As the year comes to a close, the Sierra Club of Connecticut is looking back on some of its accomplishments and challenges.

The group focuses on battling climate change and supporting environmentally friendly policies. Its members have worked in 2022 for phasing out fossil fuel incentives at the state's Energy Efficiency Board, and to establish an electricity rate for lower-income households.

Samantha Dynowski, the club's state director in Connecticut, described some of the challenges the Sierra Club faces in meeting their goals.

"Probably the biggest challenge is that our utilities don't really want to change," Dynowski asserted. "They are investor-owned, they're looking to profit and maintain their profit, and don't have an interest in getting the state off fossil fuels."

While the group reached some goals this year, she said others will be accomplished in 2023. One in particular is helping get a bill passed to prohibit fossil-fuel heating systems in new construction. The Sierra Club would also like to see fare-free transportation be made permanent in Connecticut, rather than a series of temporary extensions.

In the new year, Dynowski wants to work on moving the state to zero-emission electricity generation, and to advocate for more rights for renters, as well as extending the current eviction moratorium.

She sees the federal government's push for climate-friendly policies as aiding their work.

"One thing to keep in mind is, the federal government has made some massive leaps forward and is investing in clean energy in the state," Dynowski pointed out. "So, we have that momentum moving that will help, I think, move us towards some of the solutions that we've been advocating for."

She added federal money being invested in the state could help with climate-friendly goals. For now, she said the Sierra Club of Connecticut is eager to get to work in 2023.

Researchers with the University of New Hampshire are taking to the skies to study the state's increasingly fragmented forests.

Urban and agricultural growth, and roads are carving up large swaths of forestland into smaller patches, exposing new forest edges to invasive species and uprooting wildlife.

Russ Congalton, professor of natural resources and the environment at the University of New Hampshire, said they're using drones to get a better look at how forests are responding.

"So we could see 50 meters into the forest," Congalton suggested. "There's still a change in the vegetation, there's still a change in the density of the vegetation, there probably are some temperature changes."

Congalton pointed out newly-created forest edges affect tree mortality, which increases carbon emissions contributing to climate change. They are also more susceptible to invasive species, like the woolly adelgid, attacking hemlock trees across New England.

New Hampshire lost more than 126,000 acres of forest from 1983 to 2017, a nearly 3% reduction, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Congalton noted by using drones, researchers can view nearly 100 acres of forest in 40 minutes, helping them not only cover more distance, but detect and measure the forest's adjustment at the new "edges" sooner.

"We save tons of effort, tons of money and tons of time in order to get this kind of information in a lot more efficient and effective manner," Congalton explained.

Congalton added some residents have at times not been happy about seeing drones near their property, but he hopes they know the camera is focused on the trees, and there are a lot of them. At nearly 80% forest coverage, New Hampshire ranks as the second most-forested state in the U.S.


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New research shows the demand for native seed supply across the Western United States, including Nevada, has increased, but the supply simply is not there.

Researchers with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine say in the West, extreme weather events driven by climate change are a big threat to native plant communities.

Kayri Havens, senior director of ecology and conservation at the Chicago Botanic Garden and one of the report's authors, called native seed supply critical for restoration efforts. Havens explained with the current insufficient supply, restoration efforts could be faced with the tough decisions to substitute with nonnative species, utilize native species from climatically different environments, or not doing anything at all.

"You really need locally adapted seed to have it succeed over the long term in restoration," Havens pointed out. "I think many of the restoration failures that we have seen over the last 20, 30 years are in part due to not having the correct seed to use."

Havens called native seed "one of the most undervalued natural resources." She noted plant communities provide what she calls "ecosystem services" such as helping prevent floods and helping purify the air; aspects she said are essential for the success of everyone.

The scientists behind the report spent two years studying the nation's supply of native seed, and found significant deficiencies when it came to the nation's pipeline of viable seed. The report called for coordinated leadership between the U.S. Department of the Interior, Agriculture and Defense, while also supporting regional partnerships.

Vera Smith, senior federal lands policy analyst for Defenders of Wildlife, said it will lead to better insight to know what seed is needed, when it is needed and where.

"Our insufficient supply is a major barrier to ecological restoration and other revegetation projects that we need to do across the nation, in order to keep our lands healthy, natural and resilient to climate change," Smith asserted.

In 2002, the U.S. Department of the Interior and Agriculture developed a plan for native seed supply, but the report demonstrated the last two decades have shown the plan needs to be accelerated to meet current needs.

President Joe Biden has designated Avi Kwa Ame, known by some as Spirit Mountain, a national monument. The designation preserves about half a million acres in Southern Nevada that is considered to be sacred by a dozen native tribes.

Will Pregman, Communications Director for the group Battle Born Progress, was in Washington D.C. on Tuesday for the announcement - and he said groups have been working towards the federal protections for years.

Pregman said those who have been advocating for the protection of Avi Kwa Ame are overjoyed that President Biden made the monument a priority.

"This is a huge gesture in a symbolic sense," said Pregman, "but it is also materially very important for the president's goal. Obviously he set forth his 30 by 30 plan - protect 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030."

Pregman said much of the credit for the designation is thanks to the hard work of various native tribes as well as groups and multiple Nevada lawmakers who helped push the issue forward.

Pregman said in addition to helping the president reach his 30 by 30 campaign goal, he added that the designation which protects a vast desert landscape, including habitat and migration corridors for many animal species as well as cultural and historical sites, will truly send a strong message.

Pregman added that he believes the monument will also come with a significant promise of new outdoor recreation jobs and opportunities, bolstering local economies, and attracting outdoor tourism to Nevada from locals and tourists.

"All that kind of stuff is incredibly significant," said Pregman. "And it's going to, I think, further the president's goal and I think hopefully serve as sort of a template for him continuing to do these types of things in other states as well."

Biden used his authority under the Antiquities Act to grant the permanent protection for Avi Kwa Ame. Pregman said that means no construction or development projects can take place on the protected land.