Conservation Clips is a weekly collection of articles distributed by NACD that provides our members and partners with the latest news in what's driving conservation. These articles are not indicative of NACD policy and are the opinions of their authors, unless otherwise noted. If you have a relevant submission or need assistance with accessing articles, please contact the NACD Communications Team.

NACD Blog: ESA Update: Recent News on the Endangered Species Act
10/02/19

With the ongoing efforts to modernize the Endangered Species Act (ESA) fully under way, August in Washington, D.C., was quite busy this year despite the Congressional recess.

Science Alert: 19-Year Study Shows We've Been Undervaluing How Much Compost Can Boost Carbon Capture
By Rachel Cernansky
09/28/19

It's no secret that organic farmers believe in compost, but just what role compost plays in soil's ability to store carbon - and keep it out of the atmosphere, where it contributes to climate change - has been less clear.

ABC News: Louisiana hopes to fight coast erosion by mimicking nature
By Rebecca Santana
10/03/19

Engineers hope to remake some eroded marshes by cutting into the levees and siphoning off sediment-rich water that can be channeled into coastal basins. When the sediment settles out of the water, it will slowly accrue into soil.

Stanford News: Stanford researchers have developed a gel-like fluid to prevent wildfires
By Rob Jordan
09/30/19

A preventive treatment developed by Stanford researchers could greatly reduce the incidence and severity of wildfires.

Bay Journal: Path to a clean Chesapeake poses problems for key Bay states
By Karl Blakenship
09/30/19

Most of the latest state cleanup plans, released in August, call for levels of action to reduce pollution from the hardest-to-control sources — agriculture and stormwater — that greatly exceed what states have so far demonstrated they can accomplish.

Modern Farmer: Cover Crops Can Triple the Amount of Earthworms in Soil
By Dan Nosowitz
09/29/19

The most well-known benefit of using a cover crop—often a legume planted off-season—is in lending more nitrogen to the soil. A new study from Cranfield University, in the UK, finds that cover crops also make the soil friendlier for earthworms.

The Christian Science Monitor: Houston’s pocket prairies: Natural solutions to unnatural flooding
By Henry Gass
10/01/19

In Houston, local officials, conservation groups and even developers have been talking up prairies and their benefits, from detaining and filtering stormwater, to nourishing wildlife, sequestering carbon, and improving mental health.

Medium: Plant diversity leads to more carbon stored in the soil
By Pat Thomas
09/30/19

A new study suggests that by restoring biodiversity, we can vastly enhance the soil’s potential to store carbon. That’s good news for the climate. And there are co-benefits: healthier, more resilient soil and plants, not to mention wildlife habitats.

U.S. News and World Report: Land Conservation Key to Restoring Minnesota Birds
09/30/19

In recent years, Minnesota farmers have been more mindful about implementing conservation practices. When it comes to helping natural habitats, precision farming is considered one of the ways the agriculture industry is trying to scale back landscape changes that have had damaging effects.

KQED: Some Ecosystems Offer Refuge for Wildlife in a Warming World
By Lauren Sommer
09/30/19

The park service is looking at protecting Soda Springs meadow by keeping out invasive species and making sure the forests around it don’t become overgrown and fire-prone.

E&E News: USDA study shows lanternflies could spread across U.S.
By Haley Weiss
10/03/19

(Subscriber Only) A new Department of Agriculture modeling study shows the destructive spotted lanternfly could spread throughout much of the country in the absence of preventive measures.

Need to update your contact information, unsubscribe or change your subscription preferences? Click here to manage your profile.