WildEarth Guardians’ Post

Because #wildfire mitigation projects cannot proceed while #forestmanagement plans are being reassessed, the Cottonwood decision has greatly increased risks to endangered species and their habitat on public land across the western United States. #Wildfires are quickly growing larger and more severe. #thinthethreat #forestmanagement #saveamericanforests #savewildlife

The worst spots for wildife-vehicle collisions in the #bayarea include the 101 in Marin, I-680, Hwy 24 in East Bay, I-280, & Hwy 17. To reduce roadkill and increase habitat connectivity, the CA Dept of Transportation plans to construct five new #wildlife crossings across the Bay Area. Crossings and other corridors connect wildife habitat patches, allowing species to find mates, thereby reducing inbreeding. #wildlifecrossings #mountainlion #habitatconnectivity #conservation #norcal #wildcat https://lnkd.in/gQFvYpfe

We’ve got the latest news and updates about wildlife conservation across the globe in one spot for you. Take a look at this month’s Frontline Dispatches to stay informed 👉🏼 https://lnkd.in/dVMZhxfx #ConservationFirst #Wildlife #WildlifeNews #ConservationNews

How do you know your effort translates into impact?

Effort or Impact, or both? Conservation is all about nature protection. Everything we do is meant to ensure ecosystems are healthy for the benefit of humans and wildlife. But how do we know if what we are doing is effective or working? How do we measure the impact of our work? If you think about your monthly or donor reports, what type of metrics do you include? You might find yourself reporting the number of kilometres patrolled, how many arrests were made, or how many awareness workshops you held. These numbers are important as they show your team and those providing support the amount of effort you have put into protecting the ecosystem…but what does it say about your impact. Unfortunately, nothing at all. Effort metrics are often confused with impact. We did more patrols! We made more arrests! Excellent work…did the problem go down? If not, all the effort is not translating into positive impact. Impact metrics would focus on the problem itself, not your operations. You’d like to say you’re finding fewer snares per kilometre of patrol, or fewer elephant carcasses, or even better, more elephants! To determine what is working in wildlife protection, you have to first be able to measure threats, and then start thinking about how these change in relation to your intervention. This is often referred to as setting a baseline…how bad is your problem now? Or, how large is the population of a species you are trying to protect? Or, what percentage of people in neighbouring communities have pro-conservation attitudes? The LEAD Analyst program helps organisations set baselines and create indicator maps that track the impact of interventions. The maps not only capture how much effort you put in, but also how this impacts behaviour and ultimately the problem you are trying to reduce. Monitoring and evaluation needs to be more than a box checking exercise. If you are putting men and women into potentially dangerous situations -  such as a patrol - you need to ensure this is worth the risk and is working. If a ranger can achieve the same amount of impact with a cup of coffee, why should they be limited to patrols in the bush? Measuring and reporting on effort simply is not good enough anymore and LEAD is ready to help you take the next step. NEWS: LEAD Conservation will be publishing our new e-course on the Foundations of Problem Solving soon! #wildlife #problemsolving #wildlifecrime #conservation #impact Here's an example of an indicator map: https://lnkd.in/efdj7V8t

"The unfortunate truth is that North American #grasslands are now vanishing as fast as the Brazilian rainforest." - Me, in this blog I wrote. I encourage you to check it out if your curious about the #climatechange impacts grasslands have along with their value to #wildlife, #water, and #livelihoods.

Our Bankhead Moss Wildlife Reserve is an uncommon habitat in #Fife due to rainfall being lower in the region compared to West of Scotland making it one of only two significantly sized bogs in East Fife. It is home to many specialised bog species such as 12 species of sphagnum moss, some of which are vital for peat creation and the locally rare, carnivorous plant, the sundew. In the past the peat has been cut for fuel, ditches have been dug for drainage and the surface disturbed as lint holes were dug to ret flax fibres for linen production. Funding from Peatland ACTION enabled the Trust to hire contractors to work on raising the water table at the moss by blocking ditches, digging pools, creating peat bunds and reprofiling the surface of the peat bog. There are already positive signs, as pools are holding water and cotton grass and mosses are populating the restoration site. You can join our Fife and Kinross group to help with ongoing management of the site. Read more https://lnkd.in/eui2Pzek #peatland #peatlandrestoration #peatlands #moss #peatlandsmatter NatureScot IUCN UK Peatland Programme

Although Split Oak Forest spans Orange and Osceola counties, a good 45-minute drive for most Lake County residents, it is the proverbial “canary in the coal mine” when it comes to the future of conservation land in Florida. If Split Oak falls, no other designated conservation land in the state is safe from those seeking to line their own pockets at the expense of the public’s interest. Let me put it this way: How would you feel if I forced you from your home and moved your family to what is essentially a barren landfill with no infrastructure, no food and no clean water? And my only justification for this was, “But it’s more land than the land you had before!” That is what Osceola County is asking the threatened and endangered wildlife in Split Oak Forest to do in its effort to have a toll road cut through the nature preserve. Why does this matter for Florida residents in other counties? Up until now, if conservation land is still of “high ecological value,” then the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission’s job is to maintain its conservation status and protect its easements. If FWC releases its easements within Split Oak for the toll road, then there is now a legal precedent. Nothing will stop the same from happening anywhere else in Florida. Split Oak Forest was set aside 30 years ago by a contractual agreement between Orange and Osceola counties as mitigation land for the ongoing development around the forest. Since then, it has been managed with taxpayer dollars and is a natural wild preserve where visitors can enjoy walking nature trails. It also houses some of the rarest and most endangered habitats and wildlife species in central Florida. Split Oak Forest was intended to be kept as conservation land “in perpetuity,” as per the Florida State constitution, but Osceola County commissioners, Tavistock – a large development company – and the Central Florida Expressway Authority have decided it is prime real estate to drive a toll road through. They are seeking to extend the Osceola Parkway through the forest. (Continued in the comments) . Read here: https://lnkd.in/g9JT_xW2

Got Wood Turtles? If so, check out this great resource guide from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners aimed at forest landowners. https://lnkd.in/ejeTBca2 Developed with input from 16 conservation agencies and forest management organizations, the document covers: 🦇 Wildlife-Friendly Practices: Specific forest-management practices that are not only compatible with, but beneficial for, wood turtles 🌲 Strategic Timber Harvesting: Timing harvests to minimize disruption to wood turtle activities 🚗 Mitigating Vehicle Risk: Implementing strategies to reduce harm to wood turtles from vehicular traffic 🐢 Turtle-Friendly Stream Crossings: Guidance on materials and design, whether upgrading, replacing, or installing new structures 🥚 Nesting Area Enhancement: Transforming excavated areas and former gravel pits into valuable nesting sites for wood turtles As a reminder, the wood turtle is currently under review for listing on the Endangered Species Act, and it is exploited for the #illegalwildlifetrade. Please do not publicly disclose locations of wood turtles online, including in research papers. #woodturtle #glyptemys #turtle #forestmanagement #forest #landmanagement #savetheturtles #conservation #management

This article does a nice job of telling the story of what California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)'s Forest Health Program and our local partners across the state are trying to achieve: Make strategic investments to build forest and community resilience to wildfire and climate change. Thanks to all those that helped tell this story!