As a battle brews over which U.S. waters are protected, environmental journalists can use an invaluable national database to pinpoint vulnerable wetlands. This week’s TipSheet has more on the National Wetlands Inventory, the backstory on wetlands protection, why it matters, and reporting resources and story ideas.
"Five weeks after historic flooding in the midwest, waters still cover pasturelands, corn and soybean fields. Much of the water has receded, but rivers still run high and washed out roads force people to take long detours. Residents in Missouri are putting their ruined possessions on the street and corn stalks heaped by floodwaters look like snowdrifts in the fields."
"A U.S. appeals court is forcing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make a final decision on whether it will ban the use of a common pesticide linked to developmental disorders in children."
"The latest Census of Agriculture, released yesterday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), shows a number of familiar trends: farm consolidation is continuing; the largest agribusinesses are increasing in number and acreage; the average age of American farmers is still climbing; and mid-sized farms are fading away."
The tale of a failing nation’s climate woes is revealed in a cache of scientific notes hidden in a London attic after their author goes missing. The gripping mystery was unraveled with award-winning skill by journalist Laura Heaton, in our latest “Inside Story” Q&A. Read on and find out the story’s significance for climate adaptation.
"CORQUÍN, Honduras — The farmer stood in his patch of forlorn coffee plants, their leaves sick and wilted, the next harvest in doubt."
"There was a moment, about 20 years ago, when farmers thought that they'd finally defeated weeds forever."
"A “bomb cyclone” blizzard, the second in a month, hit the Rockies on Wednesday and spun into the U.S. Plains and Midwest, bringing fears of more flooding in areas still recovering from last month’s deluge."
"Senate Democrats are requesting the Interior Department’s watchdog investigate what role President Trump’s pick to lead the agency played in preventing the release of a government report on toxic pesticides and endangered species."
