The Nature Conservancy

Volunteers needed at Cascade River State Park this Saturday; The Nature Conservancy’s Highway 61 reforested program to restore first site

Staff and News Reports

(The Nature Conservancy)Volunteers are needed this Saturday, June 1, to help plant trees and protect seedlings from deer browsing on 55 acres at the entrance to Cascade River State Park, along the North Shore of Lake Superior. The restoration is the first project under The Nature Conservancy’s new Highway 61 reforested program, which is focused on replacing dying birch trees located…

Study: Effort to protect Mississippi River headwaters shows benefits

Associated Press

The Mississippi River Headwaters at Itasca State Park. (Photo by Brian Peterson)  ST. PAUL, Minn. — The economic benefits of preserving and restoring land in the upper Mississippi River’s headwaters region nearly outweigh the costs, according to a new study. Protecting the roughly 200,000 acres would cost between $400 and $600 million, but it would yield almost $500 million in…

Central Florida community works to bring back butterflies

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Efforts are underway in Central Florida to restore the habitats of the monarch butterfly, crucial to helping plants grow, including many foods people eat. The iconic orange and black insect is one of nature’s key pollinators. Environmentalists say its decline, which they blame in part on climate change, threatens the ecological health of the region, and other…
News

Timber harvest project to benefit ‘brook trout heaven’

Associated Press

Trout and salmon are cold-water fish that suffer when water warms up above 70 degrees.MADISON, Wis. — An environmental organization and the U.S. Forest Service are working together to harvest timber in northern Wisconsin. The 2014 Farm Bill has allowed the two groups to enter into a stewardship agreement, Wisconsin Public Radio reported. The Nature Conservancy will hire loggers, sell…

In Montana, effort would benefit grassland birds, greater sage grouse

USFWS Reports

A chestnut-collared longspur. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Rick Bohn)A new, voluntary wildlife conservation opportunity designed with Montana ranchers in mind is now open for public comment, and the benefits to five species of birds in need could be significant, according to a news release from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. According to the release, interested landowners will receive regulatory certainty…

Little-used Montana trail a modern-day spring destination

Associated Press

Today, the Blackfoot has become a popular trout stream after years of mining pollution was cleared up. The rails have been recycled and a new forest has grown up around the ancient stumps. Thousands of acres of private timberland owned by Plum Creek Timber Co. have been sold to The Nature Conservancy, which has transferred significant chunks to the federal Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service.