Monday, March 31, 2008
Meeting, IUFRO, Use of Vegetation to Improve Slope Stability
Though close to our annual conference, proceedings will likely be available. 14-18 July 2008 Ground Bio- and Eco-engineering. The Use of Vegetation to Improve Slope Stability Beijing, China IUFRO 8.03.00, Contact: Gernot Fiebiger; zt(at)fiebiger.eu http://bibamap.cirad.fr/cmsmadesimple/index.php
How do you keep informed?
Human knowledge is an amorphous, evolving collection of information. Individually, our understanding of the world is constantly being shaped by new experiences and new information. Advances in technology have led to a world of up-to-the-minute information being available at our fingertips.
However, this massive amount of information simply cannot be effectively processed into useful knowledge for an individual without tools and filters to help determine what sources are worth tapping into.
For general news and events, most people use some combination of newspapers, TV news, radio stations, and Web-based news to keep up with whatever aspect of politics, business, sports, weather, etc. you want to know something about.
In your professional life, an even more sophisticated, discerning “radar and filter” system is necessary to keep up with developments. Many people utilize professional membership societies to assist with this process. A professional membership society connects individuals with new developments, resources, and information streams that would be difficult for the individuals to find and keep up with on their own.
This Conservation Blogger is just one example of the Soil and Water Conservation Society’s work to keep the conservation community informed and up-to-date on new developments. Others include the SWCS Annual Conference, the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, and special project reports. SWCS wants to be your source and partner—on point and on time.
However, this massive amount of information simply cannot be effectively processed into useful knowledge for an individual without tools and filters to help determine what sources are worth tapping into.
For general news and events, most people use some combination of newspapers, TV news, radio stations, and Web-based news to keep up with whatever aspect of politics, business, sports, weather, etc. you want to know something about.
In your professional life, an even more sophisticated, discerning “radar and filter” system is necessary to keep up with developments. Many people utilize professional membership societies to assist with this process. A professional membership society connects individuals with new developments, resources, and information streams that would be difficult for the individuals to find and keep up with on their own.
This Conservation Blogger is just one example of the Soil and Water Conservation Society’s work to keep the conservation community informed and up-to-date on new developments. Others include the SWCS Annual Conference, the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, and special project reports. SWCS wants to be your source and partner—on point and on time.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Conservation policy in the mainstream media
Lots of voices in this USA Today article (including Ken Cook from EWG and our own Craig Cox) on the impacts that the recent growth in ag and biofuels is having on conservation efforts.
March 27, 2008 - America's grasslands vanishing amid agricultural boom (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/environment/2008-03-27-farming-plowing-grasslands_N.htm
"Conservationists warn that the current commodity and ethanol frenzy could undo years of hard work and undercut the investment of taxpayer money that has bankrolled federal land- and water-protection programs."
March 27, 2008 - America's grasslands vanishing amid agricultural boom (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/environment/2008-03-27-farming-plowing-grasslands_N.htm
"Conservationists warn that the current commodity and ethanol frenzy could undo years of hard work and undercut the investment of taxpayer money that has bankrolled federal land- and water-protection programs."
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Monitoring & Evaluation of Soil Conservation and Watershed Development Projects
NEW BOOK Editors: Jan de Graaff, John Cameron, Samran Sombatpanit, Christian Pieri & Jim Woodhill. Published by Science Publishers, Enfield, U.S.A. www.scipub.net, sales@scipub.net, 2007. [excerpts from Review by Keith Virgo, March 2008, Tropical Agriculture Association]
The Editors have tried valiantly to bring a logical order to the 25 contributed papers, by separating them into four Parts: 1. Principles of M&E, 2. M&E in Practice, 3. Physical Parameters in M&E and 4. Social, Economic & Institutional Aspects. This book, one of several titles sponsored by WASWC, aims to encourage greater effectiveness of soil conservation and watershed management projects, through improved Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) that can inform decision-making. In Part 1, this led me from the rather top-down traditional approach described in Chapter 2, to the greater emphasis in Chapters 3 and 4 on openly involving the primary stakeholders, who will still be there when the project withdraws. In Part 3 some new methods for assessing actual soil losses are described. The socio-economic impacts of project interventions could have received more consideration, given the vast amounts of money that have been invested in watershed management over the last 15 to 20 years. The Editors ably summarise the papers in their Epilogue, which makes useful reading. Topics cover the various challenges, such as improving participation, allowing time and space for M&E, and attributing impacts. They conclude on an optimistic note, pointing to the global Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands (LADA) programme of GEF, which aims to combat degradation through developing tools and methods, carrying out global assessments and assessing and building monitoring capacities. Appendix II provides a comprehensive list of relevant publications dealing with M&E, several with internet addresses for easier access. For practitioners of watershed M&E, this Appendix alone justifies reading the book. Overall, the book is a useful first step in addressing an important topic.
The Editors have tried valiantly to bring a logical order to the 25 contributed papers, by separating them into four Parts: 1. Principles of M&E, 2. M&E in Practice, 3. Physical Parameters in M&E and 4. Social, Economic & Institutional Aspects. This book, one of several titles sponsored by WASWC, aims to encourage greater effectiveness of soil conservation and watershed management projects, through improved Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) that can inform decision-making. In Part 1, this led me from the rather top-down traditional approach described in Chapter 2, to the greater emphasis in Chapters 3 and 4 on openly involving the primary stakeholders, who will still be there when the project withdraws. In Part 3 some new methods for assessing actual soil losses are described. The socio-economic impacts of project interventions could have received more consideration, given the vast amounts of money that have been invested in watershed management over the last 15 to 20 years. The Editors ably summarise the papers in their Epilogue, which makes useful reading. Topics cover the various challenges, such as improving participation, allowing time and space for M&E, and attributing impacts. They conclude on an optimistic note, pointing to the global Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands (LADA) programme of GEF, which aims to combat degradation through developing tools and methods, carrying out global assessments and assessing and building monitoring capacities. Appendix II provides a comprehensive list of relevant publications dealing with M&E, several with internet addresses for easier access. For practitioners of watershed M&E, this Appendix alone justifies reading the book. Overall, the book is a useful first step in addressing an important topic.
New Technology Tool: OMS
The USDA Agricultural Research Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service have combined their efforts to produce the Object-Modeling System (OMS). The OMS is a java-based program that combines the useful aspects of existing models such as SWAT, AGNPS, REMM to streamline the development of computer models and decision-support tools. OMS will especially benefit agricultural producers and others in natural resource analysis and conservation planning. One simple advantage of the OMS is that it reduces the amount of time that is required to answer model-related research questions. There is less need to run duplicate models. Another advantage of this new technology is greater model consistency. Models that are developed to answer a certain type of research question will have similar characteristics that will make it easier to compare the research and the results.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
USEPA Launches Risk Assessment Site
The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has launched a new risk assessment Website to facilitate an understanding of risk assessment, including the latest guidance and tools:
http://www.epa.gov/risk/
The USEPA considers risk "to be the chance of harmful effects to human health or to ecological systems resulting from exposure to an environmental stressor."
http://www.epa.gov/risk/
The USEPA considers risk "to be the chance of harmful effects to human health or to ecological systems resulting from exposure to an environmental stressor."
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Environmental coalition urges conservation funding
A coalition of conservation organizations has submitted a joint letter to US House and Senate leaders regarding farm bill funding.
The letter urges “strong support of the March 18, 2008, Farm Bill ‘Framework’s’ $4.951 billion increase in new funds above baseline for the Bill’s voluntary, incentives-based conservation programs. While substantially more is truly needed to address the country’s conservation needs, this level of investment is essential. Any less risks irreparable damage to our agricultural lands and other natural resources.”
The letter goes on to explain that “the ethanol boom, propelled in large measure by energy bill mandates Congress enacted in 2005 and dramatically expanded last year, is one of many factors putting enormous pressure on America’s land, water and wildlife resources. As a consequence, it is our expert judgment that a generation of conservation accomplishments could be severely diminished and, in some areas, may be erased altogether.”
The letter is signed and supported by the following organizations:
American Rivers
American Society of Agronomy
Center for Native Ecosystems
Chesapeake Bay Commission
Coevolution Institute
Crop Science Society of America
Defenders of Wildlife
Environmental and Energy Study Institute
Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Working Group
Izaak Walton League of America
Land Trust Alliance
The Minnesota Project
National Audubon Society
National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense Council
Soil Science Society of America
Soil and Water Conservation Society
Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Union of Concerned Scientists
Water Environment Federation
World Wildlife Fund
To read the letter in its entirety, go to http://www.swcs.org/documents/FarmBillFrameworkFundingJointLetter.pdf
The letter urges “strong support of the March 18, 2008, Farm Bill ‘Framework’s’ $4.951 billion increase in new funds above baseline for the Bill’s voluntary, incentives-based conservation programs. While substantially more is truly needed to address the country’s conservation needs, this level of investment is essential. Any less risks irreparable damage to our agricultural lands and other natural resources.”
The letter goes on to explain that “the ethanol boom, propelled in large measure by energy bill mandates Congress enacted in 2005 and dramatically expanded last year, is one of many factors putting enormous pressure on America’s land, water and wildlife resources. As a consequence, it is our expert judgment that a generation of conservation accomplishments could be severely diminished and, in some areas, may be erased altogether.”
The letter is signed and supported by the following organizations:
American Rivers
American Society of Agronomy
Center for Native Ecosystems
Chesapeake Bay Commission
Coevolution Institute
Crop Science Society of America
Defenders of Wildlife
Environmental and Energy Study Institute
Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Working Group
Izaak Walton League of America
Land Trust Alliance
The Minnesota Project
National Audubon Society
National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense Council
Soil Science Society of America
Soil and Water Conservation Society
Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Union of Concerned Scientists
Water Environment Federation
World Wildlife Fund
To read the letter in its entirety, go to http://www.swcs.org/documents/FarmBillFrameworkFundingJointLetter.pdf
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