National Wildlife Federation, 2013.

The report highlights storm “snapshots” of seasons with heavy rain — the type expected to be more frequent with climate change — and that season’s levels of farm runoff, and subsequent toxic algae blooms.

Why is it toxic if it’s algae? Why does excess farm runoff make a difference?

There is both good and bad algae.

Algae, particularly green algae, play an essential role in forming the base of the aquatic food web. These organisms are one of the most basic forms of life, requiring only light, warm temperatures, carbon dioxide, and nutrients to grow.

Wake from a small boat in July 2011. Credit: NOAA/NCCOS

Climate Change and Heavy Rain

Wet springs, followed by dry summers are the perfect recipe for toxic algal blooms.

Rainfall and its contribution to harmful algal blooms.

Additionally, the seasons are changing. Warm conditions in the late winter or early spring can cause rain on snow events, expanding the time period of runoff potential. Although we identify a few storm snapshots in this report, the wettest spring on record for Ohio produced a memorably massive harmful algal bloom in 2011.  This is an alarming snapshot of disaster to Lake Erie if record-breaking rains and excess nutrient loads continue.

Scientists recently ran climate scenario models that show larger rain events of rainfall amounts of about 1.2 inches, have the potential to be twice as frequent over western Lake Erie basin.

Impacts on Wildlife

Credit: Ron Nichols.

Lake Erie 2010. Credit: Lake Improvement Association\Flick Creative Commons.

But this is Lake Erie, and I don’t live there

Lake Erie is a surrogate example of toxic events happening in other parts of our nation’s waters, including – the Mississippi River, Gulf of Mexico, and Chesapeake Bay. Keeping these waters clean of toxic runoff is highly important to our own health, and the health of wildlife.

Solutions

• Implement farm policy that incentives and assists farmers to apply fertilizer at the right time and the right rate. For example, applications on frozen ground or before a heavy rain will likely wash right off the land and into the waterways. Farmers can prevent fertilizer and money lost by considering any heavy rain in the forecast.
• Support wetlands restoration. Wetlands help filter excess runoff.
• Protect our communities from flooding events expected due to climate change.
• Reduce the chances of record-breaking rain by reducing global warming greenhouse gas emissions through transitioning to a clean energy economy.

Learn More and download Taken By Storm here!

Pintail ducks in flight (Photo: USFWS Pacific)

“Few conservation programs can boast the success rate of conservation compliance,” said Moseley, who served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 2001 to 2005. “This program has helped farmers save 295 million tons of soil per year and kept an estimated 1.5 million to 3.3 million acres of vulnerable wetlands from being drained. The results of this compact between farmers and taxpayers have been astounding.”

Unfortunately, we are now at risk of losing the conservation gains we have made through this important program. Currently, farmers who receive crop insurance subsidies from the government do not have to participate in conservation compliance. However, over the last 15 years, Congress has increased the subsidy amounts on crop insurance, making it the largest subsidy to farmers.  And, as Congress updates federal farm policy in the next Farm Bill, it is increasingly likely that some commodity programs – which do require conservation compliance – will be phased out in favor of a strengthened crop insurance program. Therefore, it is essential that conservation compliance also be updated to apply to the crop insurance premium assistance.

As Moseley explains:

As Congress reauthorizes the farm bill, it is important that the conservation gains made over the last 25 years be retained. Unless included in the ongoing farm bill discussions, there is a possibility that, for the first time in a quarter century, conservation compliance provisions will no longer be attached to the largest federal payment program supporting producers.

Take Action: Call your member of Congress and tell them that you support linking conservation compliance to crop insurance in the next farm bill.

Lest we forget floods, another potential result from changing weather patterns due to climate change. Photo: US Fish & Wildlife Service

“What does it mean, in terms of our agricultural economy, if we don’t do more to curb the greenhouse gas issues we’re facing?” Cowan asked.

A good question, and members of Congress don’t ask it often enough. Farmers, and subsequently consumers, are already feeling the effects of climate change. Dr. Joe Glauber, Chief Economist of the USDA, answered the question by discussing a recent USDA report that included these key messages, paraphrased below:

• Bad news: Climate change will have an impact on agricultural productivity, but
• Good news: there are steps we can take to curb emissions and lessen the negative impacts of climate change.

The report explains that the economic effects of climate change on agriculture depend on a complex web of factors. For example, climate change can impact the livestock industry through the price of feed grains, competition for pasture land, and changing patterns of pests and diseases. How it all plays out could very well depend on how the livestock industry adapts to climate change. Farmers could build livestock shelters to protect their animals from extreme temperatures, but how will farmers protect livestock from the less predictable changes in disease distribution?

Climate change is already costing us. Continuing to use the agricultural economy as an example, consider the hefty price tag of the drought of 2012; it cost taxpayers $14.2 billion in crop insurance alone. Our pocketbooks will be feeling the cost of rising food prices throughout 2013. That is why it is even more important to take action and promote agricultural policies that encourage climate-friendly farming.

As several agricultural producers testified in the hearing, conservation practices have the potential to make farming systems more resilient to changing weather patterns.  For example, conservation tillage practices and cover crops have the potential to improve soil health so that the soil holds more water and sequesters more carbon, keeping harmful greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and making agricultural land more productive.

 Sometimes people ask me why NWF is involved in the fight on climate change.  I work on agricultural issues, but all natural systems are connected. There is no greater threat to wildlife than climate change; it’s that simple.  A recent report by NWF shows the urgency of acting to protect wildlife against climate impacts. That is why I hope you’ll join us this Sunday at the “Forward on Climate Rally” in DC, or consider financially supporting our work.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Wildlife-friendly farming practices

Wildlife like these Sandhill cranes forage through crop residue in late spring. No till and cover crops not only protect water quality and improve soil health and productivity, but provide vital habitat and forage for wildlife.

No till and cover crops increase carbon sequestration, provide more benefits to wildlife, and reduce erosion. It was specifically that last point why I went out in the rain a few weeks back. As I made my way down the road I noticed the water running off of my field was still clear. The soil and nutrients stayed in the field. But as I crossed the road it was a rather different story which became immediately apparent. Runoff from my neighbor’s field (using conventional tillage practices) was a thick brown color, indicating considerable soil and nutrient loss—contributing to water quality issues for wildlife and downstream residents.

If I can farm profitably and also protect habitat and water quality, it seems to me a rather easy decision. Yet, not all farmers use these techniques for a multitude of reasons. There are transition barriers, but conservation programs help. I have an Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contract through the Natural Resources Conservation Service that helps defray some of the costs of implementing nutrient management and no till practices. Most farmers would agree conservation programs provide the biggest impact in protecting resources and are well worth it for farmer and taxpayer alike.

Opportunity to protect water quality and wildlife in the Farm Bill

This conventionally tilled farm field with massive erosion and nutrient runoff impacts wildlife and costs down stream residents.

Voice your support for conservation in the Farm Bill

We need a farm bill that supports programs that help farmers transition to practices that conserve resources and provide multiple benefits. We also need provisions that ensure basic conservation is implemented in exchange for all farm subsidies and that subsidies do not encourage the destruction of valuable wildlife habitat. Please call your representative to ask them for a Farm Bill that includes conservation compliance reconnected to crop insurance premium subsidies, a national sodsaver provision, and more funding for conservation programs! Take action online: https://online.nwf.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1628 Better yet, with August recess upon us, meet with your representative or a staff member to discuss the value of conservation in the Farm Bill.

Celebrate Get Outdoors Day With Help From National Wildlife Federation

June 8 – In celebration of National Get Outdoors Day (Saturday, June 9), the National Wildlife Federation provides a host of outdoor resources guaranteed to get Americans outside and connecting with nature.

Looking for the best place to enjoy a day with Mother Nature? Go to NWF’s NatureFind, to search for local parks, trails, nature sites and events by zip code, city or state. Exploring the outdoors couldn’t be easier because the site even includes directions and visitor ratings for each location. NWF’s Activity Guide offers up fun outdoor activities for the whole family which provide hours of fun so kids won’t even miss those electronic games and toys they are so often glued to.

Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Slashes Funding for Conservation Programs

June 7 – The Agriculture Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations is proposing to cut more than $500 million from vital conservation programs for FY 2013. This move continues the trend in Congress of disproportionately targeting wildlife and conservation programs despite their proven track record of helping the environment and rural economies.

“Once again, members of Congress have chosen to slash funding for programs that protect soil, conserve water and enhance wildlife habitat,” said Aviva Glaser, agriculture legislative representative for the National Wildlife Federation.

The Clean Water Act Under Attack Again

June 6 – The Clean Water Act is under attack yet again with the introduction of another dirty water bill introduced by Representative John Mica (R-FL) and Representative Nick Rahall (D-WV). The bill (HR 4965) is scheduled for markup by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday, June 7th. If enacted, the Mica-Rahall bill would prohibit the Army Corp of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency from finalizing and implementing the much needed Clean Water Act guidance that would protect the nation’s prized water resources.

HR 4965 undermines the future of clean water, leaving streams, rivers and wetlands vulnerable by blocking Clean Water Act guidance and anticipated rulemaking—now and indefinitely.  Derailing the guidance now would lock in the current confusing regulatory process. Furthermore, the bill could nullify the previous guidance issued in 2008 under the Bush administration, leaving the public and federal agencies with no roadmap for implementing the Clean Water Act.

House Energy and Water Bill Would Hurt Wildlife and Cost America Jobs

June 6 – The U.S. House of Representatives today is expected to pass the 2013 energy and water appropriations bill (H.R. 5325).

Josh Saks, legislative director of the National Wildlife Federation, said today:

“If this bill were to become law, it would be a major step backwards both for America’s economy and its wildlife. The House bill slashes conservation investments far below the already-deep cuts agreed to under the Budget Control Act, making drastic cuts to many clean energy, energy efficiency and vehicle technologies programs that are creating jobs and cutting our carbon pollution and oil dependence. Even worse, the bill includes a measure blocking the Environmental Protection Agency from taking steps to reduce pollution in drinking water supplies that millions of Americans depend on and to protect wetlands, lakes, rivers and streams vital to sustaining hunting and fishing opportunities.

Ohioans Support Continued Action on Great Lakes Funding, Asian Carp

June 6 – Ohioans of all political colors agree that the federal government should be protecting and spending money to restore Lake Erie and all the Great Lakes, according to a new poll released today by the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. Majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents indicate support for continued funding of Great Lakes restoration, and for an expansive view of the Clean Water Act. Further, far more Ohioans support than oppose building a barrier in the Chicago canals to prevent an Asian carp invasion into the Great Lakes.

Read the poll and graphic of findings at www.healthylakes.org

County Commissioners Urge President Obama to Protect America’s Waters

June 4 – Over the last 18 months, scores of county leaders from across the country have repeatedly called upon the Obama Administration to restore longstanding Clean Water Act protections for America’s wetlands, lakes, and streams.  Today, the National Wildlife Federation and the Conservation Leaders Network released a list of 114 county leaders who have sent letters or passed resolutions urging the Administration to finalize its clean water guidance and proceed with a more lasting rulemaking.

In just the past few months, 45 County Commissioners from 17 different states have requested that President Obama move quickly to finalize the Administration’s clean water guidance and protect America’s wetlands and streams to ensure clean water, safe communities, and healthy habitats. Finalizing the clean water guidance is an important first step in clearly restoring protections for the nation’s small streams that feed the public drinking water supplies for 117 million Americans.

And here are highlights from NWF in the News:

• The Washington Post (DC Sports Bog): Bryce Harper’s hits now aiding in environmental awareness
• Sioux City Journal: Barrier installed in Iowa Great Lakes to prevent invasive carp
• Public News Service: Ohio Voters United on the Need to Stop Asian Carp
• Ideastream (Cleveland Public Radio): Poll Shows Ohio Voters Support Continued Funding For Great Lakes
• Fox 8 (Cleveland): Survey: Most Ohio Voters Worry About Invasive Fish
• Franklin Park Herald-Journal: Franklin Park hosts community campout
• The Dickinson Press: Keystone XL: Will EPA concern over 61 water crossings go unanswered?
• The Garden for Wildlife radio tour recently wrapped up with 8 very solid bookings.  The highlight is the number of large market stations that welcomed David Mizejewski.  They were all top 20 markets but one, David’s fan in Clay Center, Kansas.  They included Boston, Houston, the Twin Cities, St. Louis, Florida PNS and FOX TV in Charlotte via Skype.

For more, visit www.nwf.org/News

For now, I’d like to accentuate the positive. NWF has been working hard to make sure wildlife is represented  - read our 2012 Farm Bill priorities to learn more. We were pleased that one of our priorities – protection for native grasslands through a Sodsaver provision – was included in the Senate Agriculture Committee’s bill. I have written before about Sodsaver, a provision that will limit federal subsidies on native grassland converted into cropland.

Native grassland is an extremely valuable and under-appreciated biome in the US. I grew up a stone’s throw away from the Appalachians, and I remember clearly the first time I drove across the plains states. I had never seen the horizon so far away before, and the land stretching out flat, or slightly rolling until it met the sky. I have only recently started to learn how many amazing plants and animals live in the grasslands – like prairie chickens and Sandhill cranes.

5 Grassland Species

Here are 5 species that can thank the Senate Agriculture Committee for protecting their homes by including a Sodsaver provision – how many of these species did you already know? How many more can you name?

Black-footed ferret. Photo by Ryan Hagerty for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Prairie kingsnake. Photo: Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Snakes are key predators and an important part of prairie ecosystems. Prairie kingsnakes are common grassland snakes that come in a variety of shades of grey to brown. They are non-venomous and they don’t usually bite, but they shake their tales if they feel threatened.

Pronghorn antelopes. Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Service

Regal fritillary butterfly. Photo: flickr, Bill Bouton

Butterflies that depend on prairie habitat are in decline, in Europe as well as the US. Many insects, including important pollinators, depend on grasslands to survive.

Burrowing owl family. Photo: flickr, Annette’s photography

 Burrowing owls, like prairie dogs and ferrets, live in underground burrows (hence the name). Burrowing owls are also unique because they are often active during the day.

Did you already know these animals?  Can you think of any more?  If so, send us a comment through the feature below!

“The sound is just a long drawn out ‘boom’; you can just tell it’s a very old song that’s been going on for thousands of years. Kind of like an alarm clock in spring telling you to wake up; it’s something you have to experience, I can’t describe it.” – Aaron Price

Nebraska rancher Aaron Price is referring to the “boom” of the male prairie chicken calling for a mate in spring. The distinctive sound is accompanied by a dance that we can enjoy courtesy of You-tube in this video of a South Dakota grassland prairie chicken.

Click here to view the embedded video.

But videos can’t compete with a real life experience. If you want to see the prairie chicken dance in person, you can go to the First Annual 2012 Nebraska Prairie Chicken Festival hosted by Calamus Outfitters and the Gracie Creek Landowners.

The event is organized by landowners of three ranches that border each other in Nebraska. Due to the good stewardship of the ranch owners over the years, greater prairie chickens have been thriving. Sarah Sortum of Calamus Outfitters, who is organizing the event, says that the landowners “wanted to do something, because we were really just excited about what we’ve been doing, the birds, and what we have to offer. We weren’t sure how to get the word out, so we came up with the festival idea. Landowners are excited to show the project area and educate the public that by and large private landowners are responsible stewards—sometimes we get a bad rap. And we also just want to have fun.”

Two Greater Prairie Chickens dance on a lek on Gracie Creek Ranch, Nebraska. Photo by Aaron Price

“It’s kind of like a fraternity, a bunch of guys trying to pair up and push the weaker ones out of the territory and attract females. The males group up normally in twos and try to work their way to the middle.”

After the early morning dance, the festival begins with a Native American traditional prairie chicken dance. Each day there are  activities: ranch tours, kids activities, and talks from several speakers –  including keynote speaker Michael Forsberg, a celebrated conservation photographer.

The Nebraska festival is one of several events celebrating the prairie chicken; there are also festivals in Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, attended by many people who celebrate wildlife. Sortum and the other landowners have been doing a lot worth celebrating. Says Sortum:

“We have a comprehensive stewardship plan, with an umbrella of biodiversity goals we’re working toward: controlling invasives, restoring native hydrology, implementing grazing management. You come to find out there’s a reason people live here—they love to see the wildlife and the grasslands. It’s a form of community planning, even though we’re a rural community. What do we want our resource to look like in the next 20 years?”

Photo Credit: Aaron Price

1. Take a trip!  Visit the Calamus Outfitters website to read more about how to attend the  2012 Nebraska Prairie Chicken Festival, and go see the dance.  And don’t miss Ryan Stockwell of NWF, who will be speaking the 21st on the importance of the Farm Bill in protecting grasslands.
2. Write to your Congressman or Senator and ask them to help the Lesser Prairie Chicken and other grassland species by adding a Sodsaver provision to the next Farm Bill, which will protect native grasslands from being converted to cropland while keeping land available for grazing.

Sodsaver is a proposed provision for the 2012 Farm Bill that makes land that has never been cropped ineligible for farm bill benefits. Sodsaver is particularly important because it would help protect America’s remaining native grasslands.

Under conservation compliance, landowners who receive farm bill benefits must follow a conservation plan on highly erodible land and refrain from draining wetlands. Compliance is already part of the farm bill, but it doesn’t apply to crop insurance,  which is now the largest federal subsidy to farmers.  Unless conservation compliance is connected to crop insurance in the next Farm Bill, millions of  acres of wetlands could be drained, and soil erosion will increase.

 3 Reasons Why Compliance and Sodsaver Make Sense

Western Meadowlark, Photo Credit John and Karen Hollingsworth

1. Declining grasslands, wetlands, and native ecosystems are valuable public resources that need protection. Native prairie and grasslands are extremely valuable habitat for wildlife species, such as the Western Meadowlark, pictured right. A 2010 NWF article states that “40% of the entire continent’s declining bird species are those that depend on grasslands.” Wetlands are crucial wildlife habitats that also need protection; in Iowa alone, 99% of native wetlands have been lost over time, according to North Carolina State University. In addition to providing food and habitat for thousands of migratory birds and other animals, wetlands benefit the public by filtering nutrients and contaminants from water and absorbing excess water during floods.
2. High crop prices are tempting farmers and landowners to grow crops on marginal or previously uncropped land. Last year was a record year for agriculture, with high exports and projected net farm incomes reaching a 10-year high according to USDA’s Economic Research Service. High crop prices encourage investors to get into the market while the getting is good; this means that more land gets converted to agricultural use, and valuable wetlands and grasslands are lost.
3. It is not fiscally responsible to use taxpayer dollars to decrease the risk of farming marginal land. Uncropped land has been left that way for a reason—it’s not worth the effort. Marginal lands produce low crop yields and they are often susceptible to floods and erosion. Subsidized crop insurance reduces the risk so that farming marginal lands is more attractive, but this comes at the expense of taxpayers. Since our nation does not have a food shortage, and costs of insuring such land are often high, this means we foot the bill but don’t get much of a return for our money.

All of these are common sense reasons to include Sodsaver and conservation compliance in the next Farm Bill.  Protecting wildlife habitat and saving taxpayer dollars makes sense for everyone.  Stay tuned to this blog for important updates on the farm bill and how your money is spent.  In the meantime, check out this article in NWF magazine on Farm Bill conservation.

The Farm Bill is one of the most important laws helping farmers protect and enhance wildlife habitat on private lands in America.  It’s a massive piece of legislation that has been around a long time in different forms and comes up for reauthorization in Congress about every 5 years.

The last Farm Bill passed in 2008 and expires in 2012 – so this year, Congress should reauthorize the Farm Bill in order to ensure stable funding and consistent delivery of the conservation programs it contains.

Most Farm Bill spending actually goes to nutrition. The little green slice of the pie that goes to conservation may not look like much, but that 9% can go a long way, and it provides considerable return to taxpayers, by ensuring that land and natural resources are preserved for the future. (The estimates in the pie chart are based on data from the Congressional Research Service.)

How Does 9% of the Farm Bill Work for Wildlife?

Most of the money from Farm Bill conservation programs like the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) provide funds to protect valuable wildlife habitat from being converted to production, restore marginal farmlands to habitat, and share  the cost of Best Management Practices (BMPs) with landowners to help protect wildlife, water quality, and soil quality on working farm lands.

Many wildlife species depend on habitat on private lands to survive.  Farm Bill conservation land retirement programs combined provide about 33 million acres of wildlife habitat; that is more than National Wildlife Refuge lands, which total around 26 million acres (minus Alaska).

Greater Sage Grouse, credit USFWS/Stephen Ting

That is why it is important for wildlife enthusiasts, lawmakers, farmers, and all Americans to support continued and increased funding for conservation programs in the 2012 Farm Bill.  Learn more about how Farm Bill programs can help protect wildlife.

Check this out:

1. Chocolate: A report out last month from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) found that just a 2 degree Celsius increase in temperature could significantly reduce land suitable for growing cocoa in the regions of Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire where about half of the world’s cocoa is produced. The impacts could be devastating for local farmers and the $9 billion chocolate industry. Peter Gleick wrote an elegant appeal to climate skeptics on behalf of chocolate lovers. Definitely worth a read.
2. Peanut butter: The drought and heat that the South experienced this summer have contributed to a 13 percent decline in the peanut harvest. Price jumps of 20-30 percent are expected for peanut butter in the coming weeks! Thanks to my colleague Miles Grant for flagging the climate-change-extreme-weather-peanut-butter connection.
3. Bread: During the last 18 months, we saw the consequences of bread shortages play out on the world stage. Christian Parenti shows how the record-setting heat, drought, and wildfires in Russia and the record-setting floods in Australia conspired to cause wheat shortages, that in turn led to the unrest in the Middle East.
4. Wine: Grapes require specific climate conditions to ripen in ways best suitable for fine wine. As these microclimates shift, places that known for excellent grapes may no longer have the right conditions. This issue is of such importance to the wine industry that they hold entire conferences on it!
5. Coffee: Like chocolate, coffee plants prefer a narrow range of climate conditions. Starbucks and the Union for Concerned Scientists have been raising the alarm bells that climate change is threatening coffee crops. Extremely heavy rainfall events and warming conditions have already affected coffee yields in several nations.

So, even though some of these climate shifts and extreme weather events may be happening far away, we will see the impacts in our household expenses (and desert island plans!). More seriously, these climate change impacts could be devastating for the people around the world who rely on income from these crops.

Learn what NWF is doing to combat climate change.