News
Coalition Renews Drive for Federal Funding of Conservation, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Yesterday afternoon, the America’s Voice for Conservation, Recreation and Preservation (AVCRP) coalition sent a broad letter urging Congress to invest in natural resource conservation, outdoor recreation, and historic preservation. More than 500 organizations, representing millions of citizens with diverse political backgrounds and areas of interest, have united behind a shared understanding that federal investments in these critical sectors are vital to the future of our nation and historic heritage.
Helping to Facilitate CASRI and SASRI Coordination
Working at a landscape scale requires close coordination with multiple partners.
Become Part of the Appalachian LCC Network
Contribute to sustainable landscape-level conservation by joining and adding your information to the database!
National Wildlife Refuges Support Over 35,000 Jobs, Pump $2.4 Billion into Local Communities
America’s national wildlife refuges continue to be strong economic engines for local communities across the country, pumping $2.4 billion into the economy and supporting more than 35,000 jobs, according to a new national report released today by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell.
Executive Order -- Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change
President Obama signed an executive order that will begin to prepare the Nation for the impacts of climate change by undertaking actions to enhance climate preparedness and resilience.
Interior Secretary Offers Vision for Conservation
Secretarial Order underscores LCC role and commitment to landscape-scale planning and design to conserve the Nation's land, water, wildlife and cultural resources in the face of climate change.
EPA Releases Agency Plans for Adapting to a Changing Climate
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released its draft Climate Change Adaptation Implementation Plans for public review and comment. In support of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan and Executive Order on Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change announced today, the Implementation Plans provide detailed information about the actions EPA plans to take across the country to help communities adapt to a changing climate.
First-ever Report on USDA Efforts to Expand Agroforestry Practices
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today released the first-ever report on USDA's role advancing agroforestry. Agroforestry: USDA Reports to America details how agroforestry practices are helping farmers, ranchers and woodland owners enhance agricultural productivity, protect the environment and increase profits.
OSM Launches Redesigned Website
The new site allows users to find information quickly and easily, and applies a consistent look and feel to the bureau’s web pages.
Observed Changes in Phenology Across the United States - Northeast
Phenology — the seasonal timing of life cycle events in plants and animals such as flowering, hibernation, and migration — has been linked to shifts in the timing of allergy seasons, public visitation to National Parks, and cultural festivals. Change in phenology, recognized as a bio-indicator of climate change impacts, has also been linked to increased wildfire activity and pest outbreak, shifts in species distributions, spread of invasive species, and changes in carbon cycling in forests. Phenological information can and already is being used to identify species vulnerable to climate change, to generate computer models of carbon sequestration, to manage invasive species, to forecast seasonal allergens, and to track disease vectors, such as mosquitoes and ticks, in human population centers.
Scott Robinson: Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership
Coordinator Scott Robinson addresses the obstacles of data collection, preparation, and development and how the LCCs can help standardized this process for all partners to use that will help professionals implement conservation actions.
Scott Smith: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Wildlife Ecologist Scott Smith talks about the vital importance of the Appalachians for the survival of salamanders, how the LCCs can facilitate issues between jurisdictions, and help different agencies prioritize conservation efforts.
Todd Jones-Farrand: Central Hardwoods Joint Venture
Science Coordinator Todd Jones-Farrand highlights how Joint Ventures and LCCs can work together in a complimentary fashion and how both partnerships share a collaborative nature that will benefit landscape-scale conservation.
A bold plan: The story of WVU and the salvation of a historic home for brook trout
A team at WVU has been working for years with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources to examine all of the factors that led to warmer temperatures, a wider and shallower stream and other changes that over time threatened the brook trout productivity of this important natural and economic resource.
Interior Department Proposes Expansion of Hunting, Fishing Opportunities in National Wildlife Refuge System
In advance of National Hunting and Fishing Day on September 28th, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to expand fishing and hunting opportunities throughout the National Wildlife Refuge System, opening up new hunting programs on six refuges and expanding existing hunting and fishing programs on another 20 refuges. The proposed rule also modifies existing refuge-specific regulations for more than 75 additional refuges and wetland management districts.
Appalachian LCC Chair David Whitehurst Receives Seth Gordon Award
David Whitehurst, Steering Committee Chair of the Appalachian Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) and Director of the Bureau of Wildlife Resources for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, has been awarded the Seth Gordon Award at the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' (AFWA) 103rd Annual Meeting held September 10th in Portland, Oregon.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lists Neosho Mucket as Endangered and Rabbitsfoot as Threatened
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is listing the Neosho mucket as endangered and the Rabbitsfoot as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Both species are freshwater mussels found in river systems in the eastern half of the United States.
Kimberly Terrell: Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Kimberly Terrell describes her work studying the biological constraints of salamanders to adjust to climate change and how the regional nature of the LCC can ensure efficiencies for conservation efforts as well as bring managers and researchers together to work towards common conservation goals.
Cindy Schulz: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Virginia
Cindy Schulz highlights the value of bringing together many federal, state, and NGO groups to establish relationships and how acquiring access and knowledge of GIS and other information-sharing tools can greatly benefit conservation work being done around the region.
Jim Schaberl: Shenandoah National Park
Jim Schaberl talks about specific research projects taking place in Shenandoah, what he hopes the LCC can accomplish, and why the National Park service is involved in this endeavor
