US renewables sector can meet Obama challenge - analysts
| Incentives Can Aid Rare New England Rabbit New England might not be the first place you would go to find endangered species, but it has several imperiled species that could use a helping hand. CCI’s New England staff is developing incentive opportunities for the Northeast similar to those that have been so effective on private lands in other parts of the country. As we focus on high priority species, our broader goal is to benefit many other declining species that share similar habitat requirements.CCI recently began work to benefit the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis), a candidate species that was determined to meet federal listing requirements in 2006 and is currently a high priority on the federal Endangered Species Act waiting list. In the past couple of years, states within the cottontail’s range have taken the initiative to list the species under state endangered species laws. The New England cottontail was designated as endangered in Maine in 2007 and in New Hampshire this past November, and a listing effort began in Vermont two years ago.  New England cottontail habitat. (Photo: Margaret Arbuthnot) The primary reason that New England cottontails are scarce is lack of appropriate habitat. These rabbits require dense, thick shrublands to hide from predators and survive cold, harsh winters. Shrublands also provide year-round food for cottontails and protect young offspring during the breeding season.However, a more-densely populated New England no longer offers cottontails enough large habitat patches. The decline of agriculture and increased development in the Northeast have significantly reduced and fragmented the amount of habitat available to native rabbits, especially in the past few decades.This loss of New England shrubland has imperiled numerous other game and nongame wildlife species. Protecting and increasing New England cottontail habitat will likely benefit other declining species with similar needs, such as the American woodcock (Scolopax minor), chestnut-sided warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica), blue-spotted salamander (Ambystoma laterale), ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) and at least two dozen other birds, reptiles and mammals that are Species of Greatest Conservation Need in New England.Fortunately, private landowners can help the cottontail by improving or expanding its habitat on their land. CCI is working with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, state and local agencies, and private conservation groups to provide private landowners with financial and regulatory incentives as well as technical assistance to restore and manage habitat on their land. NRCS and the Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program are both interested in funding early-successional habitat management at attractive cost-share ratios.To provide an incentive for landowners to take proactive management actions, the states of Maine and New Hampshire are developing statewide Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances. A CCAA is a voluntary agreement between a landowner and FWS. In return for agreeing to specific management measures to help an ESA-candidate species, the landowner gets legal assurances that any future ESA listing of that species will not result in new restrictions on the land enrolled in the CCCA.CCI is working with the State of New Hampshire and potentially the State of Maine as well to develop a programmatic (or multi-landowner) CCAA, and is also working to develop a model CCAA with a large Maine landowner. These agreements will be the first CCAAs in New England.The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has made the recovery of the New England cottontail one of its Keystone Initiatives, and recently awarded funding to establish Restoration Coordinator positions in Maine and New Hampshire. The Restoration Coordinators will take the lead in reaching out to all types of landowners, developing habitat restoration plans and matching landowners with financial and regulatory incentives to catalyze restoration projects.  Landowners interested in helping cottontails with habitat can consult our new publication, A Landowner’s Guide to New England Cottontail Habitat Management. It offers background on the rabbit’s biology and decline, as well as detailed management suggestions for creating or improving habitat for the rabbit. An appendix lists financial and technical resources to assist landowners with habitat restoration projects.The New England cottontail is the region’s only native cottontail rabbit. With increasing interest and funding sources to help the cottontail, CCI is hopeful that it and other shrubland habitat wildlife will fare significantly better in the future.Margaret Arbuthnot |
Agucadoura Generating Power for 1,500 Homes As the conventional sources of energy are dwindling, scientists are continuously looking for alternative sources of energy. We are frequently reading about generation of alternative and clean energy from unconventional sources. Portugal built Agucadoura, the world’s first wave farm off its coast. This wave farm has three Wave Energy Converters which are producing a [.]Posted in: Future Energy, Industry, Wave Power |
| US renewables sector can meet Obama challenge - analysts Environmental Finance, 15 January 2009 - The US renewable energy sector is capable of meeting President-elect Barack Obama’s pledge to double US production within three years, but the ongoing financial crisis will challenge the industry in 2009, analysts and industry experts said. Currently, renewable energy sources comprise 7% of the US energy supply, according to the US Energy Information Administration. In a speech last week, Obama reiterated his pledge to make development of the sector a major part of his economic stimulus package. |
| Carbon emissions are everyone’s problem The Irish Times, January 5, 2009 Monday - CLIMATE CHANGE:A renewed commitment to lowering worldwide CO2 emissions means every individual and every country will need to review their responsibilities towards global warming, writes Frank McDonaldTHE COUNTDOWN to Copenhagen is under way - in just 11 months’ time, more than 180 countries are expected to reach agreement on how to tackle global warming at the 15th UN Climate Change Conference. |
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