Practical Conservation

Converting croplands to perennial grasslands – a publication from ATTRA.

Pheasant’s Forever celebrates the historic legislation.

“USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) Director Jim Reaves today announced that gardeners, foresters, landowners and others concerned about nonnative invasive plants in the South can now request free copies of “A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests“. The long-awaited book is an update of the very popular “Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests: A Field Guide for Identification and Control“, published by the Station in 2003.”

5 Aug 2010.  The tool has been updated.

USDA has a new tool that lets you download soil and pasture rental rates (for CRP and other uses) in a variety of ways.  Also has an EI caclulator.

“Beautiful wildflowers, perhaps as alluring to bees as they are to people, might someday be planted in “bee pastures.” These floral havens would be created to help propagate larger generations of healthy, hard-working bees.”

Conservation Maven points out a great article about what works and what doesn’t when restoring native prairie.

From SARE, a new conservation planning document for pollinators. 

“ ‘Managing Alternative Pollinators: A Handbook for Beekeepers, Growers and Conservationists‘ is a first-of-its-kind, step-by-step, full-color guide for rearing and managing bumble bees, mason bees, leafcutter bees and other bee species that provide pollination alternatives to the rapidly declining honey bee.”

Thanks to my graduate student Jolie Goldenetz-Dollar  for finding this.

“A new study on the threatened grasshopper sparrow in New Jersey demonstrates that farmland conservation programs can potentially play an important role in reducing the extinction risk of grassland birds.”  From Conservation Maven.

MSUCares has a updated guide for Supplemental Wildlife Food Planting in the Southeast.

The National Association of Conservation Districts tells us about the USDA Farm Bill: What’s in It for Woodland Owners? The Farm Bill’s conservation programs are not just for rowcrop systems.  There are lots of opportunities to help improve your woodland acres, too.