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  • The rise of wildfire-resilient communities

    June 17, 2019 |

    High Country News |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, Sisters, Oregon

    Coordination and planning can prove to be the best defensive measures against wildfires. Funded by the US Forest Service, the Community Planning Assistance for Wild Program (CPAW) promotes community fire adaptation, including measures like prescribed burns. Policymakers and city planners enrolled in CPAW benefit from teaming up with foresters, economists, and other experts to model risk and mitigate the impact of fires.

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  • People Are Helping Animals Cross Highways — That's Great for Humans, Too

    June 10, 2019 |

    NationSwell |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Gainesville, Florida

    Across the United States, cities are designing ways for wildlife to cross major roadways. Whether they’re overpasses crossing highways or tunnels under freeways, these helpful pathways are strategically placed to help save the most wildlife. Seeing huge successes, including a casualty rate decline of close to 94% – conservationists are calling for more legislation to help protect and maintain such efforts.

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  • Why you want oysters and a salt marsh between you and a hurricane

    June 03, 2019 |

    Vox |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Beaufort, North Carolina

    Instead of building hard seawalls to protect communities from hurricanes, some are turning to “living shorelines.” These are made out of crushed rock or oyster shells that are placed offshore in front of a wetland. There are more than 120 of these types of habitats — including in Beaufort, North Carolina — and they have shown that they can absorb 50 percent of wave energy, which can reduce the risk of loss of human life and property from flooding. This might not work for all coastal communities, but living shorelines are cheaper than the traditional seawalls.

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  • Message scent: Douglas fir beetles detoured from Ouray forest by pheromone packets

    May 27, 2019 |

    The Colorado Sun |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Ouray, Colorado

    By combining biomimicry with biodiversity, Colorado’s forests have kept damaging fir beetles at bay. The city of Ouray, Colorado, and the Colorado State Forest Service have been working with the help of volunteers to apply chemical pheromones to protect Douglas firs from the damaging beetles. The pheromones mimic a warning produced by the beetles, discouraging them from settling on the tree. The pheromones are applied by hand, requiring teams of trained volunteers.

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  • How a new diet for gassy cows is helping the environment

    May 20, 2019 |

    BBC |

    Video |

    3-5 Minutes

    Response Location: Colombia, Bogotá

    Growing flowers and plants in fields where cows graze leads to a healthier diet, larger cows, more enriched soil, and less methane emitted into the atmosphere. About 4,000 farmers have received funding to transform their farms away from traditional grazing, moving towards a system that is healthier for the animals and the environment.

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  • The Crisis Called for Goats

    May 20, 2019 |

    The New Yorker |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, New York, New York

    It turns out goats may be the answer to addressing invasive species. In Manhattan’s Riverside Park, a herd of goats were hired to to eat weeds, ivy, and nonnative species in an attempt to restore the balance of the ecosystem. The herd of goats, owned by Larry and Ann Cihanek, have been trained to do this specific type of work across the northeast.

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  • Bok choy and bread fruit: How traditional crops fit a food secure future

    May 16, 2019 |

    NBC News |

    Multi-Media |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Maui, Hawaii

    Organizations like Ho’oulu ka ‘Ulu are reintroducing small-scale farmers to breadfruit — a traditional Hawaiian starchy fruit that fell out of style following the rise of plantation farming and colonialism. Growers are taught how to cultivate and sell the fruit, and their network of now 200 farmers are helping to keep part of their culture alive. Similarly, in California a Food Roots program connects farmers growing traditional Asian produce like bok choy to local businesses and markets to provide accessibility to culturally relevant fresh produce.

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  • On the island of Java, a social forestry scheme creates jobs at home

    May 15, 2019 |

    Mongabay |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Indonesia, Kalibiru

    In Indonesia, transferring land management rights to local residents is slow-going, but one community is setting an example for what can happen when the residents are in charge. Mandiri farmers formed a cooperative and began replacing hillsides; now, tourism to the area has increased and attitudes towards the land and community have changed.

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  • This group wants to unite hikers and hunters on literal common ground: public lands

    May 05, 2019 |

    Idaho Statesman |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Boise, Idaho

    A group called Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, now 36,000 strong, is bringing together people from different political and ideological backgrounds over a common interest in the preservation and conservation of public lands and waters. Bucking stereotypes, the group spans the political spectrum, with 33% Independent, 23% Republican, 20% Democrat and 16% unaffiliated in a recent survey. The BHA's recent promotion of the Land and Water Conservation Fund shows that bipartisanship is possible.

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  • 'It's a groundswell': the farmers fighting to save the Earth's soil

    April 24, 2019 |

    The Guardian |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United Kingdom

    Governments, UN officials, and climate experts alike are ringing the alarm bells of growing soil degradation around the world. But a new agricultural movement is tackling this challenge head on. Instead of the centuries-old method of ploughing, or turning up the soil, farmers have recently taken to keeping their fields covered with varied plants year round, to keep soil healthier. Advocates also point to lower costs on machinery and labor, more resilient crops, and climate change dividends as added benefits as well.

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