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Aug 15, 2024 | 
blog.nwf.org | Sydney Anderson |Dana Jensen McNamara
One of the most vital actions we can take for climate and ecosystem resilience is planting native trees—which is why we are thrilled to announce that in 2024, our Trees for Wildlife™ program sponsored the planting and community giveaway of over 59,000 native trees! Intact native forests hold the potential to benefit biodiversity, enhance nature-based climate solutions and ecological remediation, and provide invaluable access to nature – allowing people to connect with and learn about their...
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Jun 28, 2024 | 
blog.nwf.org | Mary Brooks |Dana Jensen McNamara
Under a glorious bluebird Wyoming sky, a group of ranchers, state and federal land managers, wildlife advocates, Indigenous leaders, and industry representatives recently met on a ranch outside Big Piney to celebrate the work they and others have undertaken to conserve and restore the sagebrush steppe. This ecosystem is home to more than 350 species and has helped define the rugged Western way of life.
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Apr 19, 2024 | 
blog.nwf.org | Tess Renusch |Dana Jensen McNamara
Look around almost any neighborhood in the United States and you’re likely to see acres and acres of turf grass. How we got to this point of ‘lawn-superiority’ is the result of a deep and troubling history that we explored in our first blog of this lawn series, but where we go from here is just as important. While lawns might be the American standard, that doesn’t mean they are the best choice for wildlife—or even for people.
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Apr 18, 2024 | 
blog.nwf.org | Tess Renusch |Dana Jensen McNamara
Lawns are often thought of as a staple of an American home, but what role do they play in the future of gardening? Read our related blogs in this series, Why We Have Lawns and Why We Shouldn’t Have Lawns, to catch up on the history and impacts of turf-grass landscapes as we now dive into ways to reduce and replace lawn. No-Mow May is a trend that has been gaining steam among gardeners, encouraging those with lawn space to opt for low or no mowing practices throughout the month.
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Feb 26, 2024 | 
blog.nwf.org | Braelei Hardt |Sydney Anderson |Dana Jensen McNamara
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map received its first update in over ten years, moving many gardeners up a half-zone. Those previously on the upper edge of their half-zone may have shifted, whereas lower-edge gardeners have likely remained the same. The 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map averages 30 years’ worth of extreme annual winter temperatures to predict perennial plant survival.
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Feb 26, 2024 | 
blog.nwf.org | Tess Renusch |Dana Jensen McNamara
If you’re trying to find a vernal pool in spring, you’re best off closing your eyes and listening. As sunset approaches, the pond begins to sing. Tree frogs make a melodious “trill”, green frogs “twang” like a banjo, wood frogs “cluck”, and spring peepers give their classic, high-pitched “peeps.”It’s not just frogs that are making homes in these little pools of water, though. Less vocal species like salamanders, dragonflies, fairy shrimp, and even dozens of native plants are there too.
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Nov 2, 2023 | 
blog.nwf.org | Dana Jensen McNamara
Indigenous Peoples had no choice but to be resilient, and shouldn’t have to be. Indigenous Peoples shouldn’t have to constantly fight to have a seat at the table, to have their voices heard, and to have their heritage, expertise and knowledge given the respect it deserves. Yet it continues to happen every day, it’s nothing new.
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Oct 4, 2023 | 
blog.nwf.org | Dana Jensen McNamara
Mower Tract is a sliver of the Monongahela National Forest—40,000 acres out of a total of 900,000—sitting along Cheat Mountain in eastern West Virginia. Its red spruce forest and wetlands are a rich and unique ecosystem; red spruce forests require cool, moist climates to grow and mature fully, and are thus limited in range. Mower Tract is home to northern flying squirrels, snowshoe hare, brook trout, salamanders, frogs, and numerous other wildlife. But it wasn’t always this way.
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Oct 3, 2023 | 
blog.nwf.org | Jessica Arriens |Dana Jensen McNamara
It’s been over a year since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, a bill with massive investments in climate and clean energy that ReImagine Appalachia, alongside many other partners, fought hard for. IRA has already made waves in the clean energy industry, with more than $270 billion in new private clean energy investments and 170,000 new jobs. The solar industry alone is expected to add a record amount of gigawatts of new capacity in 2023, thanks in part to IRA.
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Jun 27, 2023 | 
blog.nwf.org | Dana Jensen McNamara
The National Wildlife Federation recognizes the importance of diversity and inclusion in our work and in the conservation movement at large. The participation and leadership or marginalized and previously excluded communities, such as LGBTQ+ people, must be championed and nurtured in the effort to protect the planet, conserve resources, and save wildlife.
