Instead of searching on Biodiversity Jobs, try Ecology Jobs

 

As you are preparing your Ecology slides, you'll recognize why the term ecology is a superset of biodiversity (or in a Venn diagram, largely encompassing biodiversity).  Accordingly, if you are interested in studying biodiversity professionally, it pays to search for "ecology jobs".

https://www.conservationjobboard.com/category/ecology-jobs 

(Look for the menu of subgroups on the left.)

Blue Ridge PRISM 2023 Summer Events

Blue Ridge PRISM Inc was the first Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA) headquartered in Virginia. There are approximately 100 CWMAs in the U.S., mostly in the western part of the country. 

Register for all events at https://www.eventbrite.com/o/blue-ridge-prism-virginia-31070464381. Learn more and view other upcoming events at https://blueridgeprism.org/.

Invasive Plant Workshop – June 9, 2023 (10am) – Nellysford, VA – Learn about invasive plant ID, herbicide safety, basic management strategies, and a step-by-step tutorial on how to use herbicide techniques.

Webinar: These Are Not Your Grandpa’s Quail: Modern Quail Habitat Management – July 19, 2023 (11:30am-1pm) – Learn how to manage bobwhite quail habitat in multiple scenarios.

Brown Bag Webinar: Aquatic Invasive Plants – August 17, 2023 (12-1pm) – An expert panel will discuss aquatic invasive species, how they are a problem, and methods for managing them.

Blue Ridge PRISM is a collaborative partnership between individuals and various private and public agencies, who work in a coordinated fashion over a wide geographical area to address the threat of invasive species and to restore native habitats. 

Blue Ridge Prism serves Clarke, Warren, Rappahannock, Page, Madison, Rockingham, Greene, Augusta, Albemarle and Nelson Counties, and in early 2022 they expanded their service area to include Fauquier and Loudoun Counties.

Restoring Beavers to Restore Wetlands

 Bring Back the Beavers to Restore our Wetlands (from Water Research Network)

Millions of highly skilled environmental engineers stand ready to make our continent more resilient to climate change.

They restore wetlands that absorb carbon, store water, filter pollution and clean and cool waters for salmon and trout. They are recognized around the world for helping to reduce wildfire risk. Scientists have valued their environmental services at close to $179,000 per square mile annually.

And they work for free.  

(Image source: Water Research Network)

Our ally in mitigating and adapting to climate change could be a paddle-tailed rodent: the North American beaver.

There’s a strong consensus among scientists and environmental managers on the benefits of working with beavers to protect our natural environments. Beavers can help us continue to live on, work with and enjoy our landscape. As ecosystem engineers, they build dams and dig canals to escape predators. Their manipulation of plants for food and building materials produces wide-ranging environmental gains.

Yet despite beavers’ ecosystem benefits, we have long pushed them out of their homes. When the European-American fur trade killed hundreds of millions of beavers, it destroyed the engine that built and maintained North American wetlands. California alone has lost an estimated 90% of its wetland area. Humans continue to tear down beavers’ dams and lodges when they get in our way.