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Private Landowners Role in Land Conservation

Private Landowners Role in Land Conservation

Private landowners across the nation are continuing to discover the benefits of becoming active participants in land conservation efforts. Landowners who are ecologically minded have partnered up with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and private conservation groups such as The Nature Conservancy to help transform their property into habitats for migratory birds as well as endangered, threatened and at-risk species of plants and animals. Such innovative conservation programs allow landowners to maintain land management goals and keep lands working for them, all while helping to preserve habitats for the wildlife that needs it most. With more than 61 percent of US land owned by private landowners, programs like these are crucial to effective land conservation. 

How Natural Disasters Affect Homeland Security

How Natural Disasters Affect Homeland Security

The year 2018 suffered some of the worst natural disasters in recent history. A magnitude 7.5 earthquake was responsible for the death of approximately 1,900 people in Indonesia. The massive fires in California burned with such intensity as to melt vehicles, turn people into ash and exterminate a community. Hurricane Michael ravaged North and South Carolina and was reportedly the strongest recorded storm in the last five decades. However, along with lost lives and property damage, natural disasters pose a threat to homeland security.

How Climate and Farming Interact

How Climate and Farming Interact

As the effects of global change become more noticeable, farms and ranches will be among the first industries to suffer. The human-caused buildup of greenhouse gases that we’re currently experiencing has been shown to lead to a greater frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts, flooding, and intense winter storms. These changes are altering growing seasons, increasing pest populations and weed growth, and even killing off cattle. Eventually, all of these pressures on our farms and ranches might lead to a decrease in our food production. At the same time, farmers may be a major part of the solution to the effects of climate change and may be able to reduce greenhouse gases, even while increasing productivity.