Ecosystems


USDA Awards $4.5 Million in Rural Community Development Grants and Accepting Applications for New Projects

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is awarding more than $4 million in grants to 23 organizations to support rural economic development projects. Secretary Vilsack also announced that USDA is seeking applications for the next round of program funding.

More than 100,000 gallons of oil spilled from Plains All American Pipeline, L.P.

Pipeline Company Indicted in 2015 California Spill

Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. reported the indictment included a total of 46 counts, 10 of which relate to the release of crude oil or reporting of the spill and 36 of which relate to wildlife that died because of it.

BSEE Reports 2,100-Barrel Spill in Gulf of Mexico

The operator, Shell Offshore Inc., reported the oil sheen was observed in the area of its Glider Field. It was about 97 miles south of Port Fourchon, La.

Lake Maracaibo

NASA Crowns Earth's New Lightning Capital

Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela experiences more lightning than any other location on Earth, with an average rate of about 233 flashes per square kilometer per year.

Why the Ocean Matters More than We Realize

Why the Ocean Matters More Than We Realize

Ocean advocate says those watery depths hold solutions to Earth's most alarming challenges.

China's Vessel Pollution Requirements Taking Effect May 1

These provisions contain five requirements prohibiting discharges into inland waters.

This photo of a Great Egret in the Everglades National Park is a National Park Service Photo by Rodney Cammauf.

Jewell Visiting Everglades National Park for Earth Day 2016

She will be joined by federal, state, and conservation partners to celebrate one of the largest conservation projects ever undertaken by the Park Service. Through a collaborative effort between it and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, infrastructure improvements began in 2009 to restore flow by replacing sections of the Tamiami Trail roadway with bridges.

America’s Wetland Foundation Responds to Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Well Control Rule

The America's WETLAND Foundation (AWF) is concerned that some provisions of the proposed Well Control Rule proposed by BSEE could have unintended consequences leading to less safety and environmental protection and a reduction in overall revenue sharing directed to financing coastal restoration.



Volume 1 covers events leading up to the explosion and fire, and volume 2 contains critical technical analyses of the blowout preventer

Judge Issues Final Order in BP Case

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier's April 4 order confirms the company's $18.7 billion settlement of federal and state claims announced last July.

BSEE Studies Arctic Response Challenges

The agency has tested a Geo-Referencing Identification Satellite tag project.

Arctic Sea Ice Set New Low in Early 2016, Center Reports

"The Arctic is in crisis. Year by year, it's slipping into a new state, and it's hard to see how that won't have an effect on weather throughout the Northern Hemisphere," said Ted Scambos, NSIDC's lead scientist.

First 'Deepwater Horizon' Movie Trailer Released

The debate already has begun about whether the movie cynically exploits the families of the workers who died or portrays them and the catastrophe honestly.

Regional Conservation Programs Receives $260 Million in USDA Funding

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that the USDA will be providing $260 million for conservation partnership programs that will help improve water quality, support wildlife, protect agriculture, and more. Applications are now being accepted for 2017 funding.

WA Irrigation District Settles Illegal Water Use Case

The Washington Department of Ecology had fined the district in 2015 for diverting water that was placed into trust to protect critical stream flows for threatened steelhead in the Touchet River. The river is part of a watershed that is one of 16 considered critical for providing habitat for threatened migratory fish.

BSEE, NASA Reach Five-Year Agreement

BSEE will benefit from using probabilistic risk assessment, a technique to quantitatively model risk that was used in the modeling of the space shuttle program and is currently being used for the International Space Station and Orion deep space capsule programs.

With an approved Initial Funded Priorities List that invests $183 million in restoration projects, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council will now begin to prioritize projects to receive funding from BP settlement funds.

USDA's Vilsack Becomes Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council's Chair

With an approved Initial Funded Priorities List that invests $183 million in restoration projects, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council will now develop the next iteration of the Comprehensive Plan and begin to prioritize projects to receive funding from BP settlement funds.

Remediation has for decades played a key role in reducing or eliminating contaminants from soil and groundwater. (Regenesis photo)

Preparing for El Niño: How Mitigating Contamination Risks Maximizes Remedial Outcomes

In today's highly industrialized societies, rushing waters aren't always a welcome sight, particularly when viewed from the perspective of remediation professionals who work to eliminate or mitigate the levels of hazardous materials from both private and public soil and groundwater.

California Agency Finds Invasive Mudsnails in Feather River

CDFW biologists are conducting additional sampling in adjacent water bodies around and connected to the Feather River, including Lake Oroville, its Forebay and Afterbay, and the Yuba River to get a better idea of the geographic range of this new population.

President Designates Three New National Monuments in California

The White House announcement said President Obama has now protected more than 265 million acres of land and water, the most among all U.S. presidents.

UN Celebrates World Wetlands Day

Thus far, 169 countries have signed the Convention on Wetlands and more than 2,200 sites have been designated and recognized as Wetlands of International Importance, covering an area larger than Mexico in all.