US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Post

If you work on public lands and are struggling to increase access for everyone...you might start here. This webinar explores how conservation history shapes land protection and recreation management practices today and ways to can create welcoming spaces through inclusive recreation management practices.

❄️ POLICY UPDATE ❄️ In our latest update, we share a letter from our Executive Director, messages from our policy staff in Colorado and California, investments in regional mapping and data collection, first glimpses of a Winter Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) on the Lolo National Forest, and more.

We return this week to our conversation with Executive Director Katie Morrison and Conservation Science & Programs Manager Josh Killeen of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society’s (CPAWS) Southern Alberta Chapter. This week we explore some of the challenges these lands are facing in greater depth. 🌲 How does the underlying approach to forest management make it difficult for protection? 🏛️ What is the government’s role? 🎯 And what are the opportunities, particularly unique to this landscape, that could result in better outcomes for all? Don't miss it: https://buff.ly/3SbdcDa

#ICYMI Did you miss our 2023 report that delves into the profound impacts of outdoor recreation on communities like Burns Lake, Fernie, Revelstoke, Squamish, and Tofino? The report unpacks 25 interviews with land managers, economic development officers, and leaders of outdoor recreation groups, among other roles to explore community, environmental, and equity topics. From economic input to environmental stewardship, read the full report to explore the intertwined relationship between nature, culture, and community vitality. 🌿 Read the report: https://lnkd.in/gYvXqE7q

Let's Make a Difference Together! Small individual steps towards conservation can create big positive changes for our communities and the environment. 🌳 By planning a tree and adopting greener practices every day, we can also play our part in offsetting our carbon footprint. 🌿💡 Join us on #NationalTreePlantingDay and beyond, as we nurture a sustainable future for all! 🌏🌿💚 #SustainabilityMatters #GoGreen #ConservationHeroes #NationalTreePlantingDay #AustraliaTreeplantingDay

“When we developed the pocket guide we had three big goals,” said Dillon Fogarty, University of Nebraska-based scientist who led the development of the guide. “First, we wanted to provide a field-based resource for understanding what grassland risk and vulnerability to woody encroachment looks like on the landscape” “Second, we wanted to outline a unified planning process to streamline adoption of new management guidelines.” “And third, we wanted to provide a suite of detailed management options that help managers identify how to reduce their grasslands’ risk and vulnerability to encroachment.” Check out the Reducing Woody Encroachment in Grasslands: A Pocket Guide for Planning and Design, recently published by Working Lands for Wildlife and the Great Plains Grasslands Extension Partnership. This is the comprehensive, science-based tool is already aiding conservation planners working to save America’s grasslands. Learn more at https://buff.ly/3rUahUX

Did you know? Great Salt Lake is just one of many stopover sites that shorebirds rely on to fuel their long distance migrations. Across the Intermountain West, hundreds of people dedicate their time each April and August to counting shorebirds across 200 sites to better understand how birds are utilizing the ever changing landscape. The Utah portion of these Intermountain West Shorebird Surveys are truly a regional effort. With partners and volunteers across the West, we are working to put shorebirds and their habitats on the map. Much like our Great Salt Lake, California's Salton Sea is also facing environmental changes that impact shorebirds. This recent article from our partners at National Audubon Society explores the importance of these surveys for saline likes like the Salton Sea. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gjBPUzMi

This year, Give Local York funds to Friends of Codorus State Park will be used to continue our work to improve the park for the benefit of its visitors, wildlife, and ecosystem. We plan to: 1. Renovate the Landis Barn Environmental Educational Center to expand the hours that it can be used. 2. Remove hazardous trees that are next to the Center, which present a safety hazard. 3. Purchase an educational trailer for presenting environmental programs within the park and throughout the surrounding community. 4. Construct turtle platforms for placement in Lake Marburg. 5. Remove Invasive plant species, which are taking over areas of native plant species, throughout the park

Today is #WorldWetlandsDay, but every day should be dedicated to raising awareness and protecting the natural resources that are central to our well-being. Did you know that Florida's wetlands are not just beautiful, but also crucial for our environment and well-being? They filter water, prevent flooding, reduce carbon emissions, and support diverse wildlife. 🌊 🐟 🌿 Coastal Resilience Program Coordinator, Haley Cox recently shared with Florida Sea Grant about the environmental role salt marsh wetlands play on the Big Bend region of Florida. A few key takeaways we learned from Haley are:  1- Salt marshes in Florida are culturally & economically significant, supporting communities reliant on seafood production and ecotourism.  2- Salt marshes serve as crucial breeding, nesting, and foraging grounds for bird species, and act as exceptional nurseries for juvenile fish and other organisms by providing shelter from larger predators.   3- Salt marshes absorb, filter, and remove pollutants that impact water quality. ✨ Learn more about preserving Florida's coastline and salt marsh conservation efforts at UF Center for Coastal Solutions ✨ Click the link below to read the full interview and to learn more:  https://bit.ly/3HLfa7w   

What do I love most about wetlands? I love wetlands because they are the be-all and end-all ecosystem. They are the intersection of forests and prairie, riverine and oceanic landscapes. Wetlands are stopping points along the way of a greater, worldly landscape. They not only connect landforms, but life. Wetlands purify and recharge fresh water - a unfortunate tragedy of the commons; they are home to an innumerable amount of species (Did you know 60% of all species on this planet *directly* interact with wetlands?); and they are our sense of place, a food source, and our collective history (Mni Wiconi). Wetlands do all of these things and more without asking for anything in return. I am proud to have some small part in protecting these diverse, complex, ever-changing, life-saving, and life-giving ecosystems.