The US Geological Survey WaterQualityWatch Web site (http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/wqwatch) provides continuous real-time water-quality information about surface waters at over 1,300 sites in the United States.
Users can choose to view national or state maps showing the latest measurements of water temperature, turbidity, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, pH, and discharge/stream flow.
Such real-time water-quality data may be useful an input to conservation planning and research site selection, as well as guide a wide range of decisions regarding sources of public drinking water and the safety of locations for water recreation.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Balance all three: Food, biofuels, conservation
This Guest Column by Matt Liebman appeared in the Des Moines Register on May 23, 2008.
The controversy erupting over food and biofuel production generally overlooks the critical need to conserve and protect soil, water and wildlife. When conservation is considered, the implicit message is often this: In a hungry world, or in a fuel-deficient world, we simply can't afford the luxury of forgoing crop production by idling land for conservation purposes.
But can we really afford to abandon conservation? More...
Matt Liebman is the Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair for Sustainable Agriculture and a professor of agronomy at Iowa State University.
The controversy erupting over food and biofuel production generally overlooks the critical need to conserve and protect soil, water and wildlife. When conservation is considered, the implicit message is often this: In a hungry world, or in a fuel-deficient world, we simply can't afford the luxury of forgoing crop production by idling land for conservation purposes.
But can we really afford to abandon conservation? More...
Matt Liebman is the Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair for Sustainable Agriculture and a professor of agronomy at Iowa State University.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Craig Cox to Join EWG in August
Craig Cox, SWCS Executive Director for the past ten years, will be joining the Environmental Working Group as Midwest Vice President and will establish a new regional office for that organization in Ames, Iowa later this year. The new EWG office will be the focal point of the organization’s work on food, agriculture and biofuels policy, with program staff in Iowa, Washington, DC and California. His last day with SWCS will be August 1st, 2008.
In an announcement letter to members and colleagues, SWCS President and West North Central Regional Director Peggy James wrote, "Craig is highly respected and has carried SWCS to the forefront of environmental issues. His leadership skills and professional reputation are unprecedented in the science of soil and water conservation. We face a challenge in finding someone to fill his shoes but also have an important opportunity to find an Executive Director who can lead the Society into the next decade."
"The Board of Directors and staff have worked hard over the past year to develop a handful of 3- to 5-year goals that we think will build SWCS’s capacity as a professional society and a leader in the conservation community. Although we hate to see Craig go, we are in a good position to tailor our search for a new Executive Director whose skills and experience will ensure we meet those goals," continued James.
“The ten years I have spent as your Executive Director has been the most rewarding and enjoyable years in my career in conservation,” Craig told the SWCS Board of Directors this week. “I’ve decided to leave because it is time for me to take on a new challenge and because I think the growing natural resource and environmental challenges we face require a type and intensity of advocacy that is just not appropriate for SWCS. Joining the Environmental Working Group will be the new challenge I am looking for and the perfect home for the kind of advocacy we need to advance the cause of soil and water conservation. I may be leaving as your Executive Director, but I will remain a dedicated member of SWCS.”
The Board of Directors is committed to perpetuating the excellent SWCS reputation established by Craig in his tenure in advancing the science and art of natural resource conservation. The Board has met to discuss and implement a framework for transition. The wheels have been set in motion to begin the search for a new Executive Director. We are dedicated to pursue our mission and consider the current and future needs of Society members.
EWG Link: http://www.ewg.org/node/26598
In an announcement letter to members and colleagues, SWCS President and West North Central Regional Director Peggy James wrote, "Craig is highly respected and has carried SWCS to the forefront of environmental issues. His leadership skills and professional reputation are unprecedented in the science of soil and water conservation. We face a challenge in finding someone to fill his shoes but also have an important opportunity to find an Executive Director who can lead the Society into the next decade."
"The Board of Directors and staff have worked hard over the past year to develop a handful of 3- to 5-year goals that we think will build SWCS’s capacity as a professional society and a leader in the conservation community. Although we hate to see Craig go, we are in a good position to tailor our search for a new Executive Director whose skills and experience will ensure we meet those goals," continued James.
“The ten years I have spent as your Executive Director has been the most rewarding and enjoyable years in my career in conservation,” Craig told the SWCS Board of Directors this week. “I’ve decided to leave because it is time for me to take on a new challenge and because I think the growing natural resource and environmental challenges we face require a type and intensity of advocacy that is just not appropriate for SWCS. Joining the Environmental Working Group will be the new challenge I am looking for and the perfect home for the kind of advocacy we need to advance the cause of soil and water conservation. I may be leaving as your Executive Director, but I will remain a dedicated member of SWCS.”
The Board of Directors is committed to perpetuating the excellent SWCS reputation established by Craig in his tenure in advancing the science and art of natural resource conservation. The Board has met to discuss and implement a framework for transition. The wheels have been set in motion to begin the search for a new Executive Director. We are dedicated to pursue our mission and consider the current and future needs of Society members.
EWG Link: http://www.ewg.org/node/26598
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Farm Bill Vetoed by Bush
President George W. Bush vetoed the Farm Bill on May 21. Senator Tom Harkin, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and Chairman of the Senate-House conference committee on the new farm bill reacted strongly to Bush’s veto:
The Farm Bill was Bush’s 10th veto during his presidency.With all of these critical investments and reforms in this bill that have won support from both parties, from every region of the country, and from rural and urban members of Congress alike, the president’s veto of this measure is an attempt to deny America these forward-looking initiatives at a time when the country needs them the most.
The bill continues, reforms and strengthens income protection for the benefit of farm families and the rural economy. The nutrition title strengthens food assistance. The energy provisions in the farm bill will help unleash the potential of agriculture and rural communities to supply energy to our nation. And the new bill will help farmers and ranchers with funds and technical assistance to conserve soil, improve water quality and boost wildlife on their land.
Nutrient Supplement Alters Cattle Distribution
The Journal of Soil and Water Conservation recently included information about how nutrient supplements placed strategically in livestock confinements can be used to preserve water quality. See George et al. 2008; Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 63(1):11-17.)
“Environmental impacts of grazing livestock are frequently the result of poor livestock distribution,” George wrote. Cattle tend to spend time in environmentally critical areas, like riparian zones. Instead of using physical barriers, like fencing, to dictate livestock movements, George and his colleagues used nutritional protein supplements to lure the cattle away from sensitive areas of pasture.
Global positioning collars were used to document the movements of the cattle before and after the supplements were placed. The supplements successfully motivated the cattle to move more than 0.8 mi away from stock water, and the cattle tended to rest and graze near the supplement as well. Currently, protein supplements are not considered a best management practice, but George believes that they should be.
“The strategic placement of protein supplements can exert a strong influence on the distribution of range livestock,” George wrote.
“Environmental impacts of grazing livestock are frequently the result of poor livestock distribution,” George wrote. Cattle tend to spend time in environmentally critical areas, like riparian zones. Instead of using physical barriers, like fencing, to dictate livestock movements, George and his colleagues used nutritional protein supplements to lure the cattle away from sensitive areas of pasture.
Global positioning collars were used to document the movements of the cattle before and after the supplements were placed. The supplements successfully motivated the cattle to move more than 0.8 mi away from stock water, and the cattle tended to rest and graze near the supplement as well. Currently, protein supplements are not considered a best management practice, but George believes that they should be.
“The strategic placement of protein supplements can exert a strong influence on the distribution of range livestock,” George wrote.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Declaration on Soils from the BOKU Vienna Workshop
The Austrian Academy of Sciences and BOKU – the University of Bodenkultur (Soil Conservation) sponsored the 2007 Kerner von Marilaun Workshop in Vienna, Austria, entitled, “The Challenge of Sustaining Soils: Lessons from Historical Experience for a Sustainable Future.”
The workshop produced a declaration on soils that states, “We are in the midst of a dramatic acceleration of agricultural change as the world strives to meet the food and energy needs of a growing population within the framework of resource limitations and the desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In its scope and size the challenge is comparable to the transformation of agriculture which took place as part of the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century and its extension by the introduction of synthetic fertilizer and pesticides during the twentieth century.”
The declaration goes on to state, “Human impacts on soils are complex and site specific; resulting in pressures on biodiversity, water availability and quality, and the atmosphere. Our rapidly increasing needs for food and energy place growing and conflicting demands on soil. Development issues, food security, nature conservation, our dependence on fossil fuels, social inequality, and armed conflict, all have a bearing on soils.”
The full declaration is available here: http://www.oeaw.ac.at/kioes/declaration_final.pdf
Monday, May 12, 2008
Water Resource Photo Wins Contest
By Sarah VanDelfzijl
Last year, Michigan’s Battle Creek Clean Water Partners conducted a photo contest of subjects within the Kalamazoo River watershed. This effort was undertaken in part to fulfill Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System permit requirements. The photo contest helped educate the public about their watershed and the proximity of rivers and streams to the urban landscape.
The winning photo was taken by Richard Burkhart of Battle Creek, and his image was then submitted to the US Environmental Protection Agency's National Earth Day photo contest, where it placed first in the “Enjoying Nature” category.
Burkhart commented, “On this spring day my wife and I were enjoying the environment and beauty of the Battle Creek River. I find it extremely interesting that this photo was taken within four blocks from the heart of Battle Creek, Michigan. Sometimes we can find true beauty and enjoy nature real close to home or in our own back yard.”
The photo serves as a reminder that urban rivers can be excellent recreational resources, provided that their surrounding communities make concerted efforts to improve and protect them.
Photo reproduced with permission by Richard Burkhart.
Last year, Michigan’s Battle Creek Clean Water Partners conducted a photo contest of subjects within the Kalamazoo River watershed. This effort was undertaken in part to fulfill Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System permit requirements. The photo contest helped educate the public about their watershed and the proximity of rivers and streams to the urban landscape.
The winning photo was taken by Richard Burkhart of Battle Creek, and his image was then submitted to the US Environmental Protection Agency's National Earth Day photo contest, where it placed first in the “Enjoying Nature” category.
Burkhart commented, “On this spring day my wife and I were enjoying the environment and beauty of the Battle Creek River. I find it extremely interesting that this photo was taken within four blocks from the heart of Battle Creek, Michigan. Sometimes we can find true beauty and enjoy nature real close to home or in our own back yard.”
The photo serves as a reminder that urban rivers can be excellent recreational resources, provided that their surrounding communities make concerted efforts to improve and protect them.
Photo reproduced with permission by Richard Burkhart.
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