July 2010

By David Cleaves, U.S. Forest Service Climate Change Advisor

This update is one way we are trying to connect people inside and outside the Forest Service around the issues and the lessons we are learning in this changing climate. In implementing the Department’s new Strategic Plan (described in the next section), just signed by Secretary Vilsack, the Forest Service will be leading efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. In the coming weeks, we will be unfolding a system for accounting for our accomplishments under this new and important responsibility.

By David Cleaves, U.S. Forest Service Climate Change Advisor

“Sound climate science is the foundation for an effective management response.” These were Chief Tidwell’s words to the participants of a Forest Service workshop on climate change adaptation this past April. Using science to help us deal with change is not new to us. We are a science-based organization. And the vast weight of scientific evidence – thousands of peer-reviewed studies – supports the conclusion that we have entered a period of rapid climatic changes with impacts already occurring in different parts of the country.

Interns from both the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Risk Management Agency (RMA) met with several senior employees from various agencies last week during the Student and Intern Information Seminar hosted by USDA. The seminar was designed to help interns better understand their agency and meet fellow interns.

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from the USDA's rich science and research portfolio.

By Shahla Shapouri and Stacey Rosen, Economists, Economic Research Service

Depending on the pulse of the global economy, the poorest citizens in the poorest countries can be beneficiaries or casualties of the food situation. How will these countries fare in the coming years, given a recovery from the worldwide recession?

By Terrell Erickson, National Biologist, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service

Although no one yet knows the full environmental impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, we are hopeful about a new initiative to aid wildlife in the Gulf, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative.

By Vincent M. Russo, Research Leader, ARS South Central Agricultural Research Laboratory and Tasha Askew, Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow, USDA Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships

Just in time for the 2010 Feds, Farmers, and Friends Feed Families Food Drive, is two-thousand one-hundred pounds of produce gleaned from the Oklahoma People’s Garden in conjunction with the Choctaw Nation. What an astounding amount of food to be gathered during one month!

By Tom Williams, Pennsylvania State Director, USDA Rural Development

I joined Congressman Mark Critz (PA-12^th), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other state and local officials this week to celebrate a long-awaited groundbreaking for Pegasus Sewer Authority in Johnstown.  Thanks to the teamwork of federal, state and local agencies, the maximum amount of government funding was utilized for the project, allowing hundreds of rural residents in Conemaugh and Richland Townships to benefit from the $21.3 million sewer extension project while keeping their monthly sewer bills affordable. This public sewer access will allow for residential and commercial growth in the rural communities.

By Deidra McGee, USDA Forest Service Public Affairs

On June 19 and 20, the USDA Forest Service sent 17 delegates from across the country to join with 520 young adults from across the country for the world's first two-day Outdoor Youth Summit and Festival in New York City's Central Park. With the emphasis on youth engagement, the Forest Service thought it was vital to go to the source and ask young people for their ideas and thoughts about conservation in America.

The USDA Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships co-hosted with USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and USDA FNS Western Regional Office Administrator Allen Ng, another successful community roundtable. More than 100 people attended, including State, county, and city leaders; promotoras; and representatives from faith-based organizations, community groups, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Los Angeles Food Bank, area hospitals, and the Mexican Consulate. Special guests included California Endowment Director Dr. Beatriz Solis and the legendary farmworkers’ advocate Dolores Huerta. Panelists included John A. Wagner, Director of the California Department of Social Services, and Philip Browning, Director of Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services.