Modified items

All recently modified items, latest first.

Power Companies, Tribe, Agencies Take Steps to Save Rare Fish: Power companies, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and state and federal agencies have come together to conserve the sicklefin redhorse, a fish found in only six Appalachian counties worldwide and being considered for the federal endangered species list.

Happy Birthday, National Wildlife Refuge System!: Hooray for America’s nature. One big reason it’s there to treasure: the National Wildlife Refuge System, the world’s premier network of public lands devoted to wildlife conservation. The Refuge System turns 113 on March 14.

Announcing Deadlines for Southeast Grants: The Open Space Institute is now inviting proposals for two complementary land conservation grant funds in the Southeast: Southern Cumberland Land Protection Fund and Southeast Resilient Landscapes Fund.

Funding Opportunities: An updated list of funding opportunities for projects pertaining to landscape conservation, climate change, and more.

Water Rights & Wetland Restoration Webinar: Will share key terminology and the principles behind the Prior Appropriations Doctrine, as well as variations in the laws and water administration in the Western United States.

USDA, Partners to Invest $720 Million in Large-Scale, Targeted Conservation Projects across the Nation: Regional Conservation Partnership Program Pools Together $220 Million Investment from USDA, up to $500 Million from Local Partners to Improve Water Quality, Soil Health, Habitat and More

Section 2: Science Capacity within the Appalachian Community Federal Departments/Agencies

Section 1: Biodiversity and Conservation Challenges Across the Appalachian Region

Previous Habitat Assessments within the Appalachian LCC: This spreadsheet provides the results of habitat assessments from five previous research projects. These include two projects in the Central Appalachian and Cumberland - Southern Appalachian portion of the LCC; habitat assessments completed in the North Carolina portion of the Cumberland - Southern Appalachian subregion; habitat assessments in the northeastern portion of the Central Appalachian subregion; and a draft assessment for a habitat in the Interior Low Plateau.

Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry Mesic Oak Forest: This habitat of upland hardwood-dominated forests occurs in the Interior Low Plateau region of the southeastern United States along ridgetops and slopes of various aspects. The floristic expression of different stands included in this habitat varies considerably with aspect and soil type. Included here are a variety of associations ranging along a moisture gradient from submesic to drier ones. The submesic to dry-mesic expressions tend to be found on midslopes with northerly to easterly aspects, and the drier ones on southerly to westerly aspects and on broad ridges. Parent material can range from calcareous to acidic with very shallow, well- to excessively well-drained soils in the drier expressions and moderately well-drained soils in the submesic to dry-mesic ones. The canopy closure of this system ranges from closed to somewhat open in the drier examples. Historically, these examples may have been more open under conditions of more frequent fire.

Central Interior Highlands Calcareous Glade and Barrens: This habitat is found primarily in the Interior Highlands of the Ozark, Ouachita, and Interior Low Plateau regions with scattered occurrences in northern Missouri. It occurs along moderate to steep slopes and steep valleys on primarily southerly to westerly facing slopes. Limestone and/or dolomite bedrock typify this system with shallow, moderately to well-drained soils interspersed with rocks. These soils often dry out during the summer and autumn, and then become saturated during the winter and spring. Fire is the primary natural dynamic, and prescribed fires help manage this system by restricting woody growth and maintaining the more open glade structure.

Where the Not-So-Mighty Chestnut Still Grows: A recent study by U.S. Forest Service, university, and state agency researchers provides baseline information on contemporary populations of American chestnut needed to support restoration of the tree to the forests it once dominated.