Erica Glasener

Please follow this advice for the 🦔 🦔 🦔

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#VADs or Voluntary Agricultural Districts are an essential tool for ensuring the long-term protection of farm and forest land in North Carolina. These programs are a highly effective way to safeguard agricultural spaces from encroaching urban sprawl. By promoting land use policies that favor farming, VADs help preserve farmland and support agricultural communities. North Carolina, historically a great place to live and work, is experiencing significant migration, partly driven by new developments such as Walt Disney's Asteria Community, which plans to introduce over 4,000 new houses. This influx of residents can lead to increased pressure on rural lands, traffic and quality of life making the protection of agricultural spaces more crucial than ever. Varying slightly county by county here are the key features: 🏡 Protection from Non-Farm Development: VADs provide a buffer against urbanization by restricting non-farm development within designated districts. 🚜 Signage and Public Awareness: Farms in VADs can display signage indicating their participation, raising public awareness and support for agricultural preservation. 💰 Reduced Utility Assessments: Farmland within VADs is often eligible for reduced utility assessments, lowering operational costs for farmers. 💲 Eligibility for Agricultural Grants: Farmers in VADs are prioritized for various agricultural grants and funding opportunities. 🕰Commitment Period: Typically, farmers commit their land to a VAD for a three-year period and can cancel anytime. An Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District (EVAD) is 10 years, offers more benefits, but does not allow for early cancellation. For farmers in North Carolina, enrolling in Voluntary Agricultural Districts (VADs) is a proactive step towards securing the future of their farmland. These programs not only offer significant protections and benefits but also play a vital role in preserving the agricultural landscape amidst growing development pressures. As North Carolina continues to attract new residents and developments, these conservation programs provide an essential framework for maintaining the state's agricultural identity! Several other states offer similar programs (Comments). Does your State, Province, or Country offer similar programs? #AllAgConsidered #Education #Agriculture #Urbanization #NorthCarolina #Conservation

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#WaterWiseGardening uses many strategies, which Sue Reed and I discussed at length in our award-winning book, "Climate-Wise Landscaping: Practical Actions for a Sustainable Future." https://lnkd.in/etM32gwe What was interesting, though, in thinking about the climate, was considering that saving water not only preserves this limited resource, but also because saving water also reduces energy, that this action reduces greenhouse gas emissions. This is only one instance where writing this book changed our thinking about gardening and landscaping projects and actions.

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In this paper, we show that mixing tree species having both ecto- and endo-mycorrhizal associations increases overall productivity

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Good article on NPR about one of the many lakes we are working to mitigate toxic algae blooms, https://lnkd.in/gw7RWfJh

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🌿 New Blog Post! 🌱 Explore the latest "Garden Musings" on balancing native and non-native plants in your sustainable landscape. Learn how to create a thriving garden that supports pollinators, conserves water, and looks stunning all year round. 🌸🌼 Check it out: https://bit.ly/3SeGelx #SustainableLandscaping #NativePlants #GardenDesign #EcoFriendly #LandscapeDesign

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We hear about algal blooms, about mass fish die-offs "due to low oxygen". We hear of our government spraying poisons in bodies of water to eradicate overgrowth of aquatic plants due to high nutrient load (pollution) or annoying blockages they cause in water systems. Nature is not only the messenger, telling us where we are going wrong but also, through its response to what we are doing wrong, often works to fix the damage. Instead of listening, we shoot the messenger.... spraying more poisons to control the horrible enemy vegetation/algae or we just blame it on "low oxygen" to remove ourselves from the fact that such conditions are a result of our actions. War continues to be waged on nature. WE ARE SHOOTING THE MESSENGER. It is time to listen intently to the messenger, to hang on nature's every word and respond appropriately. #pesticides #herbicides #chemicalpollution https://lnkd.in/dn2-QPXJ

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NATURE'S KEEPERS In the world of zoo operations, every day brings new discoveries and challenges. From dawn till dusk, we're constantly learning—whether it's understanding how giraffes communicate through their behavior or figuring out the best way to manage habitats. Environmental conservation biology is at the core of managing nature, including wildlife, in any setup, whether insitu (in their natural habitat) or exsitu (in captivity). It's about protecting species and their habitats, ensuring they thrive for generations to come. Each animal interaction teaches us something valuable, helping us refine our care and conservation efforts and to learn from nature to better our existing social relationships. All we are, we learn from nothing but nature, be it the most sophisticated advanced scientific breakthrough. This should sound an alarm for more people to enroll in nature conservancy like zookeeping, because what you save today saves you tomorrow. In our team, everyone plays a very important role. Keepers, managers, and technical staff each bring their expertise, contributing to our collective knowledge. We rely on clear communication and teamwork to ensure the well-being of our animals and the success of our conservation programs. Mistakes happen, but they're opportunities for growth. As Theodore Roosevelt said, "The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything." We learn from our experiences, constantly improving how we care for animals and manage their environments. Zoo operation is considered by most as dirty, less rewarding financially, and risky. However, for the passionate and committed individual, it's a lifetime opportunity to connect with nature and communicate the interdependencies that exist between us and other forms of life. Yes, it's a dirty job, but consider this: the food we eat comes from the earth. Yes, it's often perceived as a low-paying job, yet have you noticed how zookeepers are among the happiest people when caring for and protecting the lives they interact with? In the long run, our goal is to inspire a love for wildlife and educate the public about environmental conservation and to learn from nature to better our existing social relationships. Every task, from cleaning enclosures to conducting research, plays a part in this mission. Together, we're committed to making a difference in the world of wildlife conservation, one day at a time.

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"What if our governments incentivized reconnection with heritage — reclamation of traditional foodways, ceremonies, and earth-based practices? Truly effective responses to healing the climate catastrophe necessarily includes the restoration of Right Relationship to traditions and cosmologies that center wholeness within our fractured families. Only when we grieve for what we’ve lost from the colonial disease of dislocation can we begin to reclaim the depth of connection our ancestors once knew. Healing the compartmentalization patterns that we inherited for survival is precisely when our inner prophet awakens: the one who can imagine and enact nodal Change Across Scales. These changes are nonlinear and profound, creating the ripple effect that Abrah Dresdale terms 'positive contagion'. What sectors in your life are impacted by inherited patterns of fragmentation? What reconnection practices might nurture the prophet archetype to awaken in you?" Excerpt from Regenerate Change's newsletter, which I recommend subscribing to here: https://lnkd.in/eZ5tcrAP

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Let's talk biodiversity global institutions. These are treaties that are renewed. The American president signs on to all biodiversity treaties. You may think you own the great smokey mountains, but it's under a biodiversity treaty. What does that mean? It means your ownership is stripped from you and they control the land and decisions made with it.. Here's what's important, Pakistan's government is talking legalization of CBD and destroying THC hash cultivars forever. There is a new movement needed to pressure our public servants to step in and defend the preservation of THC landrace genetics. We can end all biodiversity treaties, it's not written law, our land belongs in their control forever. The purpose of all biodiversity ecological systems, is to keep humans from entering protected areas. With orders to shoot anyone who crossing the line. The army protecting these areas are UN soldiers. The prospect of new towns, new jobs, will open to everyone and everywhere prosperity will flourish, when we take back our resources from foreign entities, that decides which cannabis lives. and which cannabis dies. In the heart of every stoner is a breeder's soul to exist, gather ye landraces and breed them, before THC is removed from cannabis cultivation forever. That day is near if we don't stop the destruction of the world's supply of landraces. You don't need hybrids, landraces work just fine, why are we moving ahead without what exist? Are we ripping off the farmers in reality? Yes, dealers should smoke a finished product, then decide on buying the best for his customers to purchase. This ensures quality of the cannabis for customers. The actual real goal of legalization. 💯 Where is the moral structure from the cannabis industry, and in science? If taking genetics from thieves and making them better is your goal, then mission accomplished 💯🕊

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Even if we manage to align the stars and make significant progress on dramatic #emissionsreduction and #naturebasedsolutions for #climaterestoration and #ecosystemrestoration - and for that matter a fundamental and systemic #civilizationalshift and #economicsystemsshift, we can still expect things to get quite a bit messier for a pretty long time, before they get better. Here's a start about why - and we know that ocean thermal mass is huge, and changes are slow.

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I love practicing regenerative farming. It's how I stay grounded and humble. It also gives me great discernment for who and what is pretending to be regenerative and who is sincere. During Kali Yuga, we are all being challenged to discern wisely. #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativeeconomics

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Many of us grow plants in raised beds. Why? They offer protection from slugs and have better drainage than the soils common in our backyards. Raised beds especially benefit gardeners in rainy climates where excess moisture is common. I tend plants in the wet weather of the Pacific Northwest, and these are nineteen striking ornamentals I love to cultivate. Annuals and perennials are listed here that anyone can try, from Florida to Washington. I'm curious though—what plants would you recommend to rainy climate gardeners? 🌾 #epicgardening #raisedbeds #pnw

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Dr. Sylvia Earle, Her Deepness, is one of my sheros and inspirations. Join us at the Sun Valley Forum to learn from Dr. Earle about how we can all participate in protecting our oceans. Get a preview below. Mission Blue / Sylvia Earle Alliance Aimée Christensen Christensen Global

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Me: "I'll just send a quick article pitch" The quick pitch: ☎️ Getting in touch with my marine biologist contacts to see what as-yet-unpublished studies or new conservation initiatives they have in the pipeline 👀 Looking through journal newswires and pre-prints to find gems for a story 💡 Once I've got an idea, deciding which publication it might be best for 📚 Reading a few issues of said publication to gauge if this story could actually be a good fit and, if so, which section it could work for 🔍 Searching old issues and the website archive to see if they've already featured something too similar 🕵️‍♂️ Researching who the correct editor is and finding their contact details 🐦 Check out their social profiles - have they shared any tips on what they're looking for right now or the types of stories that work/don't work for them? ✅ Checking their submission guidelines 📝 Writing the pitch!!! 🎣 Making sure I've covered key points e.g. why would they be interested, why now, and why should I write it? 📨 Sending my pitch ⌛ Waiting for a response 👋 Sending a gentle nudge (if appropriate/relevant) if I haven't had a response before I try the story elsewhere 🔄 If it was a no / no response, starting from point 3 (thinking of a publication that might be interested) and trying again It can be fairly exhausting before you've even got the commission 😴 (and sometimes you have a great story that you just can't place at all! What goes on behind the scenes in your business that people don't realise? #ScienceWriter #FreelanceWriter #ScienceJournalist - Fin - 🦈 Hi! I'm Mel and I write about the ocean. Want me to write for you too? Cool! Get in touch 💙

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