Click here to view the embedded video.

My thoughts quickly centered on the many barriers and obstacles to making this transition, but I also considered alternatives and found that while difficult, going to no till and cover crops has created some great opportunities.

First lesson: Other farmers are a valuable resource

Going through this process is much easier when networking with other farmers going through similar transitions, especially if they are in your area. In my first year, there were no other farmers in my area using no till and cover crops.  Just recently I learned of another farmer choosing to go to no till with cover crops. The conversations since have been quite valuable for the education and information exchanged.  Just 10 minutes on the phone, comparing notes with this nearby farmer provided me with insights that would help me improve my system. This type of information exchange is all the more valuable when farmers convert to less well-known systems.

Winter Wheat, October 2012.

Second lesson: No till makes it easier for beginning farmers to get into agriculture

No till and cover crops have allowed me and other beginning farmers an easier entry into agriculture.  For those just entering the business, acquiring assets (land, cattle, equipment etc.) is often the most expensive and difficult step. The costs of some of this equipment can be truly astounding. Systems with reduced equipment requirements (such as no till or rotational grazing) lower that initial barrier to entry. By not having to purchase tillage equipment (chisel plow, disk, field cultivator and stalk shredder) and a larger tractor to power that equipment, I am able to keep costs low.

Third lesson: Farm Bill conservation programs make a difference

Despite the benefits to farmers, the environment and taxpayers (see my previous post), conservation programs which help farmers transition to these conservation practices face budget cuts in the next Farm Bill. Few programs provide as many benefits to so many, yet all of the Farm Bill proposals include some drastic cuts to conservation programs. More immediately, because of the current impasse on the Farm Bill leading to its expiration on September 30, some conservation programs cannot take new enrollments.

Take Action

With the Farm Bill debate set to begin again right after the election, speak out for wildlife and let Congress know you value Farm Bill conservation programs for the clean water and wildlife they protect.  The many farmers who rely on these programs to implement good conservation practices will certainly thank you.

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.

Burned trees along the mountain ridges, Cache la Poudre River in Colorado

I expected the scenery along the river to be all blackened, but most of the trees were not burned near the river. On to the mountain crests, we could see burned trees. Many trees are very brown because Colorado only got about 10 percent of its normal snow fall this winter, so conditions are extremely dry.

The biggest visual reminder of the fire was the ash in the water. Our guide said it would normally be clear to the bottom, but we could see fine ash turning the water black. Along the edges, the sand was also black.

Check out my video diary from the trip:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Along the highways and in small towns were signs thanking the fire fighters. We send our thanks for protecting the people who live in the area, and for getting the rivers opened!

This is me showing the signal for “I’m okay” if you fall out of your raft.

Judy Kohler from our Rocky Mountain office wrote this fabulous blog about the impacts of the Colorado fire on wildlife – check it out!

National Wildlife Federation’s Storytelling Video Diary Series shares the candid tales of 10 NWF staffers from around the country; armed with their cameras in California, Wisconsin, the Pacific Northwest, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, these nine staffers will share with you their individual trials, epiphanies and stories as they unfold in their daily adventures.

Even pika stop to smell the flowers (photo by Beth Pratt)

Observant hikers can encounter the American pika (ochotona princeps) in rocky terrain at elevations of 8,000 to 13,000 in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada, California, and New Mexico. The Dana Plateau, with a landscape dominated by talus, provides the ideal habitat for these small lagomorphs, also fondly referred to as rock rabbits, boulder bunnies, or whistling hares.

Although I observe these critters frequently on my hikes, on this excursion I encountered a very friendly pika that joined me for a picnic. Before making the final push to the plateau, I munched on my Alternative Baking Company vegan chocolate chip cookie (my preferred yummy hiking food) and soon after was joined by a very cute lunch companion.

A pika scurried on the rocks across from me with a stalk of grass and proceeded to nibble on his meal. Not shy in the least, he remained with me for an hour, dashing back and forth to gather a nice alpine salad of columbine and lupine stalks. I remained transfixed the entire time and even gave up the original goal of my hike to stay with my new companion. At the end of our picnic, he abruptly dashed over some rocks, gave his characteristic chirp, and disappeared.

Here is a short video of my picnic companion:

Click here to view the embedded video.

For me, watching the rabbit-like pika scurry over talus fields is as essential to the beauty and character of the high alpine landscape as the requisite towering peaks. Sadly, the cheerful chirping of the pika may soon disappear from the high country as the effects of climate change have already reduced their numbers. Rising temperatures have diminished the small islands of habitat for the cold-loving pikas (who can perish from overheating) and if temperatures continue to increase, even the highest elevations may no longer provide a home for the animal and the species may be threatened to the point of extinction.

Pika on a picnic (photo by Beth Pratt)

How can you help? Support National Wildlife Federation’s work to protect pikas and other wildlife struggling to survive climate change, habitat loss and other threats >>

For more adorable photos of my picnic with a pika, visit the National Wildlife Federation’s California Facebook page.

My companion pika resting after stuffing himself at lunch (photo by Beth Pratt)

Pika ears are pretty cute. (photo by Beth Pratt)

National Wildlife Federation’s Storytelling Video Diary Series shares the candid tales of 10 NWF staffers from around the country; armed with their cameras in California, Wisconsin, the Pacific Northwest, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, these 10 staffers will share with you their individual trials, epiphanies and stories as they unfold in their daily adventures.

Her science teacher, Ms. Marple, said she would love our help setting up recycling centers around the school. Ms. Marple registered our school, Armstrong Elementary, as an Eco-School – a program by National Wildlife Federation to reward green schools.

The grade three classes made the recycling bins, set them up around the school, and designed promotional posters. They made announcements about recycling on the morning TV show. Each week, they gathered and weighed the recycling. Ms. Marple took cans and bottles home to her residential recycling. I took the plastic caps and juice pouches for craft projects.

For the plastic cap recycling, we were inspired by this article in Ranger Rick magazine about plastic cap Fridge Flowers by Michelle Stitzlein. She works with schools to make large plastic cap mosaic murals. If we got too many plastic caps, our back-up plan was to bring them to Aveda’s plastic cap recycling program.

For the juice pouch recycling, I have collected them for a few years now, and I sew them together to make bags. But what I really wanted to try was sewing trash clothing so we could have a trash fashion or “trashion” show. We were inspired by the Eco-School trash fashion show at United High School in Armagh, PA. If we gathered too many juice pouches, our back-up plan was to send them to Terracycle.

Check out this video about our project:

Click here to view the embedded video.

So this year we successfully set up the recycling centers. The grade three classes learned how to gather the recyclables as part of their weekly routine.

There was a natural competitive aspect, where they wanted to say that “if we gather the most recycling of all the classes, then we win!” But I cautioned them by saying that when you gather lots of recyclables, that’s not necessarily a good thing. It means you are choosing to eat things in packages rather than making food that doesn’t require packaging. Choosing options without packaging is called “pre-cycling” and it’s the best option.

This kids were very enthusiastic about the project, especially when I showed the first trash fashion items. I am also developing new trash crafts that allow the kids to design their own trash fashion. My family attended a trash fashion show that was part of Alexandria’s Earth Day celebrations for many ideas. More on that in a future blog!

Thank you to Ms. Marple and the grade three classes for taking on this recycling project. Thank you also to the administrators for allowing the project to happen, and to all the students at Armstrong school who recycled.

National Wildlife Federation’s Storytelling Video Diary Series shares the candid tales of 10 NWF staffers from around the country; armed with their cameras in California, Wisconsin, the Pacific Northwest, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, these nine staffers will share with you their individual trials, epiphanies and stories as they unfold in their daily adventures.

“Before the swallow, before the daffodil, and not much later than the snowdrop, the common toad salutes the coming of spring after his own fashion, which is to emerge from a hole in the ground, where he has lain buried since the previous autumn, and crawl as rapidly as possible towards the nearest suitable patch of water. Something–some kind of shudder in the earth, or perhaps merely a rise of a few degrees in the temperature–has told him that it is time to wake up.” George Orwell, Some Thoughts on the Common Toad

The intrepid Yosemite toad (photo by Beth Pratt)

Californians should take pride in the Yosemite toad—it’s a native son found nowhere else on earth except the high elevations of the Sierra. Mountain life isn’t an easy existence for amphibians, and the toad spends half the year in hibernation. Once the snow melts—or even before as the critter has been observed tip-toeing over snowfields to reach their breeding grounds—the males emerge from hibernation and find a suitable pool to begin their annual search for a mate.

Yosemite toads in amplexus (photo by Beth Pratt)

Last week, I wandered in the Gaylor Lake basin of Yosemite and encountered this delightful rite of spring, as my ears caught the unmistakable sound of toad music resonating in the alpine basin. It rose above the boisterous shouting of the Clark’s nutcracker, and could not even be diminished by the frequent noise of an airplane overhead. The Pacific chorus frog occasionally produced its loud “kreek-eeck” in challenge, but in this American Idol of the animal world, the day clearly belonged to the voice of the Yosemite toad.

Watch a video of my encounter with the Yosemite toads below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

After some patient waiting, I finally viewed the source of the trilling and hit the toad jackpot so to speak. Two pairs of toads in amplexus paddled by the rock I had perched on and I had an amazing (yet from the toad’s perspective perhaps a voyeuristic) view of their mating ritual. The smaller male toad, usually olive green in color, clasps onto the larger female and remains attached until she finds a location to deposit her eggs. When the tadpoles emerge about 12 days later the almost uniformly black color makes them easy to spot. One year, I observed Yosemite toad tadpoles while hiking up to the Dana Plateau—they appeared a bit spooky in appearance with just the two eyes penetrating the forceful black.

Yosemite toad tadpoles (photo by Beth Pratt)

What’s causing it? Decreasing snow pack and drought conditions from climate change, and increased predation are two possible causes. For example, when the snowpack decreases (and some predictions call for up to a 90-percent reduction in the California future from climate change) breeding pools dry up before tadpoles can metamorphosize into adults. I’ll be watching these toads closely this year as we’ve experienced one of the driest winters on record in the Sierra. I’ve been visiting Gaylor Lakes in the spring for almost twenty years and was a bit startled over how parched the landscaped appeared in May.

For this year at least, and for years into the future, we’ll hope the love song of the Yosemite toad wasn’t in vain and those eggs will transform into more of this remarkable creature. For to silence their high-pitched trilling is to silence a rite of spring that is inextricably linked to the Sierra landscape—how can we let this happen on our watch?

Spring—in the Sierra or anywhere—is robust melody, a chorus full of equally important voices and to diminish even one singer is to diminish the entire song. Ensuring the future of the Yosemite toad makes for a better future for us as well. Let me quote Orwell’s eulogy once again, “I think that by retaining one’s childhood love of such things as trees, fishes, butterflies and–to return to my first instance–toads, one makes a peaceful and decent future a little more probable.”

National Wildlife Federation’s Storytelling Video Diary Series shares the candid tales of 10 NWF staffers from around the country; armed with their cameras in California, Wisconsin, the Pacific Northwest, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, these 10 staffers will share with you their individual trials, epiphanies and stories as they unfold in their daily adventures.

Salmon Salmon!

Occasionally lost in the limelight of nude bicyclists, triple IPA’s and feminist bookstores is our amazing Chinook Salmon fishing.

How many places on our planet exist where on your lunch break you can cruise the river that bisects your downtown metropolis, go catch a salmon, and be back to work before your boss notices? Not too many.

This salmon fishery defines our state and is why the conservation work that the National Wildlife Federation is doing throughout the Pacific Northwest is so important.

Check out the video for proof that salmon fishermen are a little wacky and why many salmon fishermen will fight like hell against threats to the fishery.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Say “No” to Big Coal

Right now, Big Coal is attempting to transform Oregon’s majestic Columbia River from the heart of  our renewable energy corridor and salmon fishing paradise into the nation’s hub for exporting dirty coal to China.

If the big coal companies get their way, up to 38 million tons of coal per year could soon be shipped through Oregon on uncovered trains and exported through the Port of St. Helens- directly adjacent to one of the hottest salmon fishing spots on the river come late summertime. 

This is not the Oregon I know. No room for coal, lets keep it Bikes, Brews, Books, Salmon and more Salmon!

Live in Oregon? Speak up to stop coal export terminals today.

National Wildlife Federation’s Storytelling Video Diary Series shares the candid tales of 10 NWF staffers from around the country; armed with their cameras in California, Wisconsin, the Pacific Northwest, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, these nine staffers will share with you their individual trials, epiphanies and stories as they unfold in their daily adventures.

Photo credit: Lester Spence_Flickr

Although I taught in a city where most kids walked from place to place, I found that many of my kids didn’t have quality time in the outdoors, let alone a place to explore and get their hands dirty.

Most of them came to school at 8am and were there until 6pm. By the time parents took them home it was time for dinner and then off to bed (in the best case scenarios).  For my students, school became the ultimate outlet for exploration in the outdoors. 

Unfortunately, our first adventure into the outdoors ended abruptly.  Instead of a grass, trees, and open space for play we found wood chips, outdated play ground equipment and drugs.

What’s worse is that this very scenario plays out across cities, small towns, and suburbs all across America.

Every child deserves a free, green space to play and discover the natural world around them.

Check out the full story below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

TAKE ACTION

Help get kids reconnected to wildlife! Urge Congress to help get America’s kids back outdoors, and on a path to a stronger appreciation for wildlife and the natural world.

National Wildlife Federation’s Storytelling Video Diary Series shares the candid tales of 10 NWF staffers from around the country; armed with their cameras in California, Wisconsin, the Pacific Northwest, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, these nine staffers will share with you their individual trials, epiphanies and stories as they unfold in their daily adventures.

Here’s a quick, fun way to get families outside this spring. Invite your neighbors for a community clean-up!

In our neighborhood, folks shared their yard tools and gave each other gardening tips, while parents and kids cleaned up trash from the nearby stream. Find out three tips to improve your community clean-up by watching my video diary:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Some photos from our clean-up:

Here's all the trash we collected, including this baby stroller and styrofoam grave from Halloween - all in a nearby stream!

Daughter and father cooperate on trash pick-up

Have you organized a community clean-up in your area? What worked for you?

If you enjoy organizing community events, you might enjoy our Community Wildlife Habitat program where you encourage your neighbors to garden for wildlife.

National Wildlife Federation’s Storytelling Video Diary Series shares the candid tales of nine NWF staffers from around the country; armed with their cameras in the Great Lakes, California, South Dakota, the Pacific Northwest, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, these nine staffers will share with you their individual trials, epiphanies and stories as they unfold in their daily adventures.

It’s hard to pinpoint the moment when I began to see nature and the outdoors as my own personal refuge, but the video below does share an outdoor moment that I will never forget–when I was a kid and I encountered a mountain lion.  Don’t worry, I was about 30 yards away from the mountain lion so there wasn’t much to be afraid of.  Here are some tips on what to do if you do come across a mountain lion.

This post is broadcasted from the Outer Banks, North Carolina.

Click here to view the embedded video.

At that moment I realized that I was in someone else’s backyard–a species who had been calling those mountains home way before my Aunt and Uncle moved there.  These are the moments that I want to protect for other people, and is a reminder of why I love what I do. Wildlife habitat is being threatened at an unprecedented rate, and many are facing the threat of extinction, please take action!

National Wildlife Federation’s Storytelling Video Diary Series shares the candid tales of nine NWF staffers from around the country; armed with their cameras in the Great Lakes, California, South Dakota, the Pacific Northwest, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, these nine staffers will share with you their individual trials, epiphanies and stories as they unfold in their daily adventures.