Bend spotlighted in national DEI backlash following city meeting hate speech - OPB
More than 60 Oregon cities have diversity, equity and inclusion programs. But as the City of Bend recently saw, a national political movement to end these programs can energize hatred toward local leaders.
Proposal to federally list native turtle draws sharp divide among environmentalists, farm groups • Oregon Capital Chronicle
A move by the federal government to protect an inland turtle that lives in freshwater and wetlands mainly west of the Cascades is drawing support from thousands of environmentalists but opposition from farm groups that fear a potential listing would bring unwanted restrictions. The northwestern pond turtle or western pond turtle ranges from coastal Washington, […]
More Washington farmers face broken CREP contracts | Washington | capitalpress.com
More than 400 Washington farmers in 20 counties may have their Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program payments ended or reduced, continuing the fallout from government errors in overseeing the salmon-enhancement program.
Collaborate, but only intermittently, says new study | ScienceDaily
Technologies and organizations should be redesigned to intermittently isolate people from each other's work for best collective performance in solving complex problems.
USDA Makes $1.5 Billion Available to Help Farmers Advance Conservation and Climate-Smart Agriculture as Part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda | Natural Resources Conservation Service
USDA-NRCS is accepting RCPP project proposals from April 3, 2024 until July 2, 2024.
California to cover canal with solar panels in experiment to fight drought, climate change | Reuters
California is about to launch an experiment to cover aqueducts with solar panels, a plan that if scaled up might save billions of gallons of otherwise evaporated water while powering millions of homes.
NACD Leads Letter Supporting Technical Assistance and Conservation Programs in Federal Spending Bill - NACD
NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 01, 2024 CONTACT: Candice Abinanti candice-abinanti@nacdnet.org NACD Leads Letter Supporting Technical Assistance and Conservation Programs in Federal Spending Bill Washington, D.C. – On March 29, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and a coalition of agriculture and conservation organizations sent a letter to the leaders of the U.S. House and
Why WA’s farmworkers are disappearing | The Seattle Times
Fewer U.S. workers seem to be moving across state and county lines to “follow the season” for farm labor in Washington. Meanwhile, more guest workers are being hired.
Inslee signs water rights bill | Columbia Basin Herald
OLYMPIA — According to an announcement from the Columbia Basin Development League, CBDL, in collaboration with the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District, Quincy-Columbia Basin Irrigation District, and South Columbia Basin Irrigation District, are celebrating the signing of House Bill 1752 by Gov. Jay Inslee. According to the announcement, this legislation addresses technical challenges in managing water resources within the Columbia Basin Project. HB 1752 authorizes the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to apply for and obtain approval for water right modifications, an adaptation allowing more acres to be irrigated within the CBP without compromising the watershed. The statement said the bill was sponsored by Rep. Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy, and actively supported by the CBDL and the CBP irrigation districts.
New research shows unintended harms of organic farming
Organic farming is often touted as a more sustainable solution for food production, leveraging natural forms of pest control to promote eco-friendly cultivation.
The U.S. needs wildland firefighters more than ever but the federal government is losing them • Oregon Capital Chronicle
This story was originally published by ProPublica. Black Butte is an inactive volcano that rises from the high desert in eastern Oregon. In May 2022, a turboprop plane approached its pine-blanketed slopes, carrying about 10 men wearing bulky Kevlar outfits. They were smokejumpers with the United States Forest Service, the agency that directs the majority […]
Small farms face new federal reporting rules | Small Farm | capitalpress.com
A constitutional battle is shaping up over whether the U.S. government can force the owners and top employees of small businesses to send their addresses and photo IDs to federal financial crime investigators. The Biden administration has appealed a decision by a federal judge in Alabama, who ruled the Corporate Transparency Act exceeded the powers granted to Congress by the Constitution.