By Douglas Broom World Economic Forum "Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people," said former U.S. president, Franklin Roosevelt. Covering almost a third of the Earth's surface, forests are home to eight in 10 animal and plant species. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says the world's forests include over 60,000 species of tree, all of which absorb CO2 as they grow. But all is not well in Earth's woodlands. Only half of all forests are still intact and only a third are primary forest – naturally occurring woodland composed of native species where human activities have not disturbed the natural ecology. Over 20,000 tree species are at risk and over 1,400 of them are on the critical list, according to the FAO. Estimates suggest 420 million hectares of forest have been lost since 1990 and although the rate of loss has slowed, 10 million hectares were lost between 2015 and this year. So the FAO is using Twitter to remind the world of these five hidden benefits of forests. 1. Forests Nurture the Soil
As well as stabilizing soils and preventing erosion – which quickly occurs where trees are felled – forests are home to soil microbes, which together with insects, birds and mammals, play a crucial role in enriching and maintaining soil quality. 2. Forests Absorb Carbon Forests act as 'carbon sinks', trapping and storing CO2. NASA estimates that tropical forests absorb 1.4 billion tonnes of CO2 every year, while a study in 2017 estimated that forests would absorb a third of the atmospheric carbon needed to keep global warming below 2C by 2030. 3. Forests Provide Food for Millions More than 86 million people depend on forests for their livelihoods. Globally, 1 billion people rely on wild foods including meat, insects, plants, mushrooms and fish. As well as providing edible plants and protecting water sources, forests also provide shelter for animals kept by forest dwellers. 4. Forests Are Natural Aqueducts Forests provide "relatively pure water", not just for indigenous peoples, but also for some of the world's largest cities, according to the FAO. One-third of the world's metropolises get all or part of their drinking water from forest-protected areas, including Bogotá, Jakarta, Karachi, Madrid, Mumbai and Singapore. 5. Forests Host 80% of Earth's Biodiversity Forests are home to 80% of the world's animals, plants, fungi and bacteria. They include almost two-thirds of all plants, three-quarters of all birds, 80% of amphibians and 68% of mammals. The most biologically diverse and complex forests are tropical rainforests, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, because rainfall is abundant and temperatures are consistently high. One Trillion Trees The World Economic Forum has launched an initiative to conserve, restore and grow 1 trillion trees to help curb climate change. Research has shown the importance of nature-based solutions, such as conservation, restoration and reforestation, in tackling climate change and biodiversity loss. But, these must take place alongside other measures, particularly decarbonizing industry. EcoWatch reposted with permission from World Economic Forum. In a major victory for conservation groups, a federal judge ruled that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act covers unintentional but avoidable avian deaths.
No law degree is required to get the gist of the ruling U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni handed down on Tuesday. Sure, the decision—the latest blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to weaken environmental laws—is marbled with the typical Latin and legalese. But beginning with its opening nod to the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Caproni’s ruling in the Southern District of New York makes it plain that the Interior Department’s interpretation of the century-old Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) isn’t merely flawed—it’s flat-out wrong. The decision strikes down a 2017 legal opinion issued by Daniel Jorjani, Interior’s top lawyer, which claimed the MBTA did not prohibit “incidental take,” a term for the unintentional but foreseeable and avoidable injury or killing of birds, often through industrial activity. For decades, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has used the threat of potential prosecution under the MBTA to convince companies to take steps to prevent killing birds, such as covering oil waste pits or marking power lines to make them more visible to birds in flight. Under Jorjani’s opinion, even mass killings of birds—such as the 2010 BP oil spill, which killed an estimated 1 million birds and resulted in a $100 million fine against the company under the MBTA—would not be punishable if killing birds wasn’t the intention. Guided by that interpretation, the FWS has opted not to investigate cases of incidental take, and even counseled companies and local governments that they need not take steps to protect birds. Caproni eviscerated that reading of the law. “It is not only a sin to kill a mockingbird, it is also a crime,” she wrote. “That has been the letter of the law for the past century. But if the Department of the Interior has its way, many mockingbirds and other migratory birds that delight people and support ecosystems throughout the country will be killed without legal consequence.” The ruling is a major win for six environmental groups and eight states whose three consolidated complaints argued that the law clearly makes it illegal to kill, hunt, capture, or attempt to capture a bird or egg without a permit “by any means or in any manner.” Caproni agreed, ruling that Interior’s position was “simply an unpersuasive interpretation of the MBTA’s unambiguous prohibition on killing protected birds.” The judge also rebuked Jorjani for issuing an opinion without tapping the expertise of federal wildlife officials. “There is no evidence of input from the agency actually tasked with implementing the statute: FWS,” she wrote. Conservationists were thrilled at the judgment’s forceful endorsement of their position. “The ruling is completely unambiguous on every count. Every rationale the government gave to try to uphold this rollback of the MBTA, the judge shot them all down,” says Erik Schneider, policy manager for the National Audubon Society, which was among the plaintiffs. “The experts had no bearing on [Jorjani’s opinion]. It was a political decision made without their input.” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, another plaintiff, said in a statement that the ruling “recognizes the critical importance of protecting our precious wildlife and upholding the rule of law. We hope the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service learn their lesson and renew their commitment to acting in the best interest of the public.” People on both sides of the case expect the administration to appeal. People on both sides of the case expect the administration to appeal. “Three circuit courts have already weighed in supporting the opinion underlining the MBTA rule,” said Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance—an association of oil and gas companies that lobbied for ending enforcement of incidental take—in an email. “One district court ruling from New York will not be the final word.” Sgamma’s reference was to other MBTA cases prior to Jorjani’s opinion. Interior cited those earlier rulings as evidence that courts hadn’t settled whether the law covers incidental take and that prosecuting accidental bird deaths was therefore legally dubious. But Caproni found that line of reasoning unconvincing. “Interior’s argument vastly overstates circuit disagreement and blurs the actual boundaries that have been drawn,” she wrote. “Tensions between the circuits certainly exist, but they are not of the magnitude or kind Interior presents.” Caproni’s decision is a significant blow to Interior’s effort to enshrine Jorjani’s opinion in a formal rule, which would make the allowance of incidental take more difficult for a later administration to reverse. Part of the justification for such a reversal could come from the department’s recent draft environmental impact statement on the proposed rule, which says it is likely to push some bird species onto the endangered species list. An Interior spokesperson declined to say if the department would continue work to finalize that rule despite the court decision, instead offering an emailed statement: “Today’s opinion undermines a common sense interpretation of the law and runs contrary to recent efforts, shared across the political spectrum, to de-criminalize unintentional conduct.” Interior also declined to say how the ruling would affect day-to-day enforcement of the MBTA by the FWS. Gary Mowad, who spent 25 years with the FWS and was deputy chief of enforcement, says the agency should return to investigating industrial threats to birds and engaging companies to reduce those threats. “I hope that the Department of the Interior and the Fish and Wildlife Service take the special agents off the leash and let them do their jobs,” he says. “What I fear is that the service always has the ability to establish enforcement priorities, and they may still make this type of mortality a low enforcement priority.” To buttress Tuesday’s victory, conservationists want Congress to step in and spell out even more clearly that the MBTA does not apply only to killing birds on purpose. The Migratory Bird Protection Act, which has passed a House committee but hasn’t yet received a vote in the full chamber or a companion bill in the Senate, would affirm that the MBTA prohibits incidental take. It also would set up a permitting program whereby companies would be protected from legal action as long as they adopt industry best practices to limit harm to birds. “Congressional action could potentially build on this victory,” Schneider says, “and help provide even greater stability going forward.” https://www.audubon.org/news/court-strikes-down-trump-administration-policy-let-companies-kill-birds?ms=policy-adv-email-ea-x-engagement_20200814_advisory&utm_source=ea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=engagement_20200814_advisory&emci=aa2f32c2-5fde-ea11-8b03-00155d0394bb&emdi=d9ecde9c-64de-ea11-8b03-00155d0394bb&ceid=3545517 Hays Free Press
By Megan Wehring August 7, 2020 Hays County is nestled in the Texas Hill Country with incredible natural spaces. If public access isn’t always attainable, how can residents enjoy these areas during the pandemic? The Parks and Open Space Advisory Commission (POSAC) recommends the Hays County Commissioners Court call for a bond by Aug. 17. For the upcoming election in November, POSAC recommends a total bond initiative for $75 million to $80 million. Between $60 million to $65 million is looking to be used toward the tier one and tier two projects, while $15 million to $20 million could be set aside for future projects. While some residents may be concerned that the bond package would affect property taxes, POSAC Chair Scott Way ensures that the rates would stay the same. “The Commissioners Court, what we’ve heard based on the recommendations that we’ve received from their financial advisor that a bond in a range that we are recommending would not cause any increase in the tax rate,” Way said. Tier one, highly-recommended projects are of highest priority. The highest-rated project is the Coleman’s Canyon Preserve that is adjacent to the Jacob’s Well area. The Cape’s Fishing Pond property in San Marcos was bought by Hays County in March. The entire property is about 29 acres with the pond just under six acres. The proposal includes a connection to the bridge over the San Marcos River, trails around Cape’s Pond and San Marcos River trails. POSAC member Jim Camp said the project’s goal is connectivity for areas in San Marcos along with recreational access. “It looks like a great project because it has recreation,” Camp said. “It has a proposed fishing pond partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife. It’s adjacent to, I think, a fish hatchery in San Marcos. It also scored high because it has San Marcos River access.” Urban parks are listed as some of the tier two projects. The 14,000 square foot Dripping Springs Regional Skate Park would give individuals a place for recreational activity. Patriot’s Hall, proposed to be near Dripping Springs, would give a 10-acre retreat for all veterans and their families. There would be about 60% to 70% green space available for campouts, cookouts and fitness challenges. The next Commissioners Court’s meeting is Aug. 11 with a possible agenda item of discussing the bond initiative. Read the Hays Free Press article. Hays County acquired 28.7 acres of property near the San Marcos river located just east of Interstate 35 and south of River Road, which it plans to use for a project aimed at regional connectivity and recreation options for county residents. Photo courtesy of Hays County Mon, 07/27/2020 - 6:31pm Nick Castillo Managing Editor @Nick_Castillo74 [email protected] Hays County is aiming at enhancing and expanding regional connectivity and recreation options for county residents with the acquisition of 28.7 acres of property near the San Marcos River. The county acquired the land located just east of Interstate 35 and south of River Road for the Cape’s Pond Project through a 2018 transportation bond. Hays County General Counsel Mark Kennedy said in a press release that the project was discussed as a “key land acquisition to provide multi-modal transportation connectivity between currently disconnected areas of San Marcos and local hike and bike trail systems, including those that are in the planning stages.” After Kennedy, Precinct 1 Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe and other county officials met with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the project added a new goal, the county said. The project has a fish hatchery that is contiguous to the pond property. Those 16 years old and younger can fish for free and any fish that meets Freshwater Bag and Length Limits can be taken and eaten. “The Parks and Wildlife Department suggested that the pond could qualify for a TPWD grant program known as ‘Neighborhood Fishin,’ which provides alternative outdoor recreational opportunities for local families — and children in particular,” Kennedy said in a statement. Ingalsbe said that, while she’s pleased about the addition of the fishing program, the connectivity that served as the original conception of the property is “vitally important.” “County Road 299, also known as Cape Road, is quite dangerous for any form of transportation other than cars,” Ingalsbe said in a statement. “Installing trails along this route would connect neighborhoods on the east side of San Marcos to existing trail systems that, after the IH-35 underpass project is complete, will connect all parts of San Marcos.” Additionally, the Emerald Crown Trail, which will originate in Kyle and will link with the Violet Crown Trail in Austin, will end only a couple hundred feet downstream of the Cape’s Pond Project, the county said.
“Connection to that trail system would connect San Marcos to much of the region,” Ingalsbe said. She added that the project has environmental positives, such as a riparian area along the river, bank stabilization and additional ecological benefits. The property will also be developed with a small carbon footprint, minimal parking and low impervious cover, Ingalsbe said. The Precinct 1 Commissioner stated that the project has been submitted to the Hays County Parks and Outdoor Spaces Advisory Committee for inclusion in a possible 2020 bond project. The county’s POSAC will deliver recommendations on prospective parks and open space projects at Tuesday’s Hays County Commissioners Court meeting at 1 p.m. The San Marcos River Foundation has expressed support of the Cape’s Pond Project, the county said. SMRF Executive Director Virginia Condie said the county’s land acquisition is an important purchase for county residents. “SMRF is thrilled that the county purchased this property on the east side of I-35,” Condie said in a statement. “Located across the river from Stoke's Park and adjacent to the fish hatchery, it has trees, beautiful wildflower fields, spectacular river frontage and a very large pond. The neighborhoods in the area will be very happy to see this become a park with fishing access and protection of the riverbank.” While adults are home teleworking, and kids are at home participating in online educational instruction (we hope), it’s even more important during these challenging times to take a moment to get out into the family yard. The TurfMutt Foundation reminds families that nature starts right outside your back door. Let the proven benefits green space give us all a break from being cooped up inside.
Listen to the birds. Watch the trees. Curl your toes in the grass. Play with your dog in the backyard. Work outside planting and preparing for the budding spring, or even mow the lawn. “Numerous studies have found that people who spend more time outside with their families and pets exposed to living landscapes are happier, healthier and smarter. It’s great to know being outside is good for you,” says Kris Kiser, President and CEO of the TurfMutt Foundation. Researchers have studied the impact of nature on human well-being for years, but recent studies have found a more direct correlation between human health, particularly related to stress, and the importance of people’s access to nature and managed landscapes. Getting dirty is actually good for you. Soil is the new Prozac, according to Dr. Christopher Lowry, a neuroscientist at the University of Bristol in England. Mycobacterium vaccae in soil mirrors the effect on neurons that Prozac provides. The bacterium stimulates serotonin production, which explains why people who spend time gardening, doing yard work, and have direct contact with soil feel more relaxed and happier. Living near living landscapes can improve your mental health. Researchers in England found that people moving to greener areas experienced an immediate improvement in mental health that was sustained for at least three years after they moved. The study also showed that people relocating to a more developed area suffered a drop in mental health. Greening of vacant urban areas in Philadelphia reduced feelings of depression by 41.5% and reduced poor mental health by 62.8% for those living near the vacant lots, according to a study by a research team. Green spaces can make you healthier too. People who live within a half mile of green space were found to have a lower incidence of fifteen diseases by Dutch researchers — including depression, anxiety, heart disease, diabetes, asthma and migraines. A 2015 study found that people living on streets with more trees had a boost in heart and metabolic health. Studies show that tasks conducted under the calming influence of nature are performed better and with greater accuracy, yielding a higher quality result. Spending time in gardens, for instance, can improve memory performance and attention span by 20 percent. Living landscapes make you smarter. Children gain attention and working memory benefits when they are exposed to greenery, says a study led by Payam Dadvand of the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona. In addition, exposure to natural settings may be widely effective in reducing attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in children. This applies to adults as well. Research has also shown that being around plants helps you concentrate better at home and at work. Charlie Hall, Ellison Chair in International Floriculture believes that spending time in gardens can improve attention span and memory performance by as much as 20 percent. A National Institutes of Health study found that adults demonstrate significant cognitive gains after going on a nature walk. In addition, a Stanford University study found that walking in nature, rather than a concrete-oriented, urban environment, resulted in decreased anxiety, rumination, and negative affect, and produced cognitive benefits, such as increased working memory performance. Living landscapes help you heal faster. Multiple studies have discovered that plants in hospital recovery rooms or views of aesthetically-pleasing gardens help patients heal up to one day faster than those who are in more sterile or austere environments. Physicians are now prescribing time outdoors for some patients, according to recent reports. Park Rx America is a nonprofit with a mission to encourage physicians to prescribe doses of nature. All of these benefits reinforce the importance of maintaining our green spaces. Trees, shrubs, grass, and flowering plants are integral to human health. Not only do they provide a place for kids and pets to play, they directly contribute to our mental and physical well-being. More information can be found by visiting www.turfmutt.com ### WILLIAMSON COUNTY — More than 50 years ago, Michael Collins and his father bought land north of Liberty Hill, drawn to the river that cut through the property and the old log home that stood there. They evicted the goats bedding down in the house and renovated it, and the Collins family spent the next five decades building memories at a place they called the Farm at Loafer’s Glory, named for a church where an eclectic group of locals once worshiped. For a time, Michael’s parents lived at the farm; later, it became a place where relatives and friends gathered for holidays and summer vacations. Now the Collinses — Michael, an architect and chairman of the Gault School of Archaeological Research; his wife, Karen; their children, Charles Collins and Melinda Collins Knowles; and grandchildren, Kaya and Mario De La Isla, Anne O’Brien and Elizabeth Collins, and Eileen Collins — have donated a conservation easement on the 531-acre property to the Texas Nature Conservancy. Under the agreement, the land, described by the conservancy as one of the largest remaining undeveloped tracts in Williamson County, cannot be subdivided or developed. The family still owns the farm and can continue to use it, build a few small homes on a designated section of it, or even sell the entire parcel, but subdivisions, stores and gas stations will never spring up on its cactus and tree-dotted expanses. “That’s one of reasons we feel really good under the conservation easement,” Karen Collins said. “It will always be our family place, as long as the family wants to congregate there.” The family’s decision represents a choice landowners here are more frequently facing: In a region as fast-growing as Central Texas, do you sell your property to the highest bidder for development, or do you protect the landscapes, cultural history and natural resources that make our state iconic? “Dr. Collins and his partners have chosen the latter, to be generous with their family land,” says Laura Huffman, former regional director of the Texas Nature Conservancy. Huffman was with the conservancy when the Collinses’ gift was going through, but has since left for a job with the Austin Chamber of Commerce. Closing costs were paid by a grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program, and the Collins family provided a $65,000 endowment to help maintain the property. Nature Conservancy officials hope their story will encourage other landowners across the state to do the same. “The memories are many,” Michael Collins said of the farm, where visitors sleep beneath mosquito nets in cots lined up on the front porch of the two-bedroom, non-air conditioned log house. Michael and Karen brought their children to the farm when Michael’s parents were restoring the cabin. Lessons learned there came in handy years later, when the couple, now both 78, restored their own old log house in Central Austin. Through research, Karen Collins learned that a man named Uncle Billy Williams built the log home in 1851, then later sold it to Abner Buck, who raised his family there. Buck raised and sold Missouri mules from the property, and reportedly accepted only gold as payment for them. Today the cabin is registered as a Texas historic landmark, and a small cemetery on the property dates to the 1850s. The donation is significant because about 95% of Texas land is privately held. Conservationists have used easements like this one as a way to preserve nearly 1 million acres of that private land. The Nature Conservancy has helped protect 400,000 of those acres. Such easements, officials say, allow landowners to keep their land, while safeguarding natural resources for the future. “We can protect almost three times more land with conservation easements than through direct land purchases, all while preserving water supply and supporting farming and ranching — integral components of our state’s heritage, economy and culture,” Huffman said. Private lands in Texas are fragmenting at a faster clip than that of any other state, and paired with rising land prices, uses outside of development have become less competitive, Huffman says. “What this means for conservationists is a lot of collaboration and creativity — private landowners are our most critical ally if we aim to achieve our mission at scale. And we do,” Huffman said. Endangered golden cheek warblers, as well as an assortment of other native and migrating bird species, bobcats, fox and jackrabbits live on the property. After oak wilt killed some of the trees there, the Collinses planted about 100 pecans, cedar elms and burr oaks. Maintaining that habitat is important, especially as nearby Liberty Hill rapidly develops. “I want a place where the critters can continue to live,” Karen Collins said. “I’m anxious to keep a green spot for the wildlife.” It’s not the first time Collins family members have dug deep into their own pockets to contribute to a cause they believed in. Michael Collins has long led research at the Gault archaeological site near Florence, where some of the oldest human artifacts in the Americas — dating back 16,000 to 20,000 years — have been uncovered. When the University of Texas’ lease on the 33-acre site ran out, he bought it and donated it to the nonprofit, New Mexico-based Archaeological Conservancy, which preserves it and regulates research there. The easement at the Farm at Loafer’s Glory means that Michael and Karen Collins’ great-grandchildren may one day play in the 800-foot, spring-fed pool where their own children grew up splashing, or ride bikes on the miles of trail that Karen hand cut using loppers. It also means that the encroaching development of Liberty Hill will never reach the old cabin, or the mile of land fronting the North Fork of the San Gabriel River. “What we’ve always said is, ’That’s our farmhouse, but it’s everybody’s history and we want to share that history,” Michael Collins said. “We’re both kind of antiquarians by heart, and we’re just proud to be part of saving that place. To us, it’s a treasure.” |