On, Friday, February 22, Grand Canyon National Park and special guest Darryl Haley kicked off a weekend celebration of Black History Month and Healthy Parks Healthy People. This groundbreaking event was a part of the Grand Canyon Diversity Council’s effort to increase diversity and inclusivity in Grand Canyon National Park. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2013-03-14_haley.htm

Grand Canyon National Park and the Grand Canyon Association will dedicate the renovated trailhead for Bright Angel Trail, one of the oldest and best known trails in the National Park system. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/bright-angel-trailhead-dedication-and-ribbon-cutting-ceremony-saturday-may-18.htm

Recent heavy monsoonal rainfall has caused damage to portions of the South Kaibab Trail approximately one-half mile below Cedar Ridge and to the North Kaibab Trail below Supai Tunnel. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/heavy-monsoonal-rain-causes-trail-damage-to-grand-canyon-trails.htm

Recent heavy monsoonal rainfall caused damage to portions of the South Kaibab Trail approximately one-half mile below Cedar Ridge closing the trail to livestock use. Trail crews have completed work to remove debris from the trail. The trail is now open to livestock as well as foot traffic. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/update-crews-repair-south-kaibab-trail-after-monsoonal-rain-damage.htm

On, Thursday, November 14, Grand Canyon National Park will be celebrating National Native American Heritage Month with special presentations and demonstrations. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2013-native-american-heritage-month-celebration.htm

Grand Canyon National Park will host author and conservation activist Audrey Peterman for a special evening program on Monday, March 3 in honor of Black History Month. Ms. Peterman and her husband Frank authored the book Legacy on the Land: A Black Couple Discovers Our National Inheritance and Tells Why Every American Should Care. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/grand-canyon-national-park-to-celebrate-black-history-month-with-special-guest-audrey-peterman.htm

Fire restrictions to be lifted in Grand Canyon on Tuesday, July 8, at 8 a.m. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/fire-restrictions-imposed-last-month-in-grand-canyon-to-be-lifted.htm

In observance of Native American/Alaska Native Heritage Month, Grand Canyon National Park is sponsoring a series of special events on Tuesday, November 11 and Wednesday, November 12. All are invited to participate in these presentations and demonstrations as we recognize and celebrate the many accomplishments, contributions, and sacrifices made by First Americans. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2014-native-american-heritage.htm

Local artisans will share their culture and crafts with Grand Canyon National Park visitors at the Desert View Watchtower. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/dv-cultural-demonstrations.htm

Grand Canyon will celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/grand-canyon-to-celebrate-asian-american-heritage-month.htm

Coconino County Public Health Services District and Grand Canyon National Park will begin monthly monitoring for plague. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/grand-canyon-and-coconino-county-to-monitor-for-plague.htm

The Desert View Watchtower at Grand Canyon National Park will host the final artist in the annual Cultural Demonstrator Series. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/last-2015-desert-view-demonstration.htm

Visitors and residents may experience short delays during construction to South Entrance Station and Hermit Road. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/south-entrance-and-hermit-road-construction.htm

Weekends through autumn, join jewelers, silversmiths, weavers, potters and more during Desert View Watchtower's Cultural Demonstrator Series. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/watchtower-cultural-demonstrators.htm

Grand Canyon National Park invites the public to celebrate Native American Heritage Days on Monday, November 9th, 2015. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/native-american-heritage-days-2015.htm

National Park Service fire managers anticipate initiating a prescribed fire near Shoshone Point Monday, December 7 as weather and fuel moisture conditions allow. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/shoshone-point-prescribed-fire.htm

The National Park Service (NPS) and its partners invite the public to a re-dedication ceremony at the Desert View Watchtower on Sunday, May 22, 2016 at 10:30 am. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/desert-view-ceremony.htm

Due to an unanticipated rockslide the National Park Service (NPS) will close the Colorado River Trail between Pipe Creek and the Silver Bridge for trail repair starting Monday, April 3. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/repairs-close-river-trail.htm

VERMILION CLIFFS, Ariz. – California Condors will be released to the wild in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in northern Arizona at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 30. The public is welcome to observe the release from a viewing area where spotting scopes will be set up and project personnel will be available to answer questions. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/public-invited-to-release-of-california-condors.htm

On Thursday, November 9 Grand Canyon National Park will host a Native American Indian Heritage Celebration. Park entrance is free November 11-12 for Veterans Day. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/veterans-day-native-american-heritage.htm

On December 20, 2017 a private Colorado river trip participating in a day hike up the Monument Creek drainage, discovered human remains. Investigating Rangers located evidence at the scene indicating the remains are likely those of 72 year old Raafat "Ralph" Nasser-Eddin of Los Angeles, CA. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/body-recovery-monument-creek.htm

As part of the 2018 Federal Highways Administration’s South Rim Roads Improvement project, additional construction and detours will begin Monday, January 8 at the South Entrance Road and Desert View Drive (Arizona Highway 64 East) intersection. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/road-construction-south-entrance-road-and-desert-view.htm

In honor of African American History Month, Grand Canyon National Park will host a special evening program to highlight the African American experience in Northern Arizona and contributions to Grand Canyon National Park. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/african-american-history-month.htm

Due to a malfunction in the pump that supplies water to the North Rim of Grand Canyon, the North Rim will enter Level 2 water restrictions on Monday, June 18, 2018. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/north-rim-level-2-water-restrictions.htm

Grand Canyon National Park will be joining national park units across the country in honor of Veterans Day with fee-free entry into the park on November 11. On November 14 Grand Canyon National Park will host a Native American Heritage Celebration with special presentations and demonstrations recognizing the many accomplishments, contributions, and sacrifices made by America's first people. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/veteran-s-day-native-american-heritage-month.htm

Grand Canyon National Park and Grand Canyon Conservancy invite the public and park partners to join National Park Service staff in celebrating the 100th anniversary of Grand Canyon’s designation as a national park. To celebrate this significant milestone, Grand Canyon National Park will waive entrance fees for visitors coming to the park on February 26. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/grand-canyon-national-park-100th-anniversary-commemoration.htm

The Ikes Fire continues to grow despite the minimal amount of moisture received from recent storms. Fire is estimated at 77 acres. Crews continue to prep the perimeter of the planned burn area. Road and Trail closures remain in place. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/ikes-fire-grows-to-58-acres-despite-monsoon-weather-08062019.htm

The public invited to the 23rd annual public condor release scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, and witness first-hand a spectacular release into the wild of several captive-bred young condors on National Public Lands Day. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/ca-condor-release-saturday-sept-28-at-vermilion-cliffs.htm

Grand Canyon National Park is hosting free Native American heritage and diversity events in early November 2019, as well as offering fee-free entry in honor of Veterans Day on Monday, November 11, 2019. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/celebrate-native-american-heritage-month-diversity-and-honor-veterans-at-grand-canyon-20191029.htm

Not only can the smart contact lenses monitor glucose levels, they can also release medication directly into the membrane of the eye.

The post New Contact Lenses May Soon Allow Diabetics to Monitor Glucose Levels With Just the Blinks of Their Eyes appeared first on Good News Network.

Though it’s difficult for food banks to stock this item, nutrient-dense milk is one of the most-often requested items. Now, in these critical times, the Kroger grocery store chain has ramped-up its Dairy Rescue Program, one that takes donated excess raw milk normally sold to restaurants or hotels, which is now going to waste, and […]

The post Kroger Buys and Redirects Dairy Farmers’ Excess Milk, Sending 50,000 Gallons Per Month to Food Banks appeared first on Good News Network.

Sustainable working landscapes are critical to the conservation of biodiversity in the American West and its cultures of rural ranching and forestry.

This report examines socioeconomic changes that took place between 1990 and 2003 on and around lands managed by the Klamath National Forest in California to assess the effects of the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) on rural economies and communities there. Three case communities were studied: Scott Valley, Butte Valley, and Mid-Klamath.

Creative Commons, Royalty-free, and General Public License (GPL) are types of licensing for images, graphics, and video. Designers, photographers, software developers, and content creators regularly access and use licensed media for a variety of projects. The question is, which license is best? Licensing gives users the ability to legally use a piece of media in […]

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The socioeconomic monitoring report addresses two evaluation questions posed in the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) Record of Decision and assesses progress in meeting five Plan socioeconomic goals. Volume I of the report contains key findings. Volume II addresses the question, Are predictable levels of timber and nontimber resources available and being produced? It also evaluates progress in meeting the goal of producing a predictable level of timber sales, special forest products, livestock grazing, minerals, and recreation opportunities. The focus of volume III is the evaluation question, Are local communities and economies experiencing positive or negative changes that may be associated with federal forest management? Two Plan goals are also assessed in volume III: (1) to maintain the stability of local and regional economies on a predictable, long-term basis and, (2) to assist with long-term economic development and diversification to minimize adverse impacts associated with the loss of timber jobs. Progress in meeting another Plan goal-to promote agency-citizen collaboration in forest management-is evaluated in volume IV. Volume V reports on trends in public values regarding forest management in the Pacific Northwest over the past decade, community views of how well the forest values and environmental qualities associated with late-successional, old-growth, and aquatic ecosystems have been protected under the Plan (a fifth Plan goal), and issues and concerns relating to forest management under the Plan expressed by community members. Volume VI provides a history of the Northwest Forest Plan socioeconomic monitoring program and a discussion of potential directions for the program.

This report examines socioeconomic changes that occurred between 1990 and 2000 associated with implementation of the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) in the Olympic National Forest in western Washington. We used a combination of quantitative data from the U.S. census and the USDA Forest Service, historical documents, and interviews from Forest Service employees and members of three case study communities-Quilcene, the Lake Quinault area, and the Quinault Indian Nation. We explore how the Plan affected the flow of socioeconomic benefits associated with the Olympic National Forest, such as the production of forest commodities and forest-based recreation, agency jobs, procurement contract work for ecosystem management activities, grants for community economic assistance, payments to county governments, and opportunities for collaborative forest management. The greatest change in socioeconomic benefits derived from the forest was the curtailment of timber harvest activities. This not only affected timber industry jobs in local communities, but also resulted in declining agency budgets and staff reductions. Mitigation efforts varied. Ecosystem management contracts declined and shifted from labor-intensive to equipment-intensive activities, with about half of all contractors from the Olympic Peninsula. Economic assistance grants benefited communities that had the staff and resources to develop projects and apply for monies, but provided little benefit to communities without those resources. Payments to counties served as an important source of revenue for rural schools and roads. We also examine socioeconomic changes that occurred in the case study communities, and the influence of forest management policy on these changes. Between 1990 and 2000 all three communities showed a decrease in population, an increase in median age, a decline in timber industry-related employment, and an increase in service-industry and government jobs. Quilcene's proximity to the larger urban centers has attracted professional and service industry workers that commute to larger economic hubs. Lake Quinault area residents are increasingly turning to tourism, and its growing Latino population works in the cedar shake and floral greens industries. For the Quinault Indian Nation, employment in tribal government and its casino has helped offset job losses in the fishing and timber industries. Many changes observed in the communities were a result of the prior restructuring of the forest products industry, national economic trends, and demographic shifts. However, for Quilcene and Lake Quinault, which were highly dependent on the national forest for timber and served as Forest Service district headquarters, the loss of timber industry and Forest Service jobs associated with the Plan led to substantial job losses and crises in the economic and social capital of these communities.

This case study examines the socioeconomic changes that took place between 1990 and 2000 in and around lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Coos Bay District in southwestern Oregon for purposes of assessing the effects of the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) on rural economies and communities in the Coos Bay region.

The condition of aquatic habitat and the health of aquatic species, particularly salmon, are a significant concern in the Pacific Northwest. Land management agencies use fish and riparian guidelines intended to maintain or improve aquatic habitat.

Participatory (collaborative, multiparty, citizen, volunteer) monitoring is a process that has been increasing in popularity and use in both developing and industrialized societies over the last several decades. It reflects the understanding that natural resource decisions are more effective and less controversial when stakeholders who have an interest in the results are involved in the process. An adequate number of such projects have now been organized, tried, and evaluated such that sufficient information exists to recommend a comprehensive approach to implementing such processes. This handbook was written for managers and scientists in the United States who are contemplating a participatory approach to monitoring biological resources, especially biodiversity. It is designed as a how-to manual with discussions of relevant topics, checklists of important considerations to address, and resources for further information. Worksheets for developing, implementing, and evaluating a monitoring plan are posted on a companion Web site. The subject matter is divided into 3 stages of a monitoring project encompassing a total of 22 topical modules. These modules can be used in any sequence on an ongoing basis. Stages and modules include (1) planning-documentation, goals, indicators, collaboration, decisions, context, organization, participants, communication, incentives, design, and resources; (2) implementation-training, safety, fieldwork, sampling, data, and quality; and (3) followthrough-analysis, reporting, evaluation, and celebrations. Collaboration always involves colearning, so documenting choices, plans, and activities with the Web site worksheets is integral to the manual's effectiveness.

Change is the only constant in forest ecosystems. Quantifying regional-scale forest change is increasingly done with remote sensing, which relies on data sent from digital camera-like sensors mounted to Earth-orbiting satellites. Through remote sensing, changes in forests can be studied comprehensively and uniformly across time and space.

The importance to society of environmental services, provided by forest ecosystems, has significantly increased during the last few decades. A growing global concern with the deterioration of forests, beginning perhaps most noticeably in the 1980s, has led to an increasing public awareness of the environmental, cultural, economic, and social values that forests provide. Around the world, ideas of sustainable, close-to-nature, and multi-functional forestry have progressively replaced the older perception of forests as only a source for timber. The international impetus to protect and sustainably manage forests has come from global initiatives at management, conservation, and sustainable development related to all types of forests and forestry. A few of the more notable initiatives include: the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, UNCED); regional follow-ups to the Earth Summit such as the Montreal Process and Helsinki Accords; the forest elements of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); and the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC).

Estimates of national forest recreation use are available at the national, regional, and forest levels via the USDA Forest Service National Visitor Use Monitoring (NVUM) program. In some resource planning and management applications, analysts desire recreation use estimates for subforest areas within an individual national forest or for subforest areas that combine portions of several national forests. In this research note we have detailed two approaches whereby the NVUM sampling data may be used to estimate recreation use for a subforest area within a single national forest or for a subforest area combining portions of more than one national forest. The approaches differ in their data requirements, complexity, and assumptions. In the "new forest" approach, recreation use is estimated by using NVUM data obtained only from NVUM interview sites within the area of interest. In the "all-forest information" approach, recreation use is estimated by using sample data gathered on all portions of the national forest(s) that contain the area of interest.

The marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) ranges from Alaska to California and is listed under the Endangered Species Act as a threatened species in Washington, Oregon, and California. Marbled murrelet recovery depends, in large part, on conservation and restoration of breeding habitat on federally managed lands. A major objective of the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) is to conserve and restore nesting habitat that will sustain a viable marbled murrelet population. Under the Plan, monitoring is an essential component and is designed to help managers understand the degree to which the Plan is meeting this objective. This report describes methods used to assess the status and trend of marbled murrelet populations under the Plan.

Two series of single and stereo photographs display a range of natural conditions and fuel loadings in sagebrush with grass and ponderosa pinejuniper types in central Montana. Each group of photos includes inventory information summarizing vegetation composition, structure, and loading; woody material loading and density by size class; forest floor depth and loading; and various site characteristics. The natural fuels photo series is designed to help land managers appraise fuel and vegetation conditions in natural settings.

Six years of monitoring for ozone injury by the Pacific Northwest Research Station Forest Inventory and Analysis Program are reported. The methods used to evaluate injury, compute an injury index, and estimate risk are described. Extensive injury was detected on ozone biomonitoring sites for all years in California, with ponderosa and Jeffrey pines, mugwort, skunkbush, and blue elderberry showing injury. Little or no injury was detected in Oregon and Washington. The relation of observed injury to ambient ozone levels is discussed. The areas with the highest modeled risk of ozone injury are the areas east of Los Angeles, the southern Sierra Nevada, and portions of the central coast.

The USDA Forest Service implemented the National Visitor Use Monitoring (NVUM) program across the entire National Forest System (NFS) in calendar year 2000. The primary objective of the NVUM program is to develop reliable estimates of recreation use on NFS lands via a nationally consistent, statistically valid sampling approach. Secondary objectives of NVUM are to characterize recreation visits, collect data in support of regional economic analyses, and gauge national forest visitor satisfaction. We document and review the round 1 NVUM implementation in the USDA Forest Service Alaska Region (R-10) with examination of the R-10 prework, sample day implementation, survey completion rates, sampling at cabins, boat docks, and air carriers; and the NVUM expansion weights assigned to survey cases. Several opportunities to improve the implementation of the standard NVUM protocols in R-10 are identified.

Lichens are highly valued ecological indicators known for their sensitivity to a wide variety of environmental stressors like air quality and climate change. This report summarizes baseline results from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Lichen Community Indicator covering the first full cycle of data collection (1998-2001, 2003) for Washington, Oregon, and California. During this period, FIA conducted 972 surveys of epiphytic macrolichen communities for monitoring both spatial and long-term temporal trends in forest health. Major research findings are presented with emphasis on lichen biodiversity as well as bioindication of air quality and climate. Considerable effort is devoted to mapping geographic patterns and defining lichen indicator species suitable for estimating air quality and climate.

We describe a protocol to monitor the effectiveness of the Tongass Land Management Plan (TLMP) management standards for maintaining fish habitat. The protocol uses juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in small tributary streams in forested watersheds. We used a 3-year pilot study to develop detailed methods to estimate juvenile salmonid populations, measure habitat, and quantitatively determine trends in juvenile coho salmon abundance over 10 years. Coho salmon have been shown to be sensitive to habitat alterations, and we use coho salmon parr as the primary indicator in the protocol. A priori criteria for type I and type II error rates, effect size, and sample sizes for the protocol were derived with estimates of variance computed from the 3-year pilot study. The protocol is designed to detect trends in abundance of coho salmon parr, as well as coho salmon fry and Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma), in small streams managed according to TLMP standards and guidelines and to compare these to trends in unmanaged (old-growth) watersheds. Trends are adjusted to account for statistically significant habitat covariates. This information provides an important element in monitoring land management practices in the Tongass National Forest. The methods we describe may have application to monitoring protocols elsewhere for fish populations and land management practices.

This report examines socioeconomic changes that occurred between 1990 and 2003 associated with implementation of the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) in and around lands managed by the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in Washington state. Our findings are based on quantitative data from the U.S. census, the USDA Forest Service and other federal databases, historical documents, and interviews with Forest Service employees and members of five case study communities: Naches Valley, Cashmere, Entiat, Twisp, and the Upper Okanogan Valley. We explore how the Plan affected the flow of socioeconomic benefits associated with the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, such as the production of forest commodities and forest-based recreation, agency jobs, procurement contract work for ecosystem management activities, grants for community economic assistance, payments to county governments, and opportunities for collaborative forest management. The greatest socioeconomic change stemming from the national forest during the study period was the sharp decline in timber harvest activities, a change that had been underway prior to the Plan. This decline not only affected timber industry jobs in local communities, but also resulted in declining agency budgets and staff reductions. Communities' responses differed. Communities with greater economic diversity were able to absorb the changes in forest management, whereas communities more heavily dependent on timber experienced an additional destabilizing effect.