Mississippi River Delta
During his recent visit to the Mississippi River Delta region, U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus made the informed decision to agree with the America’s Wetlands Foundation and other conservation groups about what needs to be done after the BP oil spill is cleaned up. The oil spill has drawn attention to an area that officials and environmental groups are now able to recognize as having been in crisis all along, due to levees stopping the buildup of the delta by channeling the Mississippi River waters, suggests the Shreveport Times.
A letter was then published in New Orleans and Washington, D.C. newspapers in which various environmental organizations pointed out that Congress has already authorized plans to divert fresh water from the Mississippi River into the nearby marshes. However, there has been a lack of federal funding, and Mabus is asked to call for immediate funding and implementation of those plans.
The letter lists detailed steps that must be taken, ending with (perhaps most importantly) the creation of a federal-state authority that has the power, will and resources to complete the restoration in time to prevent land loss rates. For the steps, see the Shreveport Times article!
While the oil spill has been detrimental to Oceanic creatures as well as people who make their homes along the coast, the extra focus on these areas has allowed officials to see that the Gulf has been in danger for quite some time. Now, thanks to the collaboration of Mabus and environmental groups, the resources will hopefully be assembled to take action and protect the damaged areas and their endangered species.
Tags: Congress, Conservation, funding, Mississippi River, Wetlands
Creating Wetlands for Birds
The U.S. Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative has announced that they are willing to pay up to $20 million to Gulf of Mexico area landowners to flood their fields in hopes of attracting migrating birds to the clean water. An estimated 1 billion birds will soon be migrating through the oil polluted area, and the land lakes would give them safe rest and nesting grounds.
The Initiative will pay for up to 150,000 acres of farm and ranch lands along the southern border of the US that lines the Gulf of Mexico, advises the LA Times. Landowners are being asked to flood their fields and promote bird-friendly plants, or improve any wetlands they have on their property.
The farmers who are already participating in conservation programs such as soil erosion control, pest management and water quality improvement, are expected to lead the sign ups. Hopefully other farmers/ranchers will also sign up for the program, which is expected to last for 3 to 5 years.
The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission is part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and is involved with establishing new waterfowl refuges as well as setting the price for any land and/or water areas that the Service is interested in purchasing.
One example is on June 16th, the US government announced that the Commission has approved a total of $35.7 million for acquiring over 319,000 acres of lands and wetlands in the United States and Canada. In addition to protecting birds, preserved wetlands provide storm protection and prevent flooding, cleanse water, and provide people with recreation and wildlife viewing arenas.
Tags: Conservation, Gulf, habitat, Migratory Bird, oil, US Fish and Wildlife, Wetlands
Happy World Wetlands Day!
World Wetlands Day (Feb. 2) recognizes those countries that have signed the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, a conservation agreement called the Ramsar Convention. The agreement provides an outline for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. It came into popular effect in 1975, and remains today the only global environmental treaty that deals with a particular ecosystem.
Canada (with 37 Ramsar sites) and the United States (with 26 Ramsar sites) are among the many countries who have signed the agreement. Canada has more sites than the U.S. partly because Canada is home to 25% of the world’s wetlands.
Wetlands, according to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), include swamps, ponds, marshes, and peat bogs. They function similarly to giant sponges, soaking up rain and snow melt water, and slowly releasing it during drier seasons while filtering it to help reduce pollution and soil erosion.
Wetlands are the exclusive home to plants, fish and birds that use them for breeding, nesting and feeding. Sadly, wetlands are disappearing. In Canada, organizations such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Ducks Unlimited work together to try to preserve wetlands.
Much of this work is part of the Nature Conservancy’s partnership with the Government of Canada. The Natural Areas Conservation Program is a $225 million grant given to the NCC by the government in 2007, which the organization is responsible for managing. The grant assists NGOs in securing ecologically-sensitive lands, and involves the government matching funds raised by the NGOs. As of September 2009, the program has saved over 302,880 acres, protecting habitat for over 79 species at risk.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada determines which natural areas are significant based on an area’s level of biodiversity and the threats it faces. Much of this information is gathered through the eight Conservation Data Centres established by the organization across Canada since 1988.
Once priorities are set, the NCC works with private landowners to secure ecologically-significant land identified as conservation priorities. NCC acquires and protects land through land purchase, donation, conservation agreement or relinquishment of mining or timber rights.
NCC’s work doesn’t end when the land is acquired. Ongoing land management is needed to ensure the continued health of ecosystems and the plants and animals that live within them.
The program is certainly a positive one for a government that didn’t do much good in Copenhagen. Let’s hope that by recognizing the good that they’re doing here, we can encourage the government to care for the climate – the very climate that provides the rain and snow that make wetlands possible.
Tags: Ducks Unlimited, marshes, Nature Conservancy, peat bogs, ponds, Ramsar, swamps, Wetlands
