Wildlands Network’s Post

US Fish & Wildlife finds that in the last 10 years, North America has lost more than 50 million acres of grasslands. At a total loss of 80%. The World Wildlife Fund reports that 2.6 million acres of grassland habitat was lost in the North American Great Plains in 2019 alone. Ranching protects these landscapes from being sold to developers, rock quarries, or tilled for cropland. The last stand against the Anthropocene. Our grazing lands are the Great Barrier Reef of North America. #AmazingGrazingLands

To protect work landscapes such as grazing rangelands and enhance their biodiversity is perhaps one of the most important ecological tasks of my generation. Why regenerative meat, leather, tallow, wool? Because these can be and often are by-products of rangelands conservation.

Although there are more than 400 unique bird species that call the Great Plains region home, you might need to be a little eagle-eyed yourself to spot them. 👀 The expansive grasslands of North America provide an ideal habitat for many bird species with ample food sources and coverage from predators. However, this critical ecosystem is threatened by development and other stressors. U.S. grassland birds are among the fastest declining bird species due to habitat loss, tree and shrub encroachment, and pesticide applications. Together with ConocoPhillips and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), NFWF is currently seeking proposals to help address the loss of 3 billion birds since 1970 by supporting projects that conserve, restore, or enhance grasslands, among other priorities. Learn more: https://loom.ly/tU0lbM4 📷: Eastern meadowlark in a wheat field #grassland #bird #birding #conservation #wildlife

Something special about Michigan you might not know: We're one of only a handful of places in the US where the endangered Mitchell's satyr butterfly can thrive. 🦋 The prairie fen habitats they rely on are increasingly rare, making existing sites even more crucial. Fortunately for us, Michigan is considered the best location to focus on recovery for the species, given the number of sites where the butterfly is still active! Led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a consortium of federal officials, state wildlife agencies, land conservancies like TNC and zoos are leading the effort to recover the butterfly's population here in the Mitten. Reintroducing fire to preserves, captive propagation, and species monitoring are just some of the methods in place to help support the these rare beauties. Read all about efforts to save the Mitchell's satyr and its habitat: https://nature.ly/4fumG6B

"Net wetland loss increased substantially (>50%) since the last...study period (2004-2009), resulting in the loss of 221,000 acres [89k ha] of wetlands, primary to uplands, between 2009 and 2019." 😳 For an ecosystem that delivers so many benefits to people--cleaning our waters, habitat for species we depend on, high levels of carbon sequestration, beautiful landscapes like the one in the Canaan Valley of WV on the cover of the report--this is such incredibly sad news. Not just sad for the wetlands, but for us. The new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and U.S. Department of the Interior "Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States 2009 to 2019: Report to Congress" has more numbers and facts, and some recommendations on how we might reverse course. We need to figure this out!

How to Turn Your Garden Into a Wildlife Habitat

Hey Alberta hunters and outdoor enthusiasts! If you're heading out to enjoy the great outdoors this weekend, we've got a request for you. Have you heard of ABHuntLog? It's a super simple feature in iHunter Alberta that lets you record your wildlife observations and harvests at a WMU level. And the best part? It's confidential (we don't collect names or locations) and totally voluntary. By using ABHuntLog, you're helping biologists and wildlife managers get a better understanding of the wildlife populations across Alberta. Your observations can supplement the data collected by government aerial surveys, which only happen intermittently in some WMUs. Plus, keeping track of your harvests makes reporting at the end of the season a breeze. So if you're heading out bowhunting for moose this weekend, please consider using ABHuntLog to help us collect information on moose populations across the province. Together, we can help protect and preserve Alberta's beautiful wildlife! Learn more at www.abhuntlog.ca

Mamas, please let your babies grow up to be cowboys!🤠🎶 80% of Texans reside in urban areas As cities continue to grow, habitats become displaced, and land becomes fragmented. In a state where 95% of the land is privately owned, the health and resources provided by natural spaces depend on the management decisions made by landowners, ranchers, and hunters. Through #ConservationWrangler Texas Wildlife Association Land, Water & Wildlife Expeditions program, the organization partners with middle schools by providing 5 successive lessons that build to a field trip behind the gates of a working ranch. These lessons reinforce the interconnectedness of our lands and how the actions of conservation-minded property owners benefit their broader community. Learn more about how TWA is engaging Texan landowners to participate in conservation: https://lnkd.in/gZMtfYkt

How to Turn Your Garden Into a Wildlife Habitat

How to Turn Your Garden Into a Wildlife Habitat