Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation’s Post

Three Key Findings from First-of-its-Kind Study on NRCS Conservation Practices and U.S. Pollinators #conservation https://lnkd.in/gKnQZJzH

Solar Farms Look to Produce Something Apart From Power: Friendly Habitats for Wildlife: "Solar farms could blanket millions of acres in the United States over the coming decades," writes the New York Times. But "the sites that capture that energy take up land that wildlife needs to survive and thrive." "We have to address both challenges at the same exact time," said Rebecca Hernandez, a professor of ecology at the University of California, Davis, whose research focuses on how to do just that. Insects, those small animals that play a mighty role in supporting life on Earth, are facing alarming declines. Solar farms can offer them food and shelter by providing a diverse mix of native plants. Such plants can also decrease erosion, nourish the soil and store planet-warming carbon. They can also attract insects that improve pollination of nearby crops... On a recent morning at the solar meadow in Ramsey, it was time to count insects... In solar pollinator habitat, Minnesota was an early leader among states. Since 2017, funded by the Department of Energy, Lee Walston [a landscape ecologist at Argonne National Laboratory] has been studying sites there and throughout the Midwest. "If you build it, will they come?" he asks in his research. So far, the answer is a resounding yes, if you grow the right plants. In a study published late last year, his team found that insect abundance had tripled over five years on test plots at two other Minnesota solar sites. The abundance of native bees grew twentyfold. The results come amid a global decline of wildlife that leaders are struggling to address. Some of the most well-known insect species are in trouble: Later this year, the federal government is expected to rule on whether to place monarch butterflies on the Endangered Species List. North American birds, for their part, are down almost 30% since 1970. But at this site, called Anoka County Solar, acoustic monitoring has documented 73 species of birds, presumably attracted by the buffet of seeds and insects. Some build nests in the structures supporting the panels. Mammals are showing up, too... What makes this meadow possible is the height of the panels. A prairie restoration firm had told ENGIE, the owner and developer, that taller panels would allow for a sharp increase in native vegetation species, providing much more ecological diversity, said John Gantner, the director of engineering and delivery for ENGIE's smaller-scale sites. The price of the additional steel and the native seeds were "insignificant to the overall project cost," Gantner said. Over the life of the project, ENGIE has found, pollinator-friendly landscaping actually saves money because it needs far less mowing... Nationwide, it's unclear what portion of solar farms include any kind of pollinator habitat. The federal project that Walston is part of has a running rough count of just under 24,000 acres. That's compared with about 600,000 acres of currently operating large-scale sites

The Sussex Study, run by The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, is the world's longest running monitoring project measuring the impact of changes in farming on the fauna and flora of arable land. The original focus, when the study kicked off in 1968, was seeking to understand the causes of decline in grey partridge numbers. The initial findings - a reduction in chick-food insects in cereal crops - led to expansion of the study to capture crop type, crop disease, arable flora and invertebrates in cereal feeds. Since 1970, the study has sampled invertebrates on the same area of farmland, at the same time of year, using the same methods. That's 4,757 samples containing 2.98 million invertebrates. Earlier this year, the team published key findings in the Insect Conservation and Diversity journal published by the Royal Entomological Society [link in comments]. The data collected up until 2019 has shown that insect abundance declined by 37%. However, this average decline masks significant variation dependent on groupings. Beneficial predators, including ground beetles and lady birds, fell by ~80%. Of the 98 taxa with sufficient data across the full 50-years, 59% showed declines, 12% showed increases and 29% showed no detectable change. The Sussex Study is unique in its focus specifically on arable land. Importantly, the study is not all doom and gloom: "The results from the Sussex Study identify management and landscape features that are associated with higher relative insect abundance. These features suggest that to reverse declines, it is not necessary to return to earlier farming practices in their entirety." Indeed, the team highlights that the goal should be for sustainable intensification of agriculture that maintains production and avoids "off-shoring" the environmental costs of agriculture. Key opportunities cited include: - practices that improve the percentage of rotational grass (e.g. via undersowing cereals or cover-cropping) - adoption of Integrated Pest Management techniques to replace the use of pesticides - practices that improve soil health, with the co-benefit of the need for less insecticides - intercropping - smaller paddocks that yield landscapes with more connected patches, and also the opportunity for greater crop diversity - the use of 'beetle banks' / 'pollinator strips' / hedgerows The team have also published 'A guide to insect-rich farmland habitats' (also linked in comments). Whilst understandably UK-flavoured, many of the principles are just as applicable here in Australia. Article citation: Ewald, J.A., et al. (2024). Fifty years of monitoring changes in the abundance of invertebrates in the cereal ecosystem of the Sussex Downs, England. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 26 April 2024. Image citation: Oats undersown with clover. Emma Gillbard, Farmers Weekly, accessed 02-Sep-2024. #biodiversity #sustainableag #soilhealth #covercropping

Solar Farms Look to Produce Something Apart From Power: Friendly Habitats for Wildlife: "Solar farms could blanket millions of acres in the United States over the coming decades," writes the New York Times. But "the sites that capture that energy take up land that wildlife needs to survive and thrive." "We have to address both challenges at the same exact time," said Rebecca Hernandez, a professor of ecology at the University of California, Davis, whose research focuses on how to do just that. Insects, those small animals that play a mighty role in supporting life on Earth, are facing alarming declines. Solar farms can offer them food and shelter by providing a diverse mix of native plants. Such plants can also decrease erosion, nourish the soil and store planet-warming carbon. They can also attract insects that improve pollination of nearby crops... On a recent morning at the solar meadow in Ramsey, it was time to count insects... In solar pollinator habitat, Minnesota was an early leader among states. Since 2017, funded by the Department of Energy, Lee Walston [a landscape ecologist at Argonne National Laboratory] has been studying sites there and throughout the Midwest. "If you build it, will they come?" he asks in his research. So far, the answer is a resounding yes, if you grow the right plants. In a study published late last year, his team found that insect abundance had tripled over five years on test plots at two other Minnesota solar sites. The abundance of native bees grew twentyfold. The results come amid a global decline of wildlife that leaders are struggling to address. Some of the most well-known insect species are in trouble: Later this year, the federal government is expected to rule on whether to place monarch butterflies on the Endangered Species List. North American birds, for their part, are down almost 30% since 1970. But at this site, called Anoka County Solar, acoustic monitoring has documented 73 species of birds, presumably attracted by the buffet of seeds and insects. Some build nests in the structures supporting the panels. Mammals are showing up, too... What makes this meadow possible is the height of the panels. A prairie restoration firm had told ENGIE, the owner and developer, that taller panels would allow for a sharp increase in native vegetation species, providing much more ecological diversity, said John Gantner, the director of engineering and delivery for ENGIE's smaller-scale sites. The price of the additional steel and the native seeds were "insignificant to the overall project cost," Gantner said. Over the life of the project, ENGIE has found, pollinator-friendly landscaping actually saves money because it needs far less mowing... Nationwide, it's unclear what portion of solar farms include any kind of pollinator habitat. The federal project that Walston is part of has a running rough count of just under 24,000 acres. That's compared with about 600,000 acres of currently operating large-scale sites ac

Solar Farms Look to Produce Something Apart From Power: Friendly Habitats for Wildlife: "Solar farms could blanket millions of acres in the United States over the coming decades," writes the New York Times. But "the sites that capture that energy take up land that wildlife needs to survive and thrive." "We have to address both challenges at the same exact time," said Rebecca Hernandez, a professor of ecology at the University of California, Davis, whose research focuses on how to do just that. Insects, those small animals that play a mighty role in supporting life on Earth, are facing alarming declines. Solar farms can offer them food and shelter by providing a diverse mix of native plants. Such plants can also decrease erosion, nourish the soil and store planet-warming carbon. They can also attract insects that improve pollination of nearby crops... On a recent morning at the solar meadow in Ramsey, it was time to count insects... In solar pollinator habitat, Minnesota was an early leader among states. Since 2017, funded by the Department of Energy, Lee Walston [a landscape ecologist at Argonne National Laboratory] has been studying sites there and throughout the Midwest. "If you build it, will they come?" he asks in his research. So far, the answer is a resounding yes, if you grow the right plants. In a study published late last year, his team found that insect abundance had tripled over five years on test plots at two other Minnesota solar sites. The abundance of native bees grew twentyfold. The results come amid a global decline of wildlife that leaders are struggling to address. Some of the most well-known insect species are in trouble: Later this year, the federal government is expected to rule on whether to place monarch butterflies on the Endangered Species List. North American birds, for their part, are down almost 30% since 1970. But at this site, called Anoka County Solar, acoustic monitoring has documented 73 species of birds, presumably attracted by the buffet of seeds and insects. Some build nests in the structures supporting the panels. Mammals are showing up, too... What makes this meadow possible is the height of the panels. A prairie restoration firm had told ENGIE, the owner and developer, that taller panels would allow for a sharp increase in native vegetation species, providing much more ecological diversity, said John Gantner, the director of engineering and delivery for ENGIE's smaller-scale sites. The price of the additional steel and the native seeds were "insignificant to the overall project cost," Gantner said. Over the life of the project, ENGIE has found, pollinator-friendly landscaping actually saves money because it needs far less mowing... Nationwide, it's unclear what portion of solar farms include any kind of pollinator habitat. The federal project that Walston is part of has a running rough count of just under 24,000 acres. That's compared with about 600,000 acres of currently operating large-scale sites

Great webinar lined up for #pollinatorweek discussing the importance of #pollinator #habitat for #conservation! USDA #Conservation Efforts Support #Pollinators, #AgriculturalProduction Nationwide #Scientists estimate that one out of every three bites of food we eat exists because of animal pollinators. Supporting pollinators is critical to our #foodsecurity and a key USDA #conservation focus in #collaboration with #farmers, #ranchers, and other #landmanagers nationwide. On June 20 at 2:00 p.m. eastern, Dr. Elissa Olimpi will share findings on the value of pollinator practices applied through voluntary conservation programs including the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service's Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the USDA Farm Service Agency’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). This free, one-hour Conservation Outcomes #Webinar will answer a suite of questions addressed in a recent study conducted by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and Virginia Tech in collaboration with USDA’s Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP), including on the effectiveness of these programs in supporting pollinators and strategies to increase benefits. Findings may be used by #agricultural #producers, other land managers, #conservationists, and #researchers to prioritize conservation efforts that will deliver the greatest benefits to pollinators and production #agriculture across the U.S. 

USDA Conservation Stewardship Program Custom plan to improve grazing, increase crop resiliency, or develop wildlife habitat. Due dates depend on each state progam. The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) helps you build on your existing conservation efforts while strengthening your operation. Whether it's to improve grazing conditions, increase crop resiliency, or develop wildlife habitat, we can custom design a CSP plan to help you meet those goals. We can help you identify natural resource problems in your operation and provide technical and financial assistance to solve those problems or attain higher stewardship levels in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner. https://lnkd.in/gsgDARk4

I have been thinking about this topic very heavily the last two days. Each day I have walked a 0.83km stretch of Medical Drive in Peterborough - both ways - so a total of 3.3km - this stretch is chock full of thousands of dandelions, for as FAR as the eye could see. How many pollinators did I count? Barely anything!! A couple of ants, one green sweat bee, two red admiral butterflies and two cabbage white butterflies. At home - I have wild strawberries running thru my yard - all in full bloom, and I lost count of the number of total bees and bee species that I saw. What does this tell us? Exactly what the article mentions. Most non-native plants/flowers do not benefit pollinators. The pollinators have developed relationships with plants in their area, and will seek them out. Some, like Monarch butterflies, are specialists, that ONLY rely on milkweed for food and as hosts for development. If you plant true native plant species from your ecoregion - the pollinators WILL find them. Even a few pots on an apartment balcony or several plants in a small garden could make a world of difference for some pollinators with a limited range. Please consider reaching out to groups in your area, you can also message me, and the more we work together planting native species - the more we can learn and help protect our pollinators!

FARMERS & RANCHERS: NOW IS THE TIME TO SIGN UP FOR CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAMS   Land conservation and remediation have never been more important to American agriculture. Mid- and long-term projected demand for grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy and meat produced in the United States remains strong.   However, soil depletion has been and continues to be a growing problem. Additional productivity challenges are arising as extraordinary and extreme weather conditions are taking significant tracts of agricultural land offline - in some cases requiring years for recovery.   The need to improve sustainability, rely less on soil amendments, and maximize the utility of acreage rendered fallow for whatever reason has never been greater. Fortunately, federal programs exist today that can help farmers and ranchers meet these challenges. The federal government's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) provides American farmers and ranchers the opportunity to idle large tracts of environmentally fragile farmland in exchange for an annual rental payment. Enrollment for 2024 started yesterday (March 4th) and runs through March 29th.   Offered through USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), CRP gives agricultural producers the resources and support to conserve wildlife habitat while achieving other conservation benefits, including sequestering carbon and improving water quality and soil health. For example, CRP can help producers and landowners establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees. Additionally, the CRP program offers qualifying participants a Climate-Smart Practice Incentive to help increase carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by helping producers and landowners establish trees and permanent grasses, enhance wildlife habitat and restore wetlands. THE CLOCK IS TICKING! CRP enrollment currently is scheduled to close in approximately three weeks. Ag-landowners and producers interested in CRP should contact their local USDA Service Center to learn more or to apply for the program before the March 29th deadline.  #farmconservation #ranchconservation #CRP #agriculture #agriculturalland #ranchland #agconservation

Have you ever heard of #NoMowMay? Although it may seem like a good idea, not mowing your lawn can do more harm than good. Rather than not mowing, we encourage you to support native biodiversity by planting native trees, shrubs, and flowers. Click here to learn about a better way to help pollinators: https://bit.ly/4dx8wAr. #plantmayflowers #ernstseeds #nativeplants #nativeseeds #pollinators #biodiversity