FLORIDA LAND STEWARD PARTNERSHIP RECEIVES USDA TWO-CHEIF AWARD
Started in 2012 to better coordinate outreach and land management planning efforts for Florida’s private landowners, the Florida Land Steward Partnership recently received the USDA Joint Forestry Team’s Two-Chief Award. Receiving the award are Chris Demers, Michael Andreu and Bill Giuliano, University of Florida School of Forest Resources and Conservation and Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; Anthony Grossman, Florida Forest Service; Joe Prenger, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; and Michael Bush, Natural Resources Conservation Service Florida State Office. This coalition created a first-of-its-kind, one-stop private forest landowner center to enhance natural resource management capabilities. The center utilizes multiple communication tools to deliver information and technical assistance to landowners, including a website, email listserv, Facebook page, and blog, to distribute land stewardship information and publicize upcoming events. Outreach programs organized and coordinated by Florida Land Steward partners are attended by diverse audiences. The partners also created multi-agency teams to develop whole-property management plans and provide technical assistance to landowners. The Partnership's resources serve as a timely, centralized source of information on forestry, agriculture, and natural resource management. Outreach efforts allow attendees to receive information and services in a unified package, which helps prevent duplication of effort, contradictory messages, or missed opportunities. Partners' outreach efforts resulted in over 54,000 website hits in 2014, email updates sent to over 1,700 landowners and professionals, and over 7,000 calendars distributed annually.
The USDA Joint Forestry Team is a national partnership of the USDA Forest Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the National Association of State Foresters representing state forestry agency executives, and the National Association of Conservation Districts. The Team’s purpose is to make recommendations that result in coordinated interagency delivery of forestry and conservation assistance for working forests, farms, and ranches. More info at http://jointforestryteam.org
IT'S BUG WEEK AT UF, MAY 18-23
The Good. The Bad. The Bugly: http://bugs.ufl.edu/
APPLY FOR RURAL AND FAMILY LANDS PROTECTION PROGRAM BY MAY 30
The goal of the Florida Forest Service's Rural and Family Land's Protection Program is to ensure lands will be maintained in agricultural use while providing for the protection of natural resources through agricultural conservation easements. The program seeks to protect valuable agricultural lands, create conservation easements that ensure sustainable agricultural practices, prevent conversion to non-agricultural land uses in the rural base of Florida, and help to protect natural resources in conjunction with these agricultural operations. For more information about the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, see:
http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Service/For-Landowners/Programs/Rural-and-Family-Lands-Protection-Program
USDA CONSERVATION COMPLIANCE FORMS DUE JUNE 1
Agricultural producers must complete a Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification Form AD-1026 and turn it into a Farm Service Agency office by June 1 to be eligible for federal crop insurance subsidies. Learn more on the FSA website.
CONSERVATION ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE FROM USDA GULF OF MEXICO INITIATIVE
Apply by June 19
Farmers and ranchers in the Escambia River, Blackwater River and Middle Suwannee River watersheds can apply for financial assistance until June 19 to reduce soil erosion, improve water quality and develop wildlife habitat through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Gulf of Mexico Initiative for fiscal year 2015. Parts of Suwannee, Madison and Lafayette counties are included in the Middle Suwannee River watershed, and five new focus areas have been added to where landowners can apply for financial assistance. Parts of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are included in the Escambia and Blackwater river watersheds, where eight new focus areas have been added to where producers can apply for assistance.
Apply by June 19
Farmers and ranchers in the Escambia River, Blackwater River and Middle Suwannee River watersheds can apply for financial assistance until June 19 to reduce soil erosion, improve water quality and develop wildlife habitat through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Gulf of Mexico Initiative for fiscal year 2015. Parts of Suwannee, Madison and Lafayette counties are included in the Middle Suwannee River watershed, and five new focus areas have been added to where landowners can apply for financial assistance. Parts of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are included in the Escambia and Blackwater river watersheds, where eight new focus areas have been added to where producers can apply for assistance.
Practices include: Installing grade-control structures to stabilize eroding gullies; implementing precision agriculture to reduce chemical application overlap and protect sensitive environmental areas; adopting residue and tillage management, cover crops and conservation crop rotations to reduce sheet and rill erosion and improve soil organic matter, which results in cleaner runoff and improved water quality; planting grass and trees to stabilize eroding areas; installing cross-fences and watering facilities to facilitate grazing distribution; controlling cattle access to streams to improve water quality and stream bank stability; planting and managing native plant species to improve wildlife habitat and assist with restoration of a multitude of declining species; promoting energy conservation by eliminating the need for annual mechanical removal of sediment from split ditches; implementing grazing management; installing heavy-use area protection pads. For more information about signing up for the initiative, contact your local NRCS office.
SOMETHING BUGGING YOUR TREES?
Do you have pests or a disease in your trees? Leaves or needles wilting, and you don’t know why? Sawdust falling out of your trees, and you don’t know how to save them? There is help: ask your question at the free Forest Health Diagnostic Forum: http://sfrc.ufl.edu/treehealth/forum/.
FOREST STEWARDSHIP VIDEOS - VIEW AND SHARE!
All the latest videos are on the Florida Forest Stewardship Program home page:
http://sfrc.ufl.edu/forest_stewardship
GOT AN INVASIVE SPECIES PROBLEM?
Go to floridainvasives.org for information, assistance and partnership opportunities.
LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON A PARTICULAR TOPIC?
Check the vast array of extension publications available through UF/IFAS on the EDIS publication site: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ Wow, there’s a publication about that?
ONGOING SERVICES, INITIATIVES, PROGRAMS:
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FWC REQUESTS REPORTS OF WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS:
- Report chipmunk sightings here: https://public.myfwc.com/hsc/chipmunk/getlatlong.aspx
- Report panther sightings here: https://public.myfwc.com/hsc/PantherSightings/getlatlong.aspx
- Report mink sightings here: https://public.myfwc.com/hsc/mink/getlatlong.aspx
- Report black bear sightings here: https://public.myfwc.com/fwri/blackbear/getlatlong.aspx
- Report southern hognose snake (Heterodon simus), short-tailed snake (Lampropeltis extenuata), and Florida pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus) here:
https://public.myfwc.com/fwri/raresnakes/UserHome.aspx?id=
UF/IFAS SCHOOL OF FOREST RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION EXTENSION PROGRAMS
See http://sfrc.ufl.edu/extension
FORESTRY AND NATURAL RESOURCES WEBINARS
For a calendar of upcoming webinars in a variety of land management topics see:
http://www.forestrywebinars.net/webinar-calendar/month#.T-zLkBhgZys.blogger
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA CONTINUING FORESTRY EDUCATION CLASSES
See http://conted.warnell.uga.edu/ for the latest offerings.
ALABAMA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION FORESTRY WEBINARS
See http://www.aces.edu/natural-resources/forestry/
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