Wisconsin Land+Water Conservation Association’s Post

Do you know the pre-harvest activities carried out at your cage fish farm? Read HERE in this report; https://zurl.co/cLf1 #PreHarvest #Activities #CageFishFarm #FishFarming #Sustainability #reportshare

Policy news! California recently signed a landmark piece of legislation aimed at addressing the state’s ongoing wildfire crisis into law. 👏🐑 #SB675 is particularly significant for graziers—those who manage livestock grazing—as it directly incentivizes their participation in land management practices aimed at reducing wildfire risks. Controlled grazing allows livestock to clear excess vegetation in targeted areas, lowering the chance of fires spreading uncontrollably. The financial assistance offered by the grant program will help cover costs for landowners and ranchers, encouraging widespread adoption of this preventive measure. The bill is part of California’s broader wildfire resilience strategy and aligns with the goals of the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force. SB 675 is sponsored by the California Climate and Agriculture Network and was developed in close collaboration with the Community Environmental Council, Fibershed, and local fire professionals, prescribed grazing practitioners, and rangeland ecologists across the state. ↪️ Learn more about the bill and the next steps for implementation here: https://buff.ly/3BZZXQj

Did you know? Many current farmers are moving toward retirement and new farmers are struggling to access land and financial capital. The future is uncertain for about one-third of American farm and ranch land—making intact #foodsystems vulnerable. Learn more about an ambitious American Farmland Trust to navigate farm and ranch transfers to a new generation. This program is in partnership with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services. https://lnkd.in/gws4TmSy #newfarmers #foodsecurity #farmlandtransfers

California is tackling its wildfire crisis by supporting the use of prescribed grazing, enlisting livestock to manage vegetation in fire-prone areas. By providing grants to graziers, it is turning to a natural and sustainable solution to reduce wildfire risk. It's a win-win: less fuel for fires, healthier land and soil, and support for local farmers. https://lnkd.in/gYdM2Vbj

Delta Waterfowl June Policy Update: Our team has been hard at work across The United States and Canada in the month of June. Take a look below for some key highlights from the Pacific Flyway 🦆 California Navigable Waters: Earlier this July Delta’s policy team traveled to Sacramento, California, to testify in support of SB 1226 in the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife. Currently, under California law, individuals must stay within the marked boundaries of a river or a refuge in order to hunt, even if the area is flooded over. This bill would allow hunters to access the flooded navigable water as long as they are not trespassing on private property. The Delta team is happy to report that the bill passed the committee unanimously on a vote of 14-0 and has been ordered to its third reading in the Assembly. This is a great bill for duck hunters because it fixes a policy that has been in place for years that was unreasonable to begin with. This bill is the new version of Assembly Bill 859, which was vetoed by Governor Newsom in late 2023, citing potential issues with hunting in shipping lanes. The Delta team feels that these concerns have been resolved, and we will continue to work with Senator Cortese’s office on bill amendments to ensure this new version has the best possible chance of becoming law. California Wetlands:  Assembly Bill 828 recently passed the California Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water on a 7-4 vote. This bill adds the term, “managed wetlands,” to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. In turn, this language prohibits a groundwater sustainability agency from imposing fees upon a managed wetland. The other benefit of this bill is a sweeping commitment to California’s No Net Loss policy for wetlands. In short, this bill streamlines the process of adding water to managed wetlands as well as reducing the costs that the wetlands managers pay. This is a great bill and should elicit increasingly positive effects for our members across California, particularly in the grasslands region where water access is at an all-time low. AB 828 has been re-referred to Appropriations and our team will continue to monitor and support this notable bill as it makes its way through the legislative process. https://lnkd.in/gqr6gHrq

Let’s continue the series of InnWater #PilotSites with the 🇬🇧 Westcountry Pilot Site. 🔍 #Area Description · Covers the Western Peninsula of the UK from Bristol and Wiltshire to Devon and Cornwall, an area of 23 000 km2 with a population of 4.7 million people · Important agriculture and livestock industry, including a significant dairy sector 💦 Main Water Governance# Challenges · Sufficient water quantity in surface and groundwater zones, but water quality is highly variable and impacts treatment costs · Coordination of water quality management under the WFD through Catchment Partnerships is not so strong at the regional scale 🤝 Key #Stakeholders · Water companies (South West Water, Wessex Water, Bristol Water) · Local authorities (Somerset, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall) · Environment Agency · Abstractors (National Farmer Union) · River catchment partnerships 💡 InnWater Governance #Innovation · Develop a regional River Basin Water Forum (RBWF) to coordinate Catchment Partnerships and ensure management of both water quantity and quality · Increase data collection through #citizenscience alongside public and private sources, and share this through a common data platform · Aim to better link local water quality solutions to future resource availability at the regional scale Westcountry Rivers Trust #WaterGovernance #Sustainability #Innovation #EUResearchArea

Great things are coming soon from Illinois STAR. They’ve heard that some farmers struggle with the STAR Field Form and listened to your suggestions on how to make enrollment easier for multiple fields. Upgrades are in the works. Illinois is the birthplace of STAR - Saving Tomorrow's Agriculture Resources, which is now a National Non-Profit establishing affiliate programs in states across the country. Here, the initiative is run through partnerships between National STAR, Champaign County Soil & Water Conservation District, Illinois Department of Agriculture, and the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts and is directed by an independent Steering Committee. We continue to be innovators and will be the first state to receive access to the Phase 2 WebApp, which will provide an updated and enhanced Toolkit to users and supporters. Enrolling your fields in STAR is a great way to show interest in advancing soil health and cleaner waterways in your community, across the state, and throughout the Mississippi River watershed. It doesn’t matter where you are on your journey in adopting conservation practices. With your participation, you’ll show leadership in the field and make further advances possible. STAR is your vote for voluntary conservation, a tool for conservationists. www.STARfreetool.com #AIMillinois #TakeAIM #conservation #illinoisagriculture #sustainablefarming #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativefarming #regenerativefarm #agvocacy #agriculture #farmer #illinois #farmersofillinois #sustainability #covercrops #soilhealth #farming #farm #agriculturelife #conservationchampions #star #starfreetool #starconservation

Conservation win! Earlier this week, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced the conservation of three family farms in the Florida Wildlife Corridor through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. The farms are: K-Rocker Ranch, a 707-acre ranch in Polk County. This property fills a gap in the protection of the Lake Wales ecosystem, where it is surrounded by Lake Rosalie and Kissimmee River State Park, the Alan Broussard Catfish Creek State Preserve, the Bombing Range Ridge, and the United States Air Force Bombing Range. The Los Niños Farm, a 998-acre timber and cattle operation in Putnam County. The property protects important wetlands bordering the river floodplain with intact basin swamps, baygall, and hydric hammocks. Kuder Ranch, a 525-acre cattle ranch in Polk County. Wildlife on the property includes indigo snakes, gopher tortoise, turkey, roseate spoonbill, sandhill cranes, alligators, bald eagle, swallowtail kites, osprey, bobcat, and fox. 40% of the Florida Wildlife Corridor is working lands - ranchlands and timberlands. Of the Corridor’s 8.1 million acres of opportunity areas (areas not yet protected), 33% are ranchlands and 43% are timberlands. These working lands are a vital component to conservation in Florida. Read more in the Florida Daily article linked below: https://lnkd.in/enXebM24

Great article highlighting the NFFN, natural flood management and the importance of understanding how water is stored and released in catchments is vital for predicting flood and drought. With benefits to biodiversity and agricultural productivity and a lower cost  than major flood defence.

With increased storm and flood events, the need for river naturalisation is going to become more vital