ConWatch Summer 2012 Final

7/31/2019 ConWatch Summer 2012 Final

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CONSERVATIONWATCHA P UB L I CAT I O N O F T H E G A R D E N C L UB O F A ME R I C A

IN THIS ISSUE:WOMEN IN WASHINGTON

THE FARM BILL - A MULTI-BILLION

DOLLAR NECESSITY

INTERVIEW WITH NOAA'S

THOMAS KARL

THE CENTENNIAL FOR OUR

NATIONAL PARKS

TAX CREDITS FOR

RENEWABLES AT RISK

AND MORE.


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CONSERVATION WATCH | SUMMER 2012

INDEX

THE CENTENNIAL FOR OUR NATIONAL PARKS 1

BY SHARON BLACKBURN

ENERGY POLICY TODAY 4

BY BARBARA GELTOSKY

WHAT DOES CLIMATE CHANGE LOOK LIKE? 6

BY LINDA JAMES

INTERVIEW WITH THOMAS KARL -DIRECTOR OF NOAAS NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER 8

BY SUZANNE CANFIELD

THE USDA AND AGRICULTURE DEPUTY SECRETARYKATHLEEN MERRIGAN 12

BY NANCY MCKLVEEN

THE FARM BILL - A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR NECESSITY 13

BY ANNIE AGER

THE BILLBOARD MENACE COMMITTEE 17

BY FRANCES TRAFTON

TAX CREDITS FOR RENEWABLES AT RISK 19

BY CELIE HARRIS

ARE LITTLE GREEN FLOTILLAS ON THE POLLUTION DIET? 23

BY CAROL DAVIS

WOMEN IN WASHINGTON 26

BY ELVA BUSCH


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Americas Naional Parks have been an iconic symbol

o he American ideniy since hey were esablished in

1916. Mos Americans have a avorie park or a park

hey have always waned o visi. In changing imes,

however, he parks are experiencing he resuls o a

disconnec rom naure aecing many people due o

less access o naural places, he increase in echnology-driven enerainmen, or jus lack o knowl-

edge abou our naural landscapes. Te crush o developmen and consan pressure on resources

combined wih budge cus means ha he parks are acing a challenge and jus in ime or heir

Cenennial Celebraion in 2016!

Te Naional Parks

Conservaion Associa-

ion (NPCA), an inde-

penden, nonparisanorganizaion esablished

in1919 o address he

hreas o Americas na-

ional parks, is working

o resolve hese looming

problems and o urn

he Cenennial ino a

ime o char a course

orward. In January, he

NPCA along wih he

park concessionaires and he Naional Parks Foundaion, convened a wo-day Naional Parks Summi

in Washingon, D.C. ha atraced a widely diverse group o sakeholders. Tey included ourism and

conservaion leaders, he recreaion indusry, poliical advisors, Naive peoples, and a represena-

ive rom he GCA! Te goal was o develop uniying, clear objecives o ensure ha he parks are

equipped o mee new challenges and o plan or ways o ensure adequae unding. A Call o Acion

Plan deails parks prioriies. (www.nps.gov/calloacion/)

Five o many discussion poins coming ou o he Summi were:

1. Te need or large landscapes o proec park boundaries, o creae or mainain migraion

corridors, and o connec pockes o habia.

2. Te goal o bringing more youh o he parks as visiors, voluneers, inerns, and summer

workers as well as bringing he parks o youh hrough educaional programming in schools

THE CENTENNIAL FOR OUR

NATIONAL PARKS

BY SHARON BLACKBURN

Loveland Garden Club (NE) Zone XI,Vic e Chairm an, GCANational Affairs and Legislation Committee,National Parks/Public Lands

GAIL CLARK, SHARON BLACKBURN, TOM KIERNAN, PRESIDENT,

NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION,

AND RI CH IN NES, WAS HINGTON D.C. CONS ULTANTPhoto by Canfie ld and Ross


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and even naional parks hemed video games!

3. Te imporance o uilizing elecronic echnologies o atrac and educae visiors.

4. Te need o represen a diverse populaion in all areas rom employmen o he creaion o

new hisoric and heriage park unis.

5. Recogniion o he parks as jobs creaors and economic drivers o local economies, reurn-

ing $4 or every ax dollar invesed. Jobs are creaed in mainenance, sang, building, and

aciliies managemen as well as in ourism. Americas naional parks are a huge atracion or

inernaional visiors, and are a ocus o he Presidens new ourism iniiaive.

NPCA has colleced 325 signaures o dae, and hopes o reach 1000 signaures in suppor o is

National Parks For a New Century: Statement of Joint Principles. Tese principles se goals

he parks will work oward in order o remain relevan, viable, and dynamic. Te Conservaion/

NAL Commitee o GCA voed unanimously a he 2012 Washingon NAL Meeing o ask he GCA

Board o join he many organizaions ha have signed on o he Principles as expressions o suppor.

Te GCA Board approved his reques and so he GCA coninues is special relaionship wih heNaional Parks.

A brie summary o he Join Principles:

Wemustrestore,preserve,andprotecttheparksair,water,animalandplantlife.

YOSEMI TE NAT IO NAL PARK

Photo cour tesy of Publ ic Domain Photo


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Nationalparksmustreceiveadequatefundingfortheprotectionofourheritage.

NationalParksandParkServiceprogramsdependondiversepartnerships.

eParksmustevolvewithachangingAmericatoaccommodateurbanizationanddiversity.

NationalParksfosterhealthymindsandbodies.

Educationalprograms,naturalandculturalresources,andparksfacilitiesshouldbeofexcep-

ional qualiy and mee he needs o a diversiy o visiors.

(For a complete Statement of the Joint Principles: www.2016parksummit.org/next-steps/sign-on-form.html).

Why did GCA suppor he Park Principles? GCA has

always had a close connecion o he parks ever since he

ounding o boh organizaions (1913 and 1916, respec-

ively.) Members were supporive in no only creaing na-

ional parks bu also in creaing he Naional Park Service

in 1916. Tey suppored Minerva Hamilon Hol in herdecade-long ques ha resuled in he creaion o Joshua

ree Naional Monumen1 and have generally suppored

creaion o new parks and ough agains eors o exploi

park lands or commercial gain, says John Jarvis, NPS

Direcor.

GCA is involved in a number o parks-relaed aciviies.

Earlyon,GCAsSavetheRedwoodscampaignraised

awareness o he necessiy o proec our naural resources.

oday, GCA awards he Sally Brown GCA Naional Parks Conservaion Scholarship each year o

fundaStudentConservationAssociation(SCA)crewleaderatoneoftheparks.GCAmemberEliza-

beh Punam received he 2010 Presidenial Ciizens Medal or launching Americas conservaion ser-

vice movemens wih he ounding o he SCA in 1954, when parks were in a crisis similar o odays.

Elizabethproposedinherseniorthesisthecreationofastudentconservationcorps.GCAagreedto

be a sponsor. Sixy percen o he corps members go on o become conservaion proessionals. GCA

has coninued o help und SCA since 1957 wih almos a million dollars in donaions rom members.

GCA ollows eleven issues in suppor o our posiion papers. Naional Parks is he mos sie-

specic. Oher issues, such as clean air and clean waer, impac he parks. Keeping our public parks

healhy gives us places o achieve our goals or he oher issues.

In addiion, many GCA Parners or Plans programs are in naional park areas. Las Augus a

1 htp://www.naionalparksraveler.com/parks/joshua-ree-naional-park

THE NPS LOGO CONTAINS SEVERAL

IMAGES TO CAPTURE THE SPIRIT OF

OUR NATIONAL PARKS: THE SEQUOIA

TREE AND BISON REPRESENT VEGETA-

TION AND WILDLIFE, THE MOUNTAINS

AN D WATE R REPRESENT SCEN IC AN D

RECREATIONAL VALUES, AND THE AR-

ROWHEAD REPRESENTS HISTORICAL

AN D ARCHEOLOGICA L VALUES.

Courtesy of NPS.gov


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ormal parnership was renewed beween GCA and he Park Service. A Naional Parks raveler

magazine press release reads: Te Garden Club has played an inegral role in our eors o resore

ederally lised hreaened and endangered plan species and remove exoic plans rom parks."

In March, NPCA suppored a park unding leter in he House and Senae. I asks ha Congress

mee he xed operaions coss in order o address he operaions shorall o $600 million and

hereby preven he loss o park rangers, sa and mainenance unding. Tis budgeary unding is vi-

al. Individually we can suppor our parks by conacing our legislaors. Te NAL Commitee invies

members o conac boh senaors and House members regarding his unding, o endorse he Park

Funding Leter and o voice suppor or Americas bes idea our Naional Parks.

From he Naional Park Foundaion: You are he owner o 84 million acres o he worlds mos rea-

sured memorials, landscapes, ecosysems, and hisoric sies -- all proeced in Americas nearly 400 naional

parks. Join us in supporing your naional parks -- his is your land.

Key energy issues addressed in his elecion year

have included he Keysone Pipeline, clean energy

(noable or he ailure o pass a bill relaed o i),

nuclear saey, and he pipeline saey legislaion

(which did pass).

Te Whie House announced an ambiious energy policy wih a number o signican goals. In-

cluded are developing Americas energy resources hrough oshore drilling reorm; creaing new uel

eciency sandards or cars and rucks; and invesing in clean and renewable energy. Proposals are on

he able o develop renewable energy projecs on public lands, expand he smar grid, and eliminae

ossil uel subsidies.

Te Keysone Pipeline became a lighning rod or environmenaliss. Tey eared he danger o

spills and he carbon ooprin le by ar sands exracion. In January, Presiden Obama veoed he

pipeline proposal, bu i was no game over or he pipeline. rans Canada soon announced hey

would commence work on one segmen o he pipeline in he US. In lae March, Presiden Obama

issued an execuive order o expedie his segmen, despie he ac ha i will do litle o reduce he

cos o gas a he pump.

ENERGY POLICY TODAY

BY BARBARA GELTOSKY

The Gardeners (PA) Zone VVic e Chairm an,GCA National Affairs and Legislation,

Energy Sources


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On he brigh side, Presiden Obama signed ino law he Pipeline Saey, Regulaory Cerainy, and

Job Creaion Ac on January 3rd. Te legislaion reauhorizes regulaory aciviies o he Pipeline and

Hazardous Maerials Saey Adminisraion and doubles penalies o violaors. I was one o he ew

energy-relaed pieces o legislaion o pass Congress his year.

Concern or nuclear saey rose aer he Fukushima disaser. In January, he Presidens blue

ribbon panel made recommendaions emphasizing he need o develop sorage sies and dumps or

nuclear wase and suggesed an overhaul in guidelines or ransporing nuclear wase and spen uel.

Despie saey concerns, he NRC also graned he rs permi or consrucion o a nuclear reacor

since 1978 and appears on rack o gran several permi exensions. Te only cerainy is ha his is a

consanly evolving siuaion.

NAL DELEGATES UNDETERRED BY RAIN ENTERING THE CANNON HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING

Photo by Canfie ld and Ross


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AsExecutiveEditorspecializingintheenvironmentat

Naional Geographic magazine, Dennis Dimick documens

he eecs o climae change in collaboraion wih scien-

iss, research eams, science wriers and phoographers.

Mr. Dimick has employed he vas phoographic resources

oNaional Geographic o visually presen climae change

hrough images ha porray rising emperaures, escalaing exreme weaher evens, meling glaciers,

alling reshwaer ables, eroding soil, diminishing ocean resources and growing populaions.

Summarizing he magazines special is-

sues or he NAL and Conservaion del-

egaes during he Washingon, D.C. meeing,

Mr. Dimick inroducedNaional Geographic

as a conribuor o climae changes scienic

lieraure. I uses dramaic phoographic im-ages and accessible graphic daa in eaures

like Te Big Taw (2007), a repor on a

warming climae ha is meling he worlds

glaciers and polar ice aser han any projec-

ions. Te phoographs rom Greenland

(2010) reec curren meling paterns o

he ice shee, as projecions or a rise in

global emperaure range rom a medium o

4.5 degrees ahrenhei o 9 degrees Fahren-

hei by 2100. Waer: Our Tirsy World (2010) includes phoographic exhibis rom around he

world ha highligh he precarious sae o he worlds resh waer. Te laes special issue, Popula-

ion 7 Billion raises he quesion o jus how many people he earh can suppor as he planes

naural resources coninue o be challenged by he clearing o oress, burning o coal and oil, and he

rising o CO2 in he amosphere all conribuors o changes in climae.

According o Mr. Dimick, he worlds larges indusryagriculureuses 70 percen o he

planes available resh waer. Wih a growing populaion, demand or ood is increasing. Ye by 2050predicions are ha a hird o he worlds populaion may lack a clean, secure source o waer. Wih

a changing climae, he global waer ooprin or key crops is shiing as growing zones move norh.

Te use o more erilizers and pesicides compromise he planes naural resources. Tis all unolds

during Mr. Dimicks power poin presenaion, which mesmerizes he audience wih brillian images

empered by he narraive o a plane challenged o mee he uure needs o i inhabians.

WHAT DOES CLIMATE

CHANGE LOOK LIKE?

BY LINDA JAMES

Garden Club East Hampton (NY) Zone IIIVic e Chairm an, GCA Conser vati on C ommi ttee ,Climate Change

DENNIS DIMICK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NATIONAL

GEOGRAPHIC, SPEAKING WITH LINDA JAMES

Photo by Ross and Canfie ld


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Te Naional Oceanic and Amospheric Adminisraion (NOAA) is he U.S. governmens

weaher service, which provides local, regional weaher orecass and alers or exreme weaher

evens. According o Dr. Kahryn Sullivan, NOAAs Depuy Adminisraor, he worlds greaes

challenge is he changing climae, which calls or an undersanding o how we monior weaher. Her

presenaion addressed he very sophisicaed and accurae sysem o scienic climae modeling andweaher monioring. Tere is an 86 percen increase in usage o NOAAs climae daa or budgeing

and uure planning by such diverse groups as armers, home builders, sae governmens, elecrical,

naional miliary sraegiss and reghers, she said. Waer and ood managemen depends on

undersanding wha is happening in he amosphere.

In hese wo presenaions, NAL/Conservaion Commitee Conerence delegaes learned wha an

invaluable educaional ool he Inerne has become, wih virual imaging accessible on he web rom

naional and inernaional governmen agencies, privae science agencies, he global nonpro secor

and an array o media organizaions. Te Washingon D.C. Conerence provides he Garden Club

o America wih is bes plaorm o prepare members o ac as advocaes o address climae change

naionally and a he sae and local level.

THE GREENLAND ICE SHEET MELTING INTO THE OCEAN OFF THE NEWFOUNDLAND COAST (2011)

Photo by Lesl ie Pierpont


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We all rely on he Naional Weaher Service or

orecass, bu we can only coun on heir accuracy

or abou en days. A proposed bridge, however,

migh need o predic condiions over 75 years or

more. How will planners, large and small, know

wha kinds o environmenal condiions i will

need o wihsand?

Tere is one governmenal agency ha provides inormaion or Americans wheher hey are

planing a garden, considering he easibiliy o solar panels, or building a major bridge or dam. Tis

organizaion oers a wealh o daa and climae modeling inormaion o all comers. Is he Naional

Oceanic and Amospheric Adminisraion (NOAA), and i serves as he source o pracical inorma-

ion or everyhing rom a backyard garden o a major public inrasrucure projec.

Tomas Karl, Direcor o NOAAs Na-ional Climaic Daa Cener (NCDC), who

was inerviewed in he agencys headquarers

in Asheville, Norh Carolina, addresses hese

kinds o pragmaic concerns. Karl is one

o he counrys leading climae scieniss.

He has published more han 150 scienic

aricles and served as lead auhor on several

IPCC sudies, including a 2007 Nobel Prize-

winning assessmen. He is keenly aware

o he link beween he kind o complex

climae research ha NOAA engages in and

he pracical decision-making needs o he

public and privae secors.

In he pas, Karl explains, NOAA has

been able o ake a lo o climaic inormaion rom hisorical daa because he climae has been airly

consan. Dealing wih a climae ha is no longer saionary, however, makes he older inormaionless valuable. Because he climae is changing in ways ha are a couple o decades aser han any-

hing weve been able o observe, Karl noes ha over he course o his cenury, he changes will be

larger han wha weve seen or he las 10,000 years.

Consequenly, he NCDC gahers vas quaniies o daa rom a variey o sources, including

INTERVIEW WITH

THOMAS KARL - DIRECTOR OF

NOAAS NATIONAL

CLIMATIC DATA CENTER

BY SUZANNE CANFIELD

Suzanne Booker-Canfield, Ph.D.,Garden Guild of Winnetka Zone XI

Vic e Chairm an, GCA National Aff airs and Legi slat ion,Climate Change

THOMAS KARL, DIRECTOR OF NOAA'S

NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER

Photo by Suzanne Canfie ld


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geostationaryandpolar-orbitingsatellitesthatprovidemultipleimagesofEartheachdaytobuoysin

he Alanic, Pacic, and Indian oceans ha relae changes in ocean emperaure and saliniy. Using

he ourh-ases compuer in he world, he NCDC builds complex models ha can accoun or

complex inerconnecions such as he ransers beween he land, amosphere, and oceans involved in

he carbon, nirogen, and sulur cycles.

By modeling, or insance, how he ice shees inerac wih he oceans, he NCDC helps provide

valuable daa or inrasrucure planning. Fory percen o our major airpors are wihin a ew ee o

sea level, Karl noes, and sea level, we know, is rising. Wheher helping he Deparmen o Deense

predic how long is coasal raining aciliies will las or simply helping coasal residens plan or

exreme weaher, he NCDCs predicive models appear o play an imporan role in many aces o

American lie.

In ac, hese elaborae compuer models helped he NCDC map new plan hardiness zones,

which are based on he average exreme minimum emperaure. Ta process presupposed a sableclimae, since i was derived by averaging he pas 30 years emperaures. Now, however, he zones

need o be revised every en years. In ac, or he rs ime, he NCDC is also puting ou dynamic

normals o ry o accoun or he ac ha he climae is warming. Te dynamic normals could give

you some insigh ino wha he rends are doing, says Karl.

BILLION DOLLAR WEATHER DISASTERS 1980-2011

Graphic at NCDC


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Te NCDC has parnered wih he American Proessional Gardening Adminisraion o inroduce

inormaion a boanical gardens or arboreums. In addiion o he plan hardiness zones, he NCDC

has launched an inormaional campaign o address how climae change is aecing wha we grow.

Karl old he sory o how when he buil a house eigh years ago, he needed o plan some rees. I

love sugar maple, he said, bu decided o grow red maples because sugar maples aren hea-oleran

compared o red maples. He laughed ha i may sound small, bu hese rees were abou $75 apiece,

and i I was going o spend $750, I waned o make sure hey were going o live. Tose are he kind o

decisions ha aec individual homeowners, he noed.

Karl spoke o GCA members a he 2011 NAL meeing in Washingon. He emphasized he link

beween climae change and exreme weaher evens. No surprisingly, Karl called his one righ:

America suered 14 "billion-dollar disasers" in he orm o droughs, sorms, oods, and res ha

killed 688 people and resuled in more han $52 billion in damages.

Wih he concenraion o carbon dioxide in he amosphere coninuing o rise, Karl explains, weunfortunatelyhaveseenoverthelastdecadewerehigherthanthehighestprojection.AstheEarth

warms, he exreme weaher evens we saw las year will become more likely. Weve seen some raher

remarkable increases in exreme precipiaion evens over he las 40-50 years, Karl said, comparing

he resulan increase in waer vapor in he amosphere o he visible seam coming o a boiling po.

A CHAN GING CL IMATE IS CHAN GING PLANTSGraphic cour tesy of NOAA


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Were doing somehing similar o he amosphere.

As a resul, observaional daa reveals he wind speed in he sronges o hurricanes is increas-

ing. Tough here are no necessarily more sorms, Karl noes ha he sronges ones do seem o be

geting sronger. Sub-ropics will ge drier, and higher laiudes will ge weter. Wih waer already

scarce in he Souhwes, he concern or waer resources mouns. As emperaures coninue o warm,

you need more waer o coninue o grow he same kind o hings you grow oday, so Karl worries

abou wha could happen o he U.S. corn, whea, and soybean crops i we had he kind o caasroph-

ic crop ailure ha Russia experienced in 2010.

Tese higher winer emperaures also make invasives and pess more problemaic. Karl cies he

way he lodge pole pine beele has decimaed so much o he Wes as a case in poin. Tese pess

mean more insecicide use. A armer in Florida probably sprays ve or en imes more han one in

New York or he same kind o crop has grown, he says. Te increased insecicide means more

runo and more opporuniies or i o be cycled hrough he ood chain.

Despie he increasingly imporan role ha climae orecasing plays in helping individuals,

businesses, and he public secor make saer, sounder, and more cos-eecive decisions, he House

recenly approved an amendmen o cu unding or NOAAs Climae.gov sie, he agencys mos ac-

cessible vehicle or his climae inormaion, by $542,000.

Tis unding cu comes on he heels o a Yale sudy published in March, which repors ha wo-

hirds o he American people believe global warming made several recen exreme weaher disasers

worse, and 82 percen o Americans personally experienced one or more ypes o exreme weaher or

naural disaser in he pas year, including he unusually warm winer o December 2011 and January

2012, record high summer emperaures in he U.S. in 2011, he drough in exas and Oklahoma in

2011, record snowall in he U.S. in 2010 and 2011, he Mississippi River oods in he spring o 2011,

and Hurricane Irene.

As adapaion sraegies are developed o address hese exremes, he work o NOAA and he

NCDC becomes more imporan han ever.


14/3312


Kahleen Merrigan was chosen as Depuy

Secreary o he U.S. Deparmen o Agriculure

(USDA) by Secreary Vilsack in 2009 as an indica-

ion ha he USDA was planning o embrace

organic and susainable ood producion. One o

he rs hings she did was o launch Know Your

Farmer, Know Your Food, an ongoing USDA iniiaive o connec armers and consumers ha is

inended o creae economic opporuniy in rural America hrough local and regional ood sysems.

In an eor o connec wih he NAL meeing delegaes, Dr. Merrigan hanked hem or heir iner-

es in ood and agriculure policy. She remarked ha he worlds capaciy o produce enough ood is

challenged by waer shorages, a xed land base, less arable land, compeiion or energy resources,

and climae change. She acknowledged he recommendaion in he GCA Posiion Paper on Climae

Change or he promoion o more localized sysems o ood producion and consumpion.

Depuy Secreary Merrigan

repored on he hird anniversary

o he USDA Peoples Garden. Te

rs Peoples Garden, siuaed on

he USDA grounds, was he way

Secreary Vilsack chose o com-

municae he agencys mission

o susainabiliy. In paricular, i

promoes he imporance o resh

ruis and vegeables, a cornersone

o he agencys push o improve

school nuriion and reduce child-

hood obesiy. Tere are now 1,400 Peoples Gardens across he naion ha donae over one million

pounds o produce! In addiion, he Whie House Garden reecs he Firs Familys commimen o

resh, healhy eaing and susainable agriculure.

NAL meeing delegaes were oered examples o USDA responses o he worlds ood needs,including grans ha have been awarded or research, educaion, and exension work on waer-relaed

issues in communiies across he naion. Te Conservaion Sewardship Program (CSP) has also pro-

vided enhancemens or millions o acres o armland which improve waer and soil qualiy, enhance

wildlie habia, and address he eecs o climae change. USDA coninues in research parnership o

reduce ne greenhouse gas emissions rom agriculural sysems around he world.

THE USDA AND AGRICULTURE

DEPUTY SECRETARY

KATHLEEN MERRIGAN

BY NANCY MCKLVEEN

Des Moines Founders Garden Club (IA) Zone XIAdvi sor, GC A Na tion al A ffi airs and Legi slat ion Comm itte e

NANCY MCKLVEEN AND KATHLEEN MERRIGAN, DEPUTY

SECRETARY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE



15/3313


Dr. Merrigan encouraged he delegaes o speak ou or crucial programs ha enable amily arm-

ers and ranchers o produce healhy ood, build communiy, and susain he environmen. Te Agri-

culure Reorm, Food and Jobs Ac o 2012, known as he Farm Bill, is debaed, amended and passed

by Congress every ve years and is o be renewed his year. As a mulibillion-dollar piece o legislaion

wih ar-ranging impacs on our healh, environmen and ood, members o Congress need o hear

rom concerned ciizens.

On Tursday June 21, he nearly $1 ril lion 2012 Farm

Bill passed he Senae wih a voe o 64-35. Marha Phil-

lips, in her maserul legislaive review, was in awe a he

immensiy o he bill - a 1000 pages i was 400 pages

longer han he 2008 arm bil l. According o indusry

groups, he spending associaed wih he arm bill relaive o he ederal budge alls somewhere

beween educaion and social securiy, and he bill direcs policy or everyhing rom ood samps o

crop insurance, arm subsidies o school lunches, energy, oresry and weland preservaion. A noable

policy change in he Senae bill is he eliminaion o millions o dollars in direc paymens o armers

and armland owners, in avor o crop insurance o proec agains price drops and crop yield ailures.O he 300 amendmens

proposed, oor voing

ook place on 73, and

noable amendmens

included he reducion

o crop insurance subsi-

dies o arms wih a gross

adjused income greaer

han $750,000 and he

requiremen or conserva-

ion compliance in order

o be eligible o buy crop

insurance. As he bill goes

THE FARM BILL - A MULTI-

BILLION DOLLAR NECESSITY

BY ANNIE AGER

French Broad River Garden Club (NC) Zone VII

Vic e Chairm an, GCA Conser vati on C ommi ttee , Ag ricu lture

FARM BILL SPENDING

Graphic by Congressional Research Service


16/3314


o he House, budge and deci concerns place crucial conservaion and resoraion programs a risk

as eors are made o cu projeced spending levels.

Farm Policy unil he 1960s deal wih rural ood producion and regulaion, and he rs arm bill

daes back o he New Deal. In 1960, rural represenaion in Congress was diminished, as populaion

densiy in he ciies increased. Rural legislaors were orced o acknowledge and suppor urban issues

in order o ge rural programs enaced. Consequenly, under hen-Presiden Kennedy, he ood samp

program became a par o he arm bill. oday, SNAP (he Supplemenal Nuriion and Assisance

Program), has grown o 69% o he arm bill budge. An addiional $6.4 billion goes o he commod-

iy crops, $5.7 bi llion o crop insurance, $4.5 billion o conservaion, $387 million o energy, and

$305 million o expors. Where, exacly, do all hese billions ge spen?

For he Garden Club and all our members he arm bill provides crucial unding or several conser-vaion programs, including resoraion programs such as he Conservaion Reserve Program (CRP),

theConservationStewardshipProgram(CSP),andtheEnvironmentalQualityIncentivesProgram

(EQIP).efarmbillalsoincludesconservationeasementprograms,includingtheHealthyForests

Reserve Program (HFRP), he Farm and Ranch Lands Proecion Program (FRPP), he Grassland

Reserve Program (GRP) and he Welands Reserve Program (WRP), ha are helping o preserve

FARMLAND CONTINUES TO DISAPPEAR

Graphic at www.farmbil l facts.org


17/3315


millions o acres o imporan landscapes across America. Trough land and waer proecion, he

arm bill does more or clean air and waer han any oher ederal source o conservaion unding.

How are hese programs adminisered, and why are hey so eecive? Troughou he Unied

Saes, in small owns and big ciies, here are USDA Farm Service Agency oces which adminiser

he programs enaced under he arm bill. Farmers apply and receive governmen unding rom hese

local oces, where he armers know he sa, and he sa knows he armers. Te Conservaion

Reserve Program (CRP) is a case in poin. Te CRP encourages armers o conver highly erodible

cropland or oher environmenally sensiive acreage using approved conservaion pracices. Te arm-

ers ren heir land---cropland, riparian areas, marginal pasureland---o he governmen and receive a

50% cos share or planing vegeaive cover, supporing wildlie and pollinaors wih sheler planings

and shade rees, and proecing waersheds

wih riparian buers. Te amoun o permi-

ed CRP acreage is currenly capped a 35

million acres, his would be reduced o 32million in he curren legislaion.

Several programs in he arm bill ocus on

weland preservaion, including he Welands

Reserve Program (WRP), he Conservaion

StewardshipProgram(CSP)andtheEnviron -

mentalQualityInitiativeProgram(EQIP).

eEQIPProgramisadministeredbystate

conservaioniss, and provides echnical and

nancial assisance o help plan and imple-

men conservaion pracices o improve soil,

waer, plan, animal, air and relaed resources

on agriculural land. Te program is compeiive and 60% o he money is se aside or livesock

producion. Farmers implemen conservaion pracices (ence animals ou o creeks, improve sream

crossings) and receive cos share incenives.

Te Welands Reserve Program (WRP) is an addiional conservaion ool, and provides undso resore welands and improve waershed healh hrough long erm or permanen easemens on

welands ha have been in agriculural producion. More han 11,000 landowners have volunarily

enrolled over 2.3 million acres ino he WRP. Tese programs provide real incenives o preserve

naural resources and improve armland.

Te Healhy Foress Reserve Program (HFRP) is also a volunary program, assising landowners

ANNI E AIGER RE PORT S TO NAL DE LEGAT ES

ON AGRICULTURE



18/3316


in he resoraion and proecion o oresland resources on privae land hrough easemens, 30 year

conracs or 10 year cos-share agreemens. Te program aims o promoe he recovery o endangered

and hreaened species under he endangered species ac, o improve animal and plan diversiy, and

o enhance carbon sequesraion.

Anoher imporan program in he 2012 arm bill is he Farm and Ranch Proecion Program

(FRPP). I is he oldes and mos used arm bill program by land russ, and is designed o proec

working lands. Under he FRPP, unds are provided o purchase he developmen righs o keep pro-

ducive arm and ranch land in agriculural use and shi easemens away rom ederal ownership.

Te Farm Bill includes oher incenives or smaller armers: money or armers markes, young

armer and rancher incenives, and grans or organic producion and insurance or specialy crops.

Tese governmen programs all adminisered and unded under he arm bill - have done more o

proec our air and waer han mos ederal legislaion. Nohing seems o cu he unding or he

conservaion programs aser han heir demonsraed eeciveness. Les no le ha happen underhis arm bill. Wrie your Senaors and Congressman and encourage hem o suppor conservaion

programs and unding in he 2012 arm bill.

Sources

1) Te American Farmland rus, htp://www.armbillacs.org

Farm Bill 2012, A ime or ransormaion

2) Naional Farmers Union, htp://www.nu.org

3) Anhony Dowdle, Saf member, Farm Service Agency, Asheville, N.C.

4) Mike Green, Saf member, Souhern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, Asheville, N.C.5) Reorming he 2012 Farm Bill Te Forum a he Harvard School o Nuriion and Science,

htp://www.harvard.edu/orum/arm-bill-2012-reorm.cm

6) Environmenal Working Group, Agriculure htp://www.org/amag 2012 Farm Bill Resources

7) UNC Gillings School o Global Public Healh, htp://www.isph.unc.edu/evens

8) Naional Resources Conservaion Service, U.S.D.A., htp://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs

9) Farm Service Agencies, U.S.D.A. htp://www,usda.gov/esa/sae

10) U.S. News on MSNBC.com htp://pingree.house.gov/index.php?opion--com


19/3317


GCA Presiden Marian Hill addressed he February

NAL conerence in Washingon D.C., providing iner-

esing acs abou he hisory o conservaion in GCA.

GCA began is acivism by ghing billboards in 1919

hrough he creaion o he Billboard Menace Commi-

tee.Eventuallythiscommieejoinedotherstobecome

he GCA Conservaion Commitee. From heir rs appearance in he lae 19h cenury hrough

today,billboardshavemetresistanceonaestheticgrounds.Environmentalandsafetyconcernsadd

o his resisance.

Te gh is ar rom

over - in ac, is geting

worse. odays energy-

guzzling, disracing and

arguably dangerous digialbillboards ash a new ad

every eigh seconds and he

less expensive bu sill eye-

caching 3-D billboards add

o he challenge. Powerul

adverising lobbies gener-

ously conribue o poliical campaigns in hopes o achieving ever more lenien legislaion or insal-

laion o billboards or conversion o digial billboards along our highways. Legislaors respond o his

relenless lobbying by submiting bills o eliminae local conrol o digial billboards. Ye, even when

local ordinances limi billboards, billboard companies oen ignore he rules. Financially srapped ciy,

couny and sae governmens have limied resources o gh back in cour. As early as 1909, many

US ciies ried o ban bi llboards, bu oulawing billboards is seen by many as a clear assaul on prop-

ery righs and he Firs Amendmen. Ohers argue ha he batle isn really abou aesheics, or

wheher billboards consiue an accepable insrumen o commerce. A is core, he issue concerns

corporae power and is inuence over all orms o local democracyciy and couny governmens

and ballo measures passed by voers.1 Four saes go i righ: Vermon, Maine, Hawaii and Alaska

prohibi bil lboards alogeher.

Tere is consan pushback agains he 1965 Highway Beauicaion Ac, which applies o eder-

ally aided primary and deense highways. Tis Ac limis billboards o commercial and indusrial

zones creaed by saes and municipaliies, requiring each sae o se sandards based on cusomary

1 Ray Ring, Billboards vs. DemocracyHow Roadside Adverising Companies Override Your Voe,

High Counry News, January 23, 2012

DIGITAL BILLBOARDS CAN USE MORE ENERGY

IN ONE YEAR THAN THE AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD

Photo by New York Times

THE BILLBOARD MENACE

COMMITTEE

BY FRANCES TRAFTON

Perennial Planters (RI) - Zone IIVic e Chairm an,GCA National Affairs and Legislation,Transportation and Corridors


20/3318


use or size, lighing and

spacing. I prohibis ciy

and sae governmens

rom removing billboards

wihou compensaion o

he owner and requires

saes o mainain eecive

conrol o billboards or lose

ve percen o heir ederal

highway unding. While

many saes ban inermi-

en lighing on billboards,

he adverising indusry argues ha digial billboards moving images are changes in copy, no lighs.

I is no surprise ha you see many more billboards, building wraps, and oher commercial signagein he less afuen pars o own, lowering already-reduced propery values, making i hard o revial-

ize neighborhoods. Sudies show ha ciies wih sricer billboard conrols have greaer median

incomes, lower povery raes and lower home vacancy raes han ciies wih less sric billboard

conrols. 2

Desrucion o rees and oher plans is usually necessary in order o erec billboards. Crude ree

pruning occurs o keep rees rom blocking billboards. And, a leas one company allegedly direced

an employee o poison rees blocking billboards in nightime hi and run atacks. Tis is called veg-

eaion conrol. Propery owners, atraced by renal income or billboards on heir land, are oen

snared by he small prin

in conracs ha makes i

very dicul o remove

exising billboards.

Mos ciizens sup-

por resricions on all

billboards, and digialones in paricular. We are

bombarded by adveris-

ing everywhere, and

billboards conribue

signicanly o his visual

2 Jonahan Snyder, How Billboards Afec Economic Prosperiy Scenic America websie, www.scenic.org

JANE HENL EY AND MARY TRACY, PRES ID ENT, SCENIC AMERIC A


BILLBOARDS ON LONG ISLAND EXPRESSWAY

Photo by New York Times


21/3319


polluion. Wih he excepion o public service announcemens, billboards are all abou consump-

ion. I you would like o oppose hem, boycoting producs adverised in his manner is one way o

gh back. Joining Scenic America is anoher.

Sources and additional resources:

Mary racy, Presiden, Scenic America, speaker a GCA NAL Meeing, February 28, 2012

Harvey K. Flad, Counry Cluter: Visual Polluion & Te Rural Landscape,Annals o he

Academy o Poliical & Social Science, Sepember 1997, pp. 124-125.

Ray Ring , Billboards vs. DemocracyHow Roadside Adverising Companies Override Your Voe,

High Counry News, January 23, 2012, pp. 10-18

Sun Journal (Norh Carolina), June 3, 2011

Tis Space Available, documenary direced by Gwenaelle Gobe, New York Ciy Documenary Film

Fesival, November 2011

www.scenic.org: Scenic America Websie or a 6 minue video on ree cuting and poisoning.

Te Producion ax Credi (PC) was creaed

undertheEnergyPolicyActof1992.Itprovides

an income ax credi o wind energy aciliies o

2.2 cens per kilowat-hour produced rom uiliy-scale urbines during he rs en years o heir

operaion. PCs are given or producion o energy hrough he use o wind, waves and ide, geoher-

mal, municipal solid wase (MSW), bioenergy, and oher susainable resources. Tey are subjec o

renewal, usually in one and wo-year inervals.

Wihou acion by Congress, he PC or wind power will expire a he end o 2012. Te PC or

incremenal hydro, wave and idal energy, geohermal, MSW, and bio-energy will expire a he end

o 2013. 1 (Noe ha ax credis or ossil uel energy are ar greaer han hose or renewable sources,

according o a 2007 Governmen Accounabiliy Oce sudy, and no all are subjec o a similar

renewal process.)

Tere is biparisan suppor in Congress or exending he PC or wind. wo atemps o pass leg-

islaion earlier his year ailed, however. In March Senaor Debbie Sabenow (D-Michigan) proposed

an amendmen o he ransporaion Bill o exend he credis or anoher year. A bill inroduced

1 Producion ax Credi or Renewable Energy, Union o Concerned Scieniss, ucsusa.org, Sepember, 2011.

TAX CREDITS FOR

RENEWABLES AT RISK

BY CELIE HARRIS

Celie Harris, Winchester-Clarke Garden Club (VA) Zone VIIZone VII Representative,

GCA Conservation and NAL Committees


22/3320


by Senaor Rober Menendez (R-New Jersey) would have closed loopholes used by large oil compa-

nies and applied some o he resuling unds o coninuing incenives or alernaive energy sources,

including wind. Boh measures were subjec o a 60-voe hreshold. Te voe on Senaor Sabenows

amendmen was 49-49,

and on Senaor Menen-

dezs bill was 51-49.

Clearly, opinions are

divided on Capiol Hill

regarding producion

ax credis or wind.

So wha do we have

o lose by allowing

wind PCs o expire?

According o an aricleby Alex Guillen in he

April 24, 2012 issue oPoliico, he capaciy o wind generaed energy was abou 1.4 gigawats in

1997,whentheAmericanWindEnergyAssociation(AWEA,www.awea.org)rstkeptrecords(1

gigawat capaciy can power roughly 700,000 homes). Since hen capaciy has grown o 47 gigawats.

2 During periods when he ax credis remained sable, here was remendous growh in wind energy,

including consrucion o wind arms, increasing producion o componens in he Unied Saes,

andcreationofjobsintheeld.AWEAreportsthat38stateshaveutility-scalewindturbines,and

over 400 American manuacuring plans are building wind componens, including urbine com-

ponens, owers and blades. Over 100 o hese manuacuring aciliies have developed since 2007.

Some75,000jobsacrosstheUSaresupportedbythewindindustry.eU.S.DepartmentofEnergy

repors ha over 60 percen o a U.S.-insalled urbines value is produced in his counry. Over he

las ve years privae invesmen has averaged beween $15.5 and $20 billion per year. According o

he wind lobby, ax incenives have encouraged he developmen o hese projecs.

In some areas o he US he percenage o energy is higher han he naional average o 3.25 per-

cen. Iowa is a case in poin. Seve King, a Republican Congressman rom ha sae, is a proponen

o coninuing PCs or wind. Iowa is a wind energy success sory, he says. Iowa was he rs saeo generae 20 percen o is elecriciy rom wind. Now wind suppors as many as 5,000 Iowa jobs

and $11 million in annual land lease paymens o armers. King coninues, Iowa wind has promped

$300 million in privae invesmen in Iowa manuacuring aciliies. Te key o hese jobs and privae

invesmen is a sable ax policy. 3 On May 24h Presiden Obama visied a wind urbine blade manu-

2 Alex Guillen, Congress is aking he Wind Ou o urbine Sales, Poliico, poliico.com, April 24, 2012.

3 Rep. Seve King, Wind Energy: Iowa, model or success, Poliico, poliico.com, February 16, 2012.

ANNUAL ENERGY SU BS ID IES

Graphic by Pfund and Healey, September 2011


23/3321


acuring plan in Newon, Iowa. He said ha coninuing he producion ax credi would save 37,000

jobs which oherwise would be a risk and poined ou ha i Congress doesn ac, companies like

his one will ake a hi. Jobs will be los, he said. Tas no a guess. Tas a ac. 4

Suppor or exension o PCs or wind comes rom a variey o sources. Te lis includes he

American Farm Bureau, Naional Associaion o Manuacurers, Unied Seelworkers, and he Wes-

ern Governors Associaion, along wih newspapers: he Houson Chronicle, Te New York imes,

theDenverPostandtheDailyOklahoman,accordingtoAWEA. 5

Tere have been hree occasions when he wind PC has been allowed o expire. In 1999, 2001

and 2003 Congress ailed o exend he ax credis. In he years ollowing each expiraion, insallaions

dropped beween 73 percen and 93 percen and jobs were los. Given he growh o he wind indus-

ry in he U.S. since 2004, he impac o expiraion o he credis his year would be el more broadly

han i was a decade ago. In a 2011 aricle, Te Union o Concerned Scieniss (UCS) observed ha

he on again/o again saus o he PCs, conribues o a boom-bus cycle o developmen ha

plagues he wind indusry. Lapses in he PC cause a dramaic slowdown in he implemenaion o

planned wind projecs. Upon resoraion, he wind power indusry akes ime o regain is ooing

and hen experience srong growh unil he ax credis expire. Tey poin ou ha he resulan

uncerainy hreaens access o nancing, salls developmen plans, and hereore jeopardizes jobs.

4 Chrisi Parsons and Kahleen Hennessey, Obama urges Congress o exend clean-energy ax credis, laimes.com,

May 25, 2012.

5 American Wind Energy Associaion, awea.org, May 4, 2012.

WIND TURB IN ES ON A RIDGE IN MAUI

Photo by Candace Lyche


24/3322


Te UCS recommends a longer-erm exension o PCs. 6

Othersrecognizetheeectofthepresentuncertainty.InWhatiftheWindPTCExpires?Lind-

say Morris noed, Misubishi Heavy Indusries (MHI) has announced ha i will no build a planned

$100 million nacelle manuacuring plan in Arkansas i PCs are no renewed. MHI currenly

claims 10 percen o he U.S. marke and has several projecs in he works. Morris coninues, Te

bigges poenial consequence o he PC expiraion has come rom wind urbine gian Vesas, which

has already laid o 2,335 employees worldwide and announced in January ha an addiional 1,600

jobs in he U.S. could be a risk i Congress does no exend he PC. 7

O course no energy source is wihou is downside and here are a number o concerns abou

wind energy. Is i cos

eecive? Wha abou

aesheics? Some eel

ha he hrea o birdlie is oo grea. Te risks

mus be weighed, jus as

we examine hose associ-

aed wih oher sources.

Fossil uel energy comes

wih he atendan cos

o air polluion, acid rain

and missing mounain-

ops. Nuclear energy

comes wih he hrea o a meldown or vulnerabiliy o naural disaser riggering allou. A one-size-

s-all energy source doesn exis. I will be necessary, a leas or he oreseeable uure, o use all

o he above, including renewables such as wind. I appears ha he benes o wind ouweigh he

negaives, and ha long-erm exension o PCs will bene U.S. jobs, he economy, and our energy

securiy.

6 Union o Concerned Scieniss, op. ci.

7 Lindsay Morris, Wha i he Wind PC Expires?, renewableenergyworld.com, March 12, 2012

DIANA FISH AND CELIE HARRIS



25/3323


Floaing welands are on he rise. Tey are one o he

newes phenomena on he waer sewardship ron.

Similar o naural welands, hese spongy urs serve

as naures kidneys o help ler ou polluans and

harmul nuriens. However, unlike naural welands,

he plans grow hrough a oaing ma on he surace

o he waer raher han being rooed in botom sedimens. Tese biohavens are no as aeced by

waer level ucuaions ha may submerge and sress botom-rooed plans.

Floaing Island Inernaional, a prooype developmen and licensing company ou o Shepherd,

Monana, has been involved wih over 4,000 oaing weland projecs across he globe. In some

regions, experimenaion wih his relaively new waer-cleansing green echnology has morphed

ino larger-scale projecs. Te science communiy is measuring, esing, and analyzing daa rom a

varietyofsituationsandconditionswithpromisingresults.eresmountingpressureontheEPAto

sancion oaing welands as a Bes Managemen Pracice and a viable alernaive or use in collecingoxic subsances.

Floaing welands uncion

by rooing plans in such a way

ha hey emerge hough a con-

sruced plasic marix on he

waers surace. Naive varieies

o perennial weland vegea-

ion such as sedges, iris, rushes

and pickerelweed are seaed in

pea moss and placed in holes

in mulilayered brous plasic

mesh. Te plans roo sysems dangle beneah he surace in a waer column. Te plasic mas, made

fromrecycledplasticboles(PET),arebondedtogetherwithadhesivemarinefoamforbuoyancy.

Te island is ehered along he shoreline or anchored o he botom. Te cos runs beween $25 and

$32 per square oo. Te biomass on op is harvesed periodically o remove sequesered nirogen

and phosphorous rom he aquaic sysem. Te larges island o dae spans 39,800 square ee.

Te benes o oaing welands are many-old. Te plan roos serve as surace area or biolm o

collec harmul nuriens rom he waer column. Te roos also cach suspended solids. Te plans

on op o he island inges nuriens rom he waer o grow and ourish. Sudies have shown ha he

concenraion load o a 250-square-oo island has he abiliy o ler he same amoun o nuriens

ARE LITTLE GREEN FLOTILLAS

ON THE POLLUTION DIET?

BY CAROL DAVIS

Green Spring Valley G.C. (MD) Zone VIZone VI Representative,GCA Conservation and NAL Committees

FLOATING WETLANDS POLLUTION REMOVAL

Graphic cour tesy ofWiki Commons


26/3324


as one acre o naural we-

lands. Benes include (1)

bringing a concenraed

weland eec o any body

o waer and (2) serving as

shade o help cool he wa-

er or buer sorm surges.

Te plans serve as habia

and a sae haven or birds,

urles and oher visiors

or nesers. Te welands

are adapive o varying wa-

er dephs. Tey also have aesheic and educaional value as healhy clumps o vegeaion, clariying

he waer, enhancing he view, and inviing he curiosiy o passersby. In addiion, below he surace,

an aquaic eeding renzy occurs and suppors he marine ood chain.

Here are a ew snapshos o oaing island projecs:

An insallaion o over 15,000 square ee will be se aoa on Lake Roorua in New Zealand.

Tis projec ollows a successul rial on Lake Rooehue, where, aside rom he nurien reducion,

he oaing welands atraced koura, a New Zealand reshwaer crab delicacy. Te new larger-scale

projec re-engineers more han a hal million recycled plasic waer botles ino he brous marix. A

cuou in he surace will spell he word Roorua as a markeing ploy. Te goal is removal o over 4

ons o nirogen and over 100 kilograms o phosphorus rom he lake each year. A similar projec was

compleed in he Punggoi Reservoir in Singapore in 2010. I is called he Sengkeng oaing weland.

In he Unied Saes, wo 180-square-oo islands are being deployed in Pisgah Sae Park in Penn-

sylvania o comba algae bloom rom excessive nuriens in Sephen Foser Lake, which is par o he

drainage basin or an 11-square-mile agriculural area. How he oaing welands will are in a sae

park seting is o paricular ineres. One beaver has recenly ound is sae haven, creaing a eachable

momen or visiors! In Gainesville, Floridas umblin Creek Park, more han a hundred waerowl

adoped an island as home welve days aer launching oaing welands in a sorm waer reenionpond. In Sheepy Lake, Caliornia, biologiss used a oaing weland o lure Caspian erns away rom

a juvenile salmonid resoraion area. A ew Norh Carolina gol courses are using oaing welands

in heir waer eaures o replace waer qualiy chemicals, comba algae growh, improve he appear-

ance o heir ponds, and help minimize mainenance work and coss. o clean is duck pond, he

VirginiaZooinNorfolkrecentlyconstructedtwo368-square-footislands,partofanElizabethRiver

FLOATING WETLANDS

Photo by Char leston Aquat ics


27/3325


projec wih unding rom a Chesapeake Bay Small Waershed gran. And, or a close-up view, ake a

leap ono he oaing island boardwalk hrough a secion o he San Marco, exas Aquarena welands

projec!

An iniial rial similar o he projec in New Zealand has led o a larger scale oaing weland proj-

ec. In 2010, eigh cordgrass and marsh mallow oas were se o sea near he sie o he World rade

Cener as par o a waerron cleanup eor. Te grasses have successully ed on nuriens ushed

ino he waer rom wasewaer reamen discharges, sewage leaks, and sorm runo. Analyses have

indicaed ha a leas wo pounds o nirogen have been pulled rom he waer or every hundred

pounds o vegeaion. Also, housands o dark alse mussels have atached hemselves o he under-

side o he oaing welands and underwaer videos show crabs, baby rocksh and perch grazing on

he biolm. Laer his spring, y new, larger scale oaing welands will be released in he harbor,

boosing he surace area enold.

More quaniaive daa and urher independen sudies could help expand he oaing welandbrigade. Cos/bene analyses are under scruiny and unding is igh. Floaing welands sill have

notbeensanctionedbytheEPAforachievingTotalMaximumDailyLoad(TMDL)requirementsin

he Chesapeake Bay waershed. Violen sorms wreak havoc on he young islands and re-anchoring,

replaning or complee reconsrucion can be required. Judicious placemen o he oaing welands

is key. Local communiies are jus a he ip o showcasing heir curren successes and oering oa-

ing weland consrucion workshops. Ahoy!

Sources

www.americanarm.com/publicaion/he_delmarva_armer, www.clemson.edu/exension/horicul-

ure/remediaion_ech

www. elizabehriver.org./Feaures/Floaing_Welands.aspx

www.oaingwelands.com

oaingweland.blogspo.com

www.oaingislandswes.com

www.onwisconsin.uwalumni.com.deparmens/bruce kania 75 oaing

www.scoop.co.nz/sories/AK1109/S00885/worldslargesoaingwelandobooslakewaerqualiy.

hmwww.srdem.com Floaing Wealnds oued or Bay Cleanup by Kelley L. Allen

Te Balimore Sun Faux Welands expand in Harbor by imohy Wheeler, 4/9/12

www.dcnr.sae.pa.us/news/resource/res2011/11-0525-mpisgahsp.aspx

www.oaingislandinernaional.com/producs/biohaven


28/3326


Perhaps he wo mos dynamic speakers o address

he 2012 NAL meeing his year were Senaors

Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Kirsen Gillibrand (D-

NY). Boh were well inormed and ully prepared

or heir GCA audience. Boh women discussed he

careul juggling ac o being a U.S. Senaor and mainaining srong amilies. Boh women are married

and each has wo children. Senaor Gillibrand discussed her belie ha children are making he con-

necion beween naure and healh and he imporance o he environmen. Boh alked abou how

women in eleced oce are role models or children and or he women o America.

Senaor Landrieu has been an eleced ocial since he age o 23! She has been a US Senaor since

1996.ShespokepassionatelyabouttheRESTOREAct,whichhaspassedthefullSenateandhas

gone on o he House o Represenaives. Tis bill wil l require 80 percen o BP penalies o be direc-

ed o Gul saes, like her own, o resore coasal ecosysems and rebuild local economies damaged by

he 2010 oil spill.

Senaor Gillibrand is leading a campaign called O he Sidelines. Gillibrand, who was appoined

o ll he remaining Senae erm o Secreary o Sae Hillary Clinon, won a ull Senae erm in 2010

wih 63 percen o he voe. Te senaor is urging more women o ge "o he sidelines" and ge in-

volved in he issues hey care abou. More women, according o he Senaor, need o realize ha heir

voices mater and ha hey can make a dierence. Te campaign suggess ha we are sill discussing

he same issues abou women ha were raised in he 1970's.

Senaor Gillibrand saes ha an inusion o women ino he poliical sysem would go a long way

oward changing he one in Congress, a male-dominaed world o clashing egos. I sruck many o

WOMEN IN WASHINGTON

BY ELVA BUSCH

Santa Fe G.C. (NM)- Zone XII andPlainfield G.C.(NJ) - Zone IV

Vic e Chairm an, GCA Conser vati on C ommi ttee ,Forests and Redwoods

TOTAL NUMBER OF WOMEN IN THE U.S. CONGRESS IN 1938!

Photo cour tesy ofencyclopediaofarkansas.net


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he atendees a he NAL conerence ha here appears o be a loyaly or bond among women serving

in he House and Senae independen o pary lines. Tis creaes a leas he poenial or dialogue

and or compromise ha oen eludes he men serving here.

Jus how bad is i? A he presen ime,

only six women are governors o U.S. saes.

Niney-wo women serve in he 112h Con-

gress: 75 in he House and 17 in he Senae.

Tis is a mere 17 percen o he seas in he

enire Congress. Since 1917, when he rs

woman was eleced o he House, he number

o women serving in Congress has increased

incremenally. Despie he increases, how-

ever, over he hisory o our counry, only

2.2 percen o members have been women.Around he world, women represen 19.3

percen o naional legislaive seas, rank-

ing he U.S. 69h worldwide. Te numbers

are slighly beter in he U.S. when we look

a sae legislaures, where 23.3 percen o

seas are held by women. As Speaker o he

House rom 2007-2010, Nancy Pelosi o Caliornia held he highes posiion o leadership ever held

by a woman in he U.S. governmen. All o his exiss in a counry where he majoriy o people are

women.

Tere are boh symbolic and subsanive reasons why i is imporan o have larger numbers o

women in eleced oce. Rep. ammy Baldwin o Wisconsin has saed, "We wan our young girls and

women o have no glass ceilings in heir lives and in heir uures. Te symbolic impac o being able

tolookatawomansenator,awomansecretaryofstate,awomanasCEOofacompanyaswellas

seeing women in all pars o socieysends he message ha you can be anyhing you wan o be and

here's nohing holding you back." And, as Senaor Gillibrand has said, " When women are par o

he negoiaion and par o decision-making , he oucomes are jus beter. We have so much commonground. We agree on so many basic principles and values. I hink i here were more women a he

decision-making able, we would ge more hings done." By our naure, women are oen nururers

and negoiaors. We wan o nd soluions and move orward. Having more women involved can

help he process. And, some migh say, i may even be criical or he direcion o our counry.

SENATOR MARY LANDRIEU ADDRESSES

THE NAL DELEGATES



30/3328


Te wo emale Republican Senaors rom Maine exempliy how women can make a dierence.

Tey are Senaor Susan Collins and Senaor Olympia Snowe. Sen. Collins came by poliics naurally

- boh o her parens were mayors o her homeown in Maine. She is a member o he Republicans

forEnvironmentalProtectionandisconsideredabipartisanandcentristmemberoftheRepublican

Pary. She hasn' missed a roll call voe in he Senae since 1997! She has been a huge supporer o

he esablishmen o a Naional Women's Hisory Museum in Washingon D.C. She saed when in-

roducing legislaion o designae a sie or he museum, "Te ousanding women who have changed

he counry and he role o women in our counry are he reasons I am proud o sponsor (his) bill.

Women's hisory needs a place in our Capiol and in our collecive American hisory, so we can learn

rom our pas, and be inspired o make hisory o our own."

Sen. Snowe, also one o he ew remaining moderae Republicans in Congress, ghs or women's

righs. She oen allies wih he Democras on issues o women's healh, social issues and gay and

lesbian righs. She has served in he Senae since 1995. She recenly announced ha she would no

be running or re-elecion - a loss o a emale voice in Congress. Her decision o reire, she has saed,

was promped by her disapproval o he increasing polarizaion in Washingon and general parisan-ship in he Senae in recen years. While hose in her own pary have someimes criicized her, she

has said, "I'd raher have company (on her voing posiions), bu i's a dieren poliical world we're

in. Mos people represen eiher red saes or blue saes."

During his spring graduaion season, Presiden Obama spoke a commencemen a Barnard Col-

NAL DELEGATES IN THE CANNON CAUCUS ROOM



31/3329


lege, a woman's college in New York aliaed wih Columbia Universiy. He recognized ha young

women are grappling wih he challenges o making sure hey earn equal pay or equal work, balanc-

ing he demands o job wih amily lie, and conrolling decisions abou heir own healh.

oday, women represen more han hal o he counry and hal o is workorce in erms o heir

numbers. Tey earn more han hal o college degrees a all levels. He challenged he graduaes o

shape no only heir own desinies, bu also he desiny o his naion and his world. His advice was

o no jus ge involved, bu o gh or heir sea a he able. And, perhaps a sea a he head o he

able. He opined ha Congress would ge a lo more done i hey did!

Te Presiden's speech reminds hose o us who are no recen graduaes o heed his words. Te

mos imporan role in our democracy is he role o ciizen. I's up o each o us o sand up and be

heard, o wrie leters, o lobby, o march, o organize, o voe. Don' be conen o jus si back and

wach. Women, such as he delegaes o he annual GCA NAL conerences, can make he dierence.

[Formoreonthistopic,seeDerryMacBride'sarticle,"Don'tGetMad,GetElected,"intheFall,

2011 issue o Conservaion Wach, pages 5 and 6, sill available on he GCA websie.]

Sources:

O he Sidelines Campaign (htp://www.youube.com/wach?v=ZUgSQHeduZE.)

Addresses o Senaors Mary Landrieu and Kirsen Gillibrand, 2012 GCA NAL Meeing,

Cannon Congressional Caucus Room, Washingon, D.C., February 29, 2012.

Bruni, Frank, "Second Acs or Firs Ladies," New York imes, May 22, 2012."Facs on Women in Congress 2011," Rugers Cener or American Women and

Poliics.

htp://www.cawp.rugers.edu/as_acs/levels_o_oce/Congress-CurrenFacs.php

Hernandez, Raymond, "A Gillibrand Campaign: More Women in Poliics," New York

imes, July 4, 2011.

Manning, Jennier E. and Shogan, Colleen J., "Women in he Unied Saes Congress

1917-2012." Congressional Research Service, January 27, 2012.

"Senae Women Face High Sakes in 2012," Hungon Pos, May 12, 2012.

htp://www.hungonpos.com/2011/11/02/senae-women-emale-senaors-

2012_n_1035222.hml

ex, Presiden Barack Obama Barnard Commencemen Speech, May 14, 2012.

"Women in he Senae," Unied Saes Senae.

htp://www.senae.gov/arandhisory/hisory/common/briefng/women_senaors.hm


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

DEBBIE ROSS AND SUZANNE CANFIELD, NAL VICE CHAIRS

Photo by Pat Wall

Special hanks o he NAL Vice Chairs or he Washingon, D.C. meeing, Jennier Jameson, Lisa

Frulla, and Shelley Gilligan; o Debbie Ross and Suzanne Caneld or providing wonderul phoo-

graphs; o Sue Klein and Susan Caven or heir prodigious noe aking and insighul summary; and

o NAL Chairman Melissa McAdams and Conservaon Chair Fayeta Weaver or leading anoher

successul legislaive eor by GCA members in our naion's capiol.

SUSAN KLEIN, NAL FIRST VICE CHAIRMAN, AND SUSAN CAVEN,

CONSERVATION FIRST VICE CHAIRMAN


For addiional inormaion and

phoos rom he 2012 NAL

Meeing, please see he April/

May 2012 issue o he GCA

Bullein, pages 4 - 8.

SHELLEY GILLIGAN, NAL VICE CHAIR,

WASHINGTON D.C. MEET IN G


JENN IF ER JAMESO N AND LI SA FRULLA , NAL VICE CHAIRS ,

WAS HINGTON D. C. MEET IN G


MELISSA MCADAMS, NAL CHAIRMAN



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Fayeta Weaver,Chairman

GCA Conservaion Commitee

Mill Valley Mounain Garden Club (VA)

Zone VII

2502StanleyAvenueSE

Roanoke, VA 24014-3332

(540) 345-2229

[email protected]

Melissa McAdams, Chairman

GCA Naional Aairs and Legislaion

Knoxville Garden Club (N) Zone IX

1043 Craigland Cour

Knoxville, N 37919

(865) 558-9441

(865) 250-3890 (cell)

[email protected]

Candace C. Lyche,Edior


Hillsborough Garden Club (CA) Zone XII

171 New Place Road

Hillsborough, CA 94010

(650) 537-0506

[email protected]

Anne OBrien,Assisan Edior


Columbine Garden Club (AZ) Zone XII

6018EastChollaLane

Paradise Valley, AZ 85253

(480) 874-3323

(480) 970-8328 (ax)

[email protected]

CONTACTS

Conservaion Wach, a publicaion o he Garden Club o America, is produced

by he GCA Conser va ion Comm iee. Reader s' ideas, con ribuions, and

suggesions are welcome, as are requess or addiional inormaion on any o he

subjectspresented,andmaybeemailedtotheEditor.

CandaceLyche,Editor

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