Chesapeake Bay: A New Approach for Restoration
Chesapeake Bay retriever swimming in water
ELR Staff
Thursday, June 13, 2024

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. More than 150 major rivers and streams flow into the Bay's 64,299-square-mile drainage basin, which covers parts of six states (Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia) and all of Washington, D.C. (the Bay jurisdictions). With its diverse flora and fauna, the Chesapeake Bay is a very important feature for the ecology and economy of these regions.

Statistics, Machine Learning, and Wetlands?
Sonja Michaluk
Wednesday, June 5, 2024

If you told me years ago that I would be pursuing a degree in statistics and machine learning, I would not have believed you. Even after receiving the 2021 National Wetlands Award and immersing myself in a vibrant and innovative college environment, I have come to more fully appreciate the many ways we can approach wetlands conservation and education efforts. 

Ask Not What the Land Can Do for You—Ask What You Can Do for the Land
Wetlands
Mark Beardsley
Tuesday, May 21, 2024

In one of the most famous speeches in American history, President John F. Kennedy implored his fellow Americans to “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” I’m borrowing JFK’s words to illustrate how I approach restoration: Ask not what the land can do for you—ask what you can do for the land. This maxim evokes something greater than oneself that deserves respect, service, and ethical treatment.  For JFK, it was country. For me it is the land, or to be more accurate, an ecosystem.

The Importance of Outreach and Education for Wetlands Conservation
Wetlands Nebraska
Ted LaGrange
Thursday, May 16, 2024

Having worked to conserve Nebraska’s wetlands over the past 30 years, and in honor of National Wetlands Month, I have been reflecting on what factors make wetland conservation successful. Thanks to the collaboration of many different partners, including landowners, we can be proud of the accomplishments made in wetland research, restoration, and management. To build on these successes, I believe it is important to broaden the network of people who understand wetlands and support their conservation. To do this, we need to expand and improve our outreach and education efforts.  

Wetlands Restoration and Cultural Preservation: A Perspective from the Island of Maui
Scott Fisher NWA
Scott Fisher
Thursday, May 9, 2024

He aliʻi ka ʻāina, he kauā ke kānaka. This frequently spoken ʻōlelo noʻeau, or proverb, succinctly sums up the Hawaiian view on the human relationship to our environment: the land is the chief, and people are the servants. Traditionally, wetlands in particular were revered as agriculturally productive lands where the elder sibling of the Hawaiian people and staple of life, kalo (taro), was grown.

Celebrating 35 Years of the National Wetlands Awards
Wetlands Month
Cecilia Diedrich
Monday, May 6, 2024

Wetlands are critical ecosystems that provide important benefits for people and wildlife. They provide flood protection, resilient infrastructure, carbon storage, increased water quality, and are integral to the culture and economy of local communities. The urgency of preserving these important resources is only heightened by the reality of climate change.

New Book Offers an Intergenerational Approach to Understanding Climate Change
Fishing on Mud Lake
Sam Lovall
Tuesday, April 23, 2024

How we communicate about our environment matters just as much as what we communicate if we want our message to be heard. ELI Press’ new book, Mud Lake, reaches out to a broad audience, from middle schoolers to senior citizens, by incorporating illustrations and universal adventure stories of how kids engaged with natural areas during the 1960s. The book is filled with narrations about sights, sounds, feelings, and smells that spark fond memories for anyone who may have experienced similar landscapes during their youth.

Protecting Wetlands, Promoting Nature-Based Solutions
Wetland
Amy Reed
Friday, February 2, 2024

Since 1997, World Wetlands Day has been highlighting the importance of wetlands for people and the planet and helping to encourage wetlands preservation. Wetlands are typically defined as areas of land that are either covered by or saturated with water. Wetlands are critical ecosystems that provide numerous important benefits for people and wildlife and are integral to the culture and economy of local communities.

Does "Sackett v. EPA" Signal the Unraveling of Federal Environmental Law?
rope
ELR Staff
Wednesday, November 1, 2023

On May 25, the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated a major swath of CWA protections when it issued its decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency. In the Court’s view, the CWA extends to only those "wetlands with a continuous surface connection to bodies that are 'waters of the United States' in their own right," such that they are indistinguishable from those waters.

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