While seeding on a fresh carpet of snow is ideal (you can easily see where you've already spread your seed), sowing right before a snow storm is a good way to lock seed in away from the wind. The wet and cold provide needed stratification to help the seed break out of its hard shell.
Ducks Unlimited (DU) is an incredible partner in conservation. This week, we got contractors out to bid on some major wetland projects! Can't wait to see these projects take shape and how the birds and wetlands will respond to the months of effort and planning that have gone into this.
I'm looking forward to sliding into a new week, like these otters! Their tracks are all over the place. In the absence of open water and in the presence of slippery snow, there's ample evidence of them getting into all kinds of mischief all over the place. Well, there was. Our snow is now gone.
How will federal layoffs on the prairie affect you?
Eggs are $$$. You can thank avian flu. Last week, at the same time thousands of USDA staff were chaotically fired, USDA conditionally approved a vaccine to save chickens from the virus. No surprise, folks working on bird flu were quickly unfired.
How will federal layoffs on prairies affect you? If I'm fired 1000s of acres of sustainably hayed & grazed grassland will close for multiple farmers in 4 counties. Many will find ways to get by (farmers are resilient) but some won't. There's limited grassland around here & error margins are thinning
How will recent layoffs ripple out from the prairie to negatively affect Americans everywhere?
Based on long-term duck monitoring, this chart shows the outsized importance of federal lands and easements on duck populations in the upper prairie. Fewer feds likely = fewer ducks. Sorry hunters.
The DOI fired 2,300 yesterday. These folks fight ever increasing wildfires, welcome visitors to our National Parks & Refuges & manage millions of acres of public lands for generations to use & to enjoy.
I'm here, for now. Sorry in advance as your public lands become lesser versions of themselves.
Amber waves of grain got nothin on the prairie!
Today I wrote a plan to diversify a bland field of grass. I met about PPR duck production models. The west gets lots of hype, but we want to equal the playing field w/ wetland restorations. I then schemed to include partners in grazing efforts.
Today I (remotely) gathered with prairie biologists to strategize how to best tackle invasive species. We discussed how to best share resources, improve effectiveness, and strategies for using future funding opportunities. You'd be forgiven if you mistook us for an offshoot of DOGE.
I had a calendar alert saying, "big snowstorm?" on Friday based on the "fog calendar." We had a dense fog around Nov 16, and 84ish days later (3 lunar cycles) - 4ish inches of snow!
I have the middle of March pretty much blocked out.
Is the fog calendar is a thing outside the upper Midwest?
Job alert: The Nature Conservancy in Illinois is currently recruiting paid seasonal technicians for Nachusa Grasslands, Emiquon Preserve (near Lewistown, IL), Kankakee Sands (eastern IL), and Southern Illinois. For details visit careers.nature.org/ and search for "Illinois".
Today was a bit of a mixed bag, kind of like this hybrid goose!
On the negative side, no
TWS conference for me this year :(
On the bright side, I spent the morning working with some prairie gurus to prioritize our invasive species efforts!
Looking for a job? I can't hire you right now, but I might know someone who can!
Today I was at a university career fair. Each summer we typically hire seasonal employees to help maintain basic infrastructure like roads and trails. For now, that's mostly on hold.
Speaking of burning the whole place down... these are
big tree piles. Many shelterbelts were planted post Dust Bowl. They mended the worst effects of poor ag practices, but wrecked havoc on prairie. Prairie will grow and suck tons of carbon underground, & help pollinators & grassland birds!
Wrapped up our meeting with a talk by Anne Lacy of the International Crane Foundation.
While humans are driving countless species toward extinction it's encouraging to hear that we are also capable of saving species, like sandhill and whooping cranes. We just have to care enough to try.
