WACD Reading List

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2021 – Today the Biden-Harris administration outlined a vision for how the United States can work collaboratively to conserve and restore the lands, waters, and wildlife that support and sustain the nation. The recommendations are contained in a report released today (PDF, 540 KB) outlining a locally led and voluntary nationwide conservation goal to conserve 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.

SEATTLE - The COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than twice as many people around the world as the official death counts show, according to a new analysis by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. The official global death toll as of Thursday stands at about 3.26 million, but the new analysis found that COVID-19 has actually caused about 6.9 million deaths worldwide.

The first time salmon were released above Chief Joseph and, later, Grand Coulee dams, Hemene James watched elders from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. Many weren’t even old enough to remember when salmon last swam in those waters. In their faces he saw pure emotion, as salmon slipped into the waters where they hadn’t been since Grand Coulee Dam blocked their path in 1942. Then, he looked at the children. Their excitement was infectious. They jumped and ran into the water, trying to catch the fish swimming upstream.

We recently spoke to a CEO who was feeling anxious about public speaking in the hybrid office. “When I give presentations now, it’s simple. Everyone’s on Zoom,” he told us. “What happens when some people go back while others still work from home?”

Wildfire season has started extra early this year, and Gig Harbor Fire is reminding everyone to double-check and make sure your home is ready in case of an emergency. May is Wildfire Community Preparedness Month, and in keeping with the season, Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One is sharing a few home safety preparedness tips.

Precipitation amounts from the Pacific weather systems that moved across the West this week were patchy and not enough to erase months of deficits. Half an inch to locally 2 inches fell across coastal areas and coastal ranges of Oregon, Washington, and northern California; in the Sierra Nevada; northern and central Rockies; and Great Basin ranges. Rainshadow areas and valleys, and much of the Southwest, received little to no precipitation.

A few weeks ago, USDA climate adviser Robert Bonnie used a variant of “walk before you run” to describe the Biden administration goal of bipartisan support for climate mitigation in agriculture. On Monday, a sector-spanning coalition said the USDA “needs to crawl before it can walk” into a carbon bank that would help farmers adopt climate-smart practices. The Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA), a carbon bank advocate, said the USDA should lay the foundation for the climate bank by first setting up a series of pilot projects to identify fruitful avenues for future action. The alliance did not suggest how long the pilot projects would run but said they would aid the development of carbon markets and the direction of the carbon bank.

Over the past year, many of us have found things to love about working from home like flexibility, the ability to focus, and no commute. Now that offices are starting re-open, you might start to remember that there is a lot to love about the office, too: social interaction, the joys of collaboration, and of course, that endless pot of coffee. Many companies intend to give us the best of both worlds by allowing employees to split their time between home and the workplace. But it will only give you the best of both worlds if you figure out how to combine home and office time in a way that maximizes your productivity and personal wellbeing. That means figuring out which days to spend at home, which days to spend at the office, and just as crucial, how to sell your boss on that plan.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to order new restrictions next week for several counties, likely including the state’s largest, that would force businesses and churches to reduce their indoor gathering capacity from 50% to 25%.

RICHLAND, Wash. — Smoke billowed through the air near the Yakima River Delta and Highway 240 through the entire afternoon into Wednesday night, but local authorities say that the brush fires are under control. According to Richland Emergency Services, the wildfire is being monitored by two dedicated fire crews tonight. Though the fire hasn’t been fully extinguished, it’s expected to fizzle out naturally in a specified burn zone. Richland Police confirmed that there is no active threat posed to the public.

Pensions are a type of “defined benefit” plan. Typically, you’d pay into it (or technically your employer would pay into it on your behalf) during your working years, and once you retired, you’d have a guaranteed income stream for life...“Defined contribution” plans like 401(k)s encourage employees to save on their own while offering tax-deferred savings features. Plus, employers often match a percentage of their employees’ contributions, which both encourages them to save more and provides an added benefit in the form of additional money from the employer in excess of a salary.

Harter, a member of the Soil Science Society of America, is trying to solve one of the most complex puzzles in farming: how to track nitrate as it moves through farm fields....They found that a complex quilt of different soils lies underneath the almond orchard. These different soil types made it very hard to predict how nitrogen from one part of the farm would affect another area. Nitrogen levels varied widely across the farm, even though it was managed consistently by a single grower.

To help the state prepare for what she calls a potentially catastrophic wildfire season, Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz recently kicked off the Wildfire Ready Neighbors! program. The campaign connects those in wildfire prone areas with efforts and tools to help home and property owners take proactive step action to better protect their belongings from wildfire.

Once you know something, it can be difficult to take the perspective of someone who doesn't. This phenomenon, known as the curse of knowledge, can lead to miscommunication, conflict, and professional stumbles. To avoid this pitfall, one should slow down, think about what their audience needs to know, and try to catch themselves making assumptions.

At their San Francisco headquarters, Plenty is working on perfecting vertical farming of kale, arugula, bok choy, beet leaves, fennel, and mizuna. According to chief executive and co-founder Matt Barnard, Plenty’s technology uses a fraction of the land and one to five percent of the water compared to traditional agriculture. Additionally, all of Plenty’s facilities are powered by 100 percent renewable energy.

Human-caused climate change was putting humanity’s future in peril, she said in recorded remarks. Survival would depend on Earth’s original carbon-capture machines, the most effective tools for getting rid of greenhouse gases. People needed to find new ways to grow plants — and soon.

NOTE: Great interactive map of RCPP projects around the country!

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington lawmakers adjourned their legislative session Sunday after giving final approval to a two-year state budget, a new capital gains tax and a low-carbon fuel standard. As was the case for the entirety of the 105-day session, just a handful of lawmakers were in the Senate and House for the last day, under remote rules established for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Democratic leaders in each chamber noted the pandemic’s impact, not just on their workplace with a new focus on remote testimony and voting, but on the details within the spending plan.

This spring, biologists discovered something they weren’t expecting to see. Male sage grouse proudly strutting during their quirky mating dances. The strange thing was, these birds were puffing up the bulbous air sacs on their chests, their songs calling out to nearby hens, right in the middle of a giant burn scar. “You’ll see these males displaying out in a completely burned, barren landscape. And they seem to be able to handle it,” says Michael Schroeder, who’s been working on sage grouse issues for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for nearly 30 years.

BEND, Ore. — Seven months ago, Central Oregonians felt the impact of some of the worst wildfires in this state’s history. Now there is growing concern that dry fuels across the region could ignite even bigger fires this year. Tinderbox conditions have already ignited several fires around Central Oregon this year, even as higher elevations are still blanketed with snow. Part of that is due to a drying out of the forests at lower elevations, which are experiencing some of the lowest moisture levels recorded in years.

Once officially launched, AIM for Climate will catalyze greater investment in agricultural R&D and innovation to help to raise global ambition and underpin more rapid and transformative climate action in all countries, including by enabling science-based and data-driven decision and policy-making.

On Tuesday, Washington Representative Kim Schrier participated in a House Ag Committee hearing focused on rural broadband. Lawmakers focused not only on internet connectivity needs, but also opportunities that exist in rural America. Schrier said a lack of broadband access in rural Washington holds the farming community back in a variety of ways.

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is implementing temporary burn restrictions on DNR-protected lands in the Northwest Region, the Pacific Cascade Region, and the Northeast Region. For the next week, DNR is asking the public to avoid conducting outdoor debris burns as much as possible. Fire danger is rising in Washington due to dry and warming weather conditions and gusty winds that can spread a wildfire quickly through dry grasses and forests.

“I am grateful to President Biden for announcing his intent to nominate Robert Bonnie to serve as Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation with the Department of Agriculture. Robert currently serves as Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor for Climate at USDA. He led the USDA Transition Team for the President-Elect and Vice President-Elect..."

To take advantage of all the federal funds up for grabs, PUDs need to be granted “retail authority” – the ability to sell telecommunications services directly to consumers, which is currently illegal thanks to a law favored by private providers. Rather than allowing public utilities to provide broadband service directly to consumers, the law allows them to sell or lease broadband infrastructure on a wholesale basis only, and under strict restrictions.

After a devastating wildfire season that saw a baby boy die and 1,200 square miles of the state burn, Washington lawmakers are poised to fight fire with money. A lot of money. Legislation that’s received unanimous support would see Washington spend an additional $125 million over the next two years to extinguish, prevent and live with fires. Both legislative houses have passed House Bill 1168 and Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to sign the bill, which would see the state spend $328 million on the efforts by 2027.

THE USDA IS DAYS AWAY FROM ANNOUNCING “GREATER OPPORTUNITIES” FOR LANDOWNERS TO TAKE FRAGILE FARMLAND OUT OF PRODUCTION IN EXCHANGE FOR AN ANNUAL PAYMENT, SAID AGRICULTURE SECRETARY TOM VILSACK ON THURSDAY.

(CNN)The wildfire season "is coming quickly and it's coming earlier." That's the message from meteorologist Eric Kurth and the National Weather Service in Sacramento, California, as the state deals with a crippling drought and vegetation and grasses that are already beginning to brown. "We are seeing record levels of dryness for this time of year. It's more like what we would see later in June than mid-April," said Kurth.

USDA will permanently end its Farmers to Families Food Box Program at the end of May. The program, which bought meat, dairy and produce from farmers and directed it to hungry families, was created by the Trump administration during the pandemic. Over the past year, USDA has spent more than $4 billion on the program and delivered more than 156 million boxes through mid-April.

WASHINGTON, April 14, 2021 – USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) today announced it will extend the deadline for public comment on proposed revisions to 23 national conservation practice standards through a posting in the Federal Register. The proposed revisions were published March 9 with comments originally due April 8. Comments will now be due April 22.