 e-news story "The verdict is in: Conservation agriculture trials needed for the long run," available online at: www.cimmyt.org/en/about-us/media-resources/newsletter/316....
Photo credit: M. DeFreese/CIMMYT.
The Sparling Ranch Conservation Bank sits just outside the small town of Hollister, Calif., and straddling San Benito and Santa Clara Counties. Photo by Ashley Spratt/USFWS.
The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Nevada is an area managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of its National Landscape Conservation System, and protected as a National Conservation Area. It is located about 15 miles (24 km) west of Las Vegas, and easily seen from the Las Vegas Strip. The area is visited by over 1 million visitors each year.
The conservation area showcases a set of large red rock formations: a set of sandstone peaks and walls called the Keystone Thrust. The walls are up to 3,000 feet (910 m) high, making them a popular hiking and rock climbing destination. The highest point is La Madre Mountain, at 8,154 feet (2,485 m).
A one-way loop road, 13 miles (21 km) long, provides vehicle access to many of the features in the area. Several side roads and parking areas allow access to many of the trails located in the area. A visitor center is located at the start of the loop road. The loop road is very popular for bicycle touring; it begins with a moderate climb, then is mostly downhill or flat.
Red Rock Canyon itself is a side-canyon accessible only by four-wheel-drive road off of the scenic loop. The unnamed but often visited valley cut through by State Route 159 is commonly, but incorrectly, referred to as Red Rock Canyon. The massive wall of rock called the Wilson Cliffs, or Keystone Thrust, can be seen to the west along this highway.
Towards the southern end of the National Conservation Area are Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, the western ghost town replica attraction of Bonnie Springs, and the village of Blue Diamond.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Rock_Canyon_National_Conservati...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_...
SOUTHERN VIEW OF URBAN WASTE TO METHANE FACILITY.
THIS FACILITY IS AN EFFORT TO PROVE THE CONCEPT OF THE ANAEROBIC DIGESTION OF A MIXTURE OF SOLID WASTE AND SEWAGE SLUDGE, TO DEVELOP DESIGN PARAMETERS,TO ESTABLISH ECONOMICS,AND TO DEVELOP DATA ON THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF GAS PRODUCED. URBAN WASTE IS SHREDDED AND SEPARATED INTO LIGHT AND HEAVY FRACTIONS. THE LIGHT FRACTION IS COMBINED WITH UP TO 10 PERCENT SEWAGE SLUDGE AND DIGESTED. WHEN OPERATING AT FULL CAPACITY, THE FACILITY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE ALMOST 300 MILLION CUBIC FEET OF METHANE PER YEAR. THE METHANE PRODUCED MAY BE USED AS FUEL FOR POWER GENERATION IN THE LOCALITY OR CLEANED FOR INJECTION INTO NATURAL GAS LINES. THE VIEW SHOWS SOUTH DIGESTOR WITH FLAME ARRESTOR (LEFT), AGITATOR MOTOR AND DRIVE (LEFT CENTER), AND METHANE DIS- CHARGE PIPING WITH ASSOCIATED PIPING, LIQUID KNOCKOUT DRUM, AND FLAME ARRESTOR.
For more information or additional images, please contact 202-586-5251.
This is part of a photo-collage of orangutan nests in SE Asian rain forests taken by cameras on board Conservation Drones. Please visit www.ConservationDrones.org for more information.
St John the Baptist's at Strensham is a Churches Conservation Trust gem and one of Worcestershire's most rewarding churches. The exterior is unusual in its lime-wash finish, the gleaming white tower being visible as a landmark for some distance. Dismissed by Pevsner for being of little architectural merit it nonetheless contains much of interest from ancient woodwork to the splendid Post Reformation monuments dominating the chancel.
Best of all is the unique medieval treasure at the west end, what now looks like a west gallery but was surely recycled from the 15th century rood screen with a continuous row of painted saints stretching the entire width of the church that must have come from the former rood loft. The paintings, a rare survival in the Midlands, have more in common with those found on West Country screens rather than more refined East Anglian ones, but are a wonderful reminder of how colourful our ancient churches once were.
My first attempt to see this church years ago ended in frustration: the church is kept locked but directions are given to a key hanging on a brick pillar outside a nearby house which was missing on my previous visit. This time happily the key was back where it belonged, and my lengthy visit at least saved another visitor the minor inconvenience of seeking it out.
www.worcesteranddudleyhistoricchurches.org.uk/index.php?p...
Renfroe Farms, a family business with David, Don, Kevin Renfroe and Kim Renfroe-Johnson (seen) downloads corn from her fields, measures water content and weighs the load harvest corn, part of their operation that focuses on utilizing conservation practices developed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to balance land stewardship and production in Carroll County, TN, on Sept 18, 2019.
A companion video can be seen at youtu.be/IQ5Gj4bvbQU
Renfroe Farm uses Water and Sediment Control Basin (WASCOB) is one of the practices seen today to reduce erosion sediment in surface water and is leading to improved land use and crop production.
Additionally, Underground Outlets (UGOs) (Practice Code 620) are used to carry water to a safe and stable outlet thus reducing the amount of sediment in surface increasing water quality.
A WASCOB (Practice Code 638) is an earthen dam built across a drainageway where ephemeral or classic gullies form due to concentrated flow of water. It traps water and sediment running off cropland upslope from the structure and reduces gully erosion by controlling flow within the drainage area. These structures are usually completed in a series or system approach to control the grade and head cutting (gully erosion) in drainage ways or along creek and stream channels.
In general, a UGO, is a conduit (transport) installed beneath the surface of the ground to carry runoff to a suitable outlet. The purpose of the UGO is to carry excess water to a suitable outlet from terraces, water, and sediment control basins (as described above), diversions, waterways, subsurface drains, surface drains or other similar practices without causing damage by erosion or flooding.
NRCS has a proud history of supporting America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. For more than 80 years, we have helped people make investments in their operations and local communities to keep working lands working, boost rural economies, increase the competitiveness of American agriculture, and improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and habitat.
As the USDA’s primary private lands conservation agency, we generate, manage, and share the data, technology, and standards that enable partners and policymakers to make decisions informed by objective, reliable science.
And through one-on-one, personalized advice, we work voluntarily with producers and communities to find the best solutions to meet their unique conservation and business goals. By doing so, we help ensure the health of our natural resources and the long-term sustainability of American agriculture.
Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) is the Department’s focal point for the nation’s farmers and ranchers and other stewards of private agricultural lands and non-industrial private forest lands. FPAC agencies implement programs designed to mitigate the significant risks of farming through crop insurance services, conservation programs, and technical assistance, and commodity, lending, and disaster programs.
The agencies and services supporting FPAC are Farm Service Agency (FSA), NRCS, and Risk Management Agency (RMA).
For more information, please see www.usda.gov and www.usda.gov/media/blog/2019/11/13/why-reconnecting-our-r...
USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
Quillayute River, seen from the Quileute Indian Reservation, near the site of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Thunder Road project addresses four fish barriers that block more than 22 acres of fish habitat, in La Push, Washington, Aug 22, 2018. This conservation planning effort lead to an unusual partnership where the Quileute Tribe requested access to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife(WDFW) fish passage biologist and engineers through a NRCS/WDFW Contribution agreement. This partnership resulted in a coordinated effort to bring conservation actions to life in a remote location. The Thunder Road Project addressed the need for floodplain connectivity to restore natural flow of water across floodplain, restore access to off-channel fish habitat in wetlands and stream complex. The project also improved the roadway and reduced sediment runoff from tribal members using road to access the river during the wet season (peak fishing season). The conservation plans identified aquatic habitat, water quality, and plant pest resource concerns, along with a social resource concern related to the Tribeâs use of the degraded Thunder Road for fishing and recreational access. Additionally, conservation planning determined soils information was needed and resulted in a Soil Survey mapping effort on the Reservation. Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funding in two successive years was used to provide the Tribe financial assistance. The tribe used State Salmon Recovery Funding Board funding to provide the balance of the implementation cost. EQIP 2015 contract included invasive species control aquatic organism passage and access road improvement=$60,964. EQIP 2016 contract included aquatic organism passage and access road improvement = $117,101. Featured personnel: Quileute Tribal Council Vice Chair Tony Foster, Quileute Tribal Water Quality Biologist Nicole Rasmussen, NRCS Tribal Liaison for Washington State Robin Slate, WDFW Fish Passage Biologist Melissa Erkel,and West Area Biologist Rachel Maggi. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
Deborah Martin-Downs, Mayor MacIver, Fernando M, Lalita G, Janye H and Wojciech G. © Copyright CVC 2015, all rights reserved.
CLOSE-UP OF TECHNICIAN WORKING ON CO-GENERATION EQUIPMENT.
THE INITIAL TEST RUNS WERE CONDUCTED UNDER CONDITIONS DESIGNED TO SIMULATE THOSE OF A DIESEL-POWERED ELECTRIC GENERATOR COMMONLY USED IN SMALLER POWER PLANTS. HEAT FROM A HOT GAS, DUPLICATING THE 520-DEGREE FAHRENHEIT EXHAUST OF A TURBO-CHARGED DIESEL ENGINE IS USED FIRST TO PRODUCE STEAM TO SPIN A TURBINE. EXHAUSTING AS FROM THE STEAM TURBINE IS THEN USED TO VAPORIZE FREON WHICH, IN TURN, SPINS A SECOND TURBINE. THE TWO TURBINES ARE COUPLED TO A SINGLE GENERATOR BY USING SPECIAL GEARS. THIS PRODUCES ADDITIONAL ELECTRICITY WHICH CAN BE USED ON-SITE OR FED TO A POWER GRID.
For more information or additional images, please contact 202-586-5251.
Aerial view of the National Wind Technology Center at National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
For more information or additional images, please contact 202-586-5251.
September 24, 2016 - The following text comes from Galapagos Conservation Trust website: "The Galapagos flightless cormorant is an endemic species to Galapagos and is not only the heaviest cormorant species, but also the one which cannot fly out of 29 species. As the name suggests, they cannot fly away and are therefore confined to the lava shoreline and beaches of Isabela and Fernandina. The adults are black on top and dark brown underneath with bright turquoise eyes. They have stunted wings that are one third the size of the wingspan they would require to fly. They have four webbed toes (like all members of the cormorant family) and the females tend to be smaller than the males. Natural selection led to the species no longer having functional wings as they had very few land predators, and individuals that were better suited to swimming were more successful in passing on their genes.
Currently there are around 1,000 breeding pairs of flightless cormorants on Isabela and Fernandina. Although their wings are stunted, they are used for balance when the cormorant jumps from rock to rock along the coast. As their wings don’t produce very much oil, they have lost some of their waterproofing so after a dive they can be seen to hold their wings out in order for them to dry.
Their diet consists mainly of eels and octopus, which they reach by diving deep to the ocean floor. Unlike penguins, they do not ‘fly’ underwater, but tuck in their wings and kick with their powerful hind legs, using their flexible necks to spear octopus and fish from inside small refuges in the reefs and rocks. On the surface they sit very low in the water, with only their necks visible from a distance.
Couples perform a strange and unique courtship dance that involves them intertwining their necks whilst twirling in a tight circle. The mated pair then makes a nest a few metres from the sea out of seaweed, flotsam and jetsam.
Most eggs are laid between May and October, which are the coldest months, resulting in an abundance of marine food and less heat stress on the hatchlings. The eggs are incubated for 35 days until they hatch, after which the parents take turns to feed the chicks. Eventually the male is left to care for the chick and the female starts a new breeding cycle, which can happen up to three times in one season. When the chicks become adults, they develop the trademark blue eyes"
- See more at: galapagosconservation.org.uk/wildlife/flightless-cormoran...
I cut my finger pretty badly at work on a sheet of glass (that had been stored very improperly by someone else.)
This is part of a photo-collage of orangutan nests in SE Asian rain forests taken by cameras on board Conservation Drones. Please visit www.ConservationDrones.org for more information.
While in Adelaide for the Peace Exhibition, Henry Mobsby was with a group of people who visited The Morialta Conservation Park near Adelaide.
There are rugged ridges, gully scenery and seasonal waterfalls that make up Morialta Conservation Park. The three waterfalls along Fourth Creek are popular features of the park and are linked by an extensive network of walking trails. The views from the rock climbing zone also provide opportunities to admire Morialta Gorge and the nearby Adelaide plains.
The first two falls are the grandest, each cascading over sheer quartzite cliffs after rain. To see the falls at their best, you should visit the park during spring or winter when the water flow is strongest. For wildlife lovers, the park's rock pools and creeks provide habitat for small reptiles, frogs and birds.
(Mobsby Collection, Fryer Library, Brisbane)
Third assistant scoutmaster John Coglianese, left, Life Scout Sam Polekoff, center, and Life Scout Austin Gallagher from Troop 212 in Philadelphia, check out "Big Mama", a European Eagle Owl, at the U.S Fish and Wildlife Exhibit in the Environmental Conservation Area at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, Wednesday July 28, 2010. Photo by Mark Duncan
**********Beginning of Shooting Data Section**********
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV iso - 640 f/3.5 shutter - 1/200
file name - 6732-01-010-089 date - 7/28/10 time - 2:49:19 PM
program - Shutter Priority white balance - Auto
meter - multi-segment tone comp - 0 exp. comp - 0.0
flash - no flash
Bronze lion after conservation with corrosion removed from the sculpture.
Full details at www.aoc.gov/grant.
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Southern Appalachian Mountain bogs are a very rare habitat, and in turn are home to several rare plants and animals, including the mountain purple pitcher plant and the endangered mountain sweet pitcher plant and bunched arrowhead.
Service biologists recently visited a handful of bogs in Henderson County, N.C. where we’ve been working with private landowners to support their stewardship of the sites. The visits gave biologists a chance to check in with landowners, discuss bog management, and examine the fruits of recent management work. The sites are in or very near the Service’s Conservation Partnership Areas – areas where the Service is focusing bog conservation efforts through working with private landowners, and, where money is available and a willing seller is present, purchasing land or conservation easements to become part of Mountain Bogs National Wildlife Refuge.
Photo credit: G. Peeples/USFWS
This is part of a photo-collage of orangutan nests in SE Asian rain forests taken by cameras on board Conservation Drones. Please visit www.ConservationDrones.org for more information.
This is part of a photo-collage of orangutan nests in SE Asian rain forests taken by cameras on board Conservation Drones. Please visit www.ConservationDrones.org for more information.
DILLION WIND POWER PROJECT (CREDIT: IBERDROLA RENEWABLES)
For more information or additional images, please contact 202-586-5251.
This is part of a photo-collage of orangutan nests in SE Asian rain forests taken by cameras on board Conservation Drones. Please visit www.ConservationDrones.org for more information.
April 2021 Photo contest runner up photo by Jessica Howell. Northern Plains Conservation Specialist American Bird Conservancy working in partnership with World Wildlife Fund, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks
Short-eared Owl photo taken on a spring evening in Harding County, South Dakota. This one was resting before the evening hunt. I became familiar with a couple of pairs and would often park and watch their smooth and silent flights during the golden hour.
Conservation cover plantings that became a filter strip now hosts a nest, with a clutch of pheasant eggs is a key goal for Landowner and Farmer Darrel Kjerstad, who has farmed a variety of crops over the years, and along the way he has utilized the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Quinn, SD, on May 23, 2015. He is a product of generations of farmers who were not afraid of innovation, an FFA participant through high school, he became interested in range management with native plantings, and involvement in Pheasants Forever habitat restoration. He has used filter strips with conservation cover to help clean the rainwater runoff and stabilize the soil in riparian areas. The USDA NRCS conservation cover practice 327 used in these strips helps to build wildlife habitats for deer, antelope, and pheasants. This resulted in hundreds of pheasants and increasing numbers of deer feeding and living on his 360 acres of land.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation cover practice is the establishing and maintaining perennial vegetative cover to protect soil and water resources on lands needing permanent protective cover that will not be used for forage production.
Conservation cover reduces soil erosion and sedimentation enhances wildlife habitat and improves water quality.
Conservation cover is applied on all lands needing permanent vegetative cover. It does not apply to plantings for forage production or to critical area plantings.
For more about Conservation Cover, please go to nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1263478.
Courtesy Photo by Darrel Kjerstad.
Big Elk Guard Station, as seen through a circular fisheye lens. This retired guard station is a forest service rental in Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon.
NORTHERN VIEW OF URBAN WASTE TO METHANE FACILITY.
THIS FACILITY IS AN EFFORT TO PROVE THE CONCEPT OF THE ANAEROBIC DIGESTION OF A MIXTURE OF SOLID WASTE AND SEWAGE SLUDGE, TO DEVELOP DESIGN PARAMETERS,TO ESTABLISH ECONOMICS,AND TO DEVELOP DATA ON THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF GAS PRODUCED. URBAN WASTE IS SHREDDED AND SEPARATED INTO LIGHT AND HEAVY FRACTIONS. THE LIGHT FRACTION IS COMBINED WITH UP TO 10 PERCENT SEWAGE SLUDGE AND DIGESTED. WHEN OPERATING AT FULL CAPACITY, THE FACILITY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE ALMOST 300 MILLION CUBIC FEET OF METHANE PER YEAR. THE METHANE PRODUCED MAY BE USED AS FUEL FOR POWER GENERATION IN THE LOCALITY OR CLEANED FOR INJECTION INTO NATURAL GAS LINES. VIEW SHOWS NORTH ANAEROBIC DIGESTOR (CENTER OF PHOTO), AIR CONVEYING LINES TO AND FROM CYCLONE ON TOP OF PREMIX TANKS (LEFT) AND BAG HOUSE FABRIC FILTER USED FOR DUST CONTROL (RIGHT).
For more information or additional images, please contact 202-586-5251.