Friday, August 27, 2010

Ducks Unlimited says support America's Great Outoors Initiative and protect our prairies

Please visit the DU official site at Ducks.org to read more and help support DU's work with a full text of the letter reproduced below.
Take Action for the Prairies Today!
Take action today for the PPR!Fellow Conservationists,
Today, many families are losing touch with America's great outdoors. Fields, forests and streams are becoming fragmented by lack of support for conserving these crucial areas. As Ducks Unlimited members, we understand the importance of habitat conservation and have led this charge for decades—and we will continue to do so.
Recognizing the influence the outdoors has on our youth and the need for conserving America's natural landscapes, the president and his administration have proposed the America's Great Outdoors Initiative (AGOI). This initiative is designed to promote the outdoors to youth, advance private-land conservation strategies, and use science-based management practices to restore and protect our lands.
I am asking that you take a moment to e-mail the Department of the Interior, which is currently accepting ideas from the public on how and where the AGOI can provide the greatest benefits for Americans and the natural landscapes that support their outdoor lifestyles and livelihoods. Through sound scientific research, DU knows that the future of waterfowl and waterfowl hunting depend on more aggressive conservation of the Prairie Pothole Region, also known as the "Duck Factory." Encouraging the AGOI to designate the Prairie Pothole Region as a "Treasured Landscape" will help secure the future of waterfowl populations throughout North America.
In the box below is a letter explaining the benefits of making the Prairie Pothole Region a "Treasured Landscape." Please copy this text and e-mail it to the DOI (ago@ios.doi.gov) to express your concern for the future of North America's waterfowl populations and to help ensure that young outdoorsmen and women can enjoy wild places and migrating waterfowl for years to come.
Sincerely, H. Dale Hall Dale Hall CEO, Ducks Unlimited

As a Ducks Unlimited member, outdoors enthusiast and supporter of waterfowl habitat conservation, I strongly recommend designation of the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana as a "Treasured Landscape" in the administration's America's Great Outdoors Initiative.
Within the Prairie Pothole Region lies the Missouri Coteau, America's last great landscape of richly diverse wetlands and native grasslands. This ecologically and culturally unique landscape provides breeding habitat for millions of waterfowl and other migratory birds, and it is also home to a strong outdoors-focused culture and a proud ranching tradition.
The Prairie Pothole Region supports outdoor recreational activities for millions of Americans, providing opportunities for both adults and youth to connect to our natural heritage. Migratory birds produced in the region support or enhance the outdoor experiences of waterfowl hunters, bird watchers, boaters and many other outdoor enthusiasts in nearly every state. Waterfowl hunters alone generate $2.3 billion in local economic value annually and support more than 21,000 jobs throughout the country-revenue and jobs that are vital to local economies. We also support a strong North American Wetlands Conservation Act program and full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Ducks Unlimited, in partnership with the federal and state agencies, numerous NGOs and private landowners, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have worked to curb habitat losses in the Prairie Pothole Region to ensure the future of migratory birds and related natural resource conservation opportunities. Despite these efforts, the native grasslands and wetlands of this cultural and ecological treasure continue to disappear faster than they can be conserved. For these reasons, I urge the administration to recognize the Prairie Pothole Region as a Treasured Landscape.
Sincerely,


Aug9 aubrey.asf

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Please attend tonight's meeting of the Council of Neighborhoods: Agenda below

Please double-click on the image to ENLARGE and widen view of swallowtail on World Peace Wetland Prairie in the Town Branch neighborhood on August 25, 2010, or scroll down to read about Fayetteville's Council of Neighborhoods and Thursday night's meeting of that group in city hall. Please see agenda for the meeting at the bottom of the post.
Please check the agenda and notice that there are two significant presentations slated for Council of Neighborhoods for August 26, 2010. In addition, all people who attend may report on anything of interest to them or others in their neighborhood or on any matter of importance to residents of the city. Many important issues have first surfaced when one person showed up and shared at Council of Neighborhoods. Chances are good that you may get to meet the people who are running for half the positions on the the City Council. And other candidates for public office also may be there. People who attend are not required to speak but have the opportunity to speak on Government Channel or simply meet representatives of other neighborhoods before and after the meeting and suggest subjects for future agendas. If you have never been contacted by anyone from your neighborhood association or don't believe there is an organization in your neighborhood, you can give your address to Julie McQuade, whose contact information is at the bottom of the agenda below, and she can tell you whether one exists and who to contact or how to form one if none exists. Everyone is always welcome at Council of Neighborhoods and often multiple city employees are on hand to answer questions and offer advice on problems people may mention during the meeting. I hope to be early and help create a "quorum." If you have never attended, please give it a try. If you can't attend, watch for the broadcast on Government Channel starting Friday, Saturday or Sunday or one day next week. The Government Channel schedule for the coming week usually is online on Friday afternoon. Of course, if we don't show up, there may not be a quorum and the meeting won't be recorded and shown on City 16.
AGENDA FOR A MEETING OF THE
FAYETTEVILLE COUNCIL OF NEIGHBORHOODS
Thursday, August 26, 2010, 6:00 p.m.
Room 326, City Hall
Call to Order
1.         Introduction of neighborhood representatives
2.         No minutes from July meeting to approve.
3.         Eco-Logical Communities - Michele Halsell
4.         Certified Community Habitat
5.         Chairman’s report
6.         Treasurer’s report
7.         Neighborhood Updates & Announcements
8.         September 30, 2010 Meeting - Candidate Forum
Adjourn
Julie McQuadeCommunity Outreach Coordinator
City of Fayetteville
113 West Mountain, Suite 320
Fayetteville, AR 72701
(479) 575-8302
TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) 479-521-1316


Sunday, August 15, 2010

Two such wetland plants growing together are a strong indicator of wetland

Please click on image to ENLARGE and widen view of Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) and Verbena hastata (swamp vervain) growing together on south Fayetteville wetland.


Thursday, August 12, 2010

Ducks Unlimited members' photo gallery from seasons past

Ducks Unlimited's official Web site offers spot for members to post photos onlne.

 
 
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  • Limits of green on the ice!
  • Brownie watching for geese
  • Tango bringing it home.
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  • Carbon is in training and showing commitment!
  • Wrapping up a morning hunt with Tango in the willows.
  • A morning hunt in the willows for Tango.
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  • Our little muddy buddy!   "Hot Dog, I
  • Hershey boy cooling his jets on a hot summer day.  "Awww, this is more like it."
  • I am so ready.
  • Spring Snows cover the sky
  • Last hunt of the season
  • Spring Snows lift off Grand Pass
  • Spring Snows at Grand Pass
  • Grand Pass Mallards
  • Mallards on the ice
  • Limits of green on the ice!
  • Brownie watching for geese

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