Practical Conservation

Here is a good summary about the effects of European conservation programs on mammals.  The applications to North American programs are easy to see.  Good thing, too, because N. American research on mammals in CRP and other programs is sorely lacking.

McDonald, D.W., F.H. Tattersall, K.M. Service, L.G.Firbank, and R. E. Feber.  2007.  Mammals, agric-environment schemes and set-aside – what are the putative benefits. Mammal Review 37:259-277.

It’s a novel concept. It’s an intriguing concept. It’s a bold concept. It’s called skyfarming. Check out the Vertical Farm Project. Popular article here.

And another variation on this them here and here (Valcent systems).

Get Windbreaks for Conservation from USDA National Agroforestry Center. It is an excellent guide to design considerations for conservation windbreaks. You may have to supplement regional woody plant species information to select the appropriate trees & shrubs for your region. They have additional windbreak publications including Windbreaks for Wildlife, How Windbreaks Work, & many other more detailed aspects of windbreak design, establishment and management.

Living the Country Life has articles on creating wildlife on your property in cooperation with Pheasants Forever and New Holland.

Objective-driven conservation planning just got easier! ArkansasHabitat.org is a fantastic website organizing Farm Bill conservation options by objective (for example, Managing Cropland for Habitat or Restoring Wetlands). One click on an objective takes you to the appropriate practices with pictures, descriptions and – most importantly – potential sources of funding and NRCS practice standards. The information is specific to Arkansas, but the Farm Bill information is relevant to all states.

Accessibility – A+; Price – FREE; Ease of Use – A. You know my students will use this site next semester!