On this page... National momentum Impacts on the economy Protecting Puget Sound Impacts on climate change  National momentum National Soil Resolution proposed in the U.S. Legislature
(Senate Resolution 440) On January 31, 2008, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced a resolution recognizing soil as an essential natural resource, and soils professionals as playing a critical role in managing our Nation’s soil resources (S.RES.440). On June 23, 2008, the resolution was agreed to in the Senate without amendment by unanimous consent. Office of Ecosystem Services in the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
The new USDA Office of
Ecosystem Services and federal
government-wide Conservation and Land Management Environmental Services
Board were created in 2008 to assist the Secretary of Agriculture develop new
technical guidelines and science-based methods to assess environmental
service benefits that will, in turn, promote markets for ecosystem
services including carbon trading to mitigate climate change.
National Professional Soil Scientist certification exam being used in other states that have licensing
More information about certification efforts nationwide is provided on our In-Depth Info & Links page.
The
Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) with help from licensed soil
scientists is working to get soil science licensing established in
various states. As stated on the SSA Web site, "Certification programs set standards for knowledge, skills, and
conduct. These standards define the professions of soil science and soil
classification, which gives clients, employers, and government agencies a
tool to help them choose professionals with the necessary skills to
meet their needs.
All successful certification programs have one common element and that is to serve and protect the public interest." Certification is the
benchmark of professionalism. The purpose of a certification program is
to protect the public and the profession. The SSSA goes on to explain
that certifications are voluntary professional enhancements to a
person's career credentials. When they complete the work of getting
certified, these professional soils scientists are telling their
clients, employers, and the public that they are serious about what they
do.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Opening in July 2008, this exhibit celebrates soils and their role in environmental quality, food and fiber production, and human health.
Launch of U.S. House Soils Caucus The U.S. House of Representatives launched a Soils Caucus on January 17, 2007. This action underscores a growing awareness of how soils impact our day-to-day lives, affect our water quality, and impact many other aspects of environmental and public health. News about wetlands published in The New York Times Includes commentary and archival articles Impacts on the economy EXCHANGE: Farmer returning farmland to wetlands
Chicago Tribune, November 30, 2010 "Part of the solution [to regular flooding], it is now understood, involves reversing some foundational tenets of Midwest farming that once measured a man's commitment to the land by the amount of drainage tile laid in his fields to convert marshland to productive agriculture." “Food security is central to global relationships. If we can develop new crops that feed more people, yet do less harm to the planet, the world will feel the difference.” National Geographic (online, undated) Jerry Glover, Agroecologist Shifting soil threatens homes' foundations The New York Times, March 3, 2010 The clay soils described in the linked article are 2:1 clays—expanding clays that are notoriously unstable for home construction and quite different from the 1:1 clays that are more common throughout the southeast. This would be a great opportunity for professional cooperation between the engineer and a soil scientist, where the soil scientist would properly identify the risky soil type and the engineer would design an appropriate solution. Our Good Earth: The future rests on the soil beneath our feet
National Geographic, September 2008 Big, heavy machines like the harvesters mash wet soil into an undifferentiated, nigh impenetrable slab—a process called compaction. Roots can't penetrate compacted ground; water can't drain into the earth and instead runs off, causing erosion. And because compaction can occur deep in the ground, it can take decades to reverse. The lowdown on topsoil: It's disappearing
Seattle PI, January 22, 2008 While many worry about the potential consequences of atmospheric warming, a few experts are trying to call attention to another global crisis quietly taking place under our feet...Disappearing dirt rivals global warming as an environmental threat. Problem solving in stormwater bioretention: Pitfalls in bioretention systems and how to avoid them
Barrett Kays Soil Scientist innovations for containing stormwater runoff and transforming what was waste water into an asset by recharging groundwater reservoirs. Watering park may taint lake: Officials urge care to avoid runoff at Heritage Park
The Olympian, October 6, 2006 Using highly treated wastewater to irrigate Heritage Park will require great care to avoid adding more nutrients to nutrient-rich Capitol Lake. Protecting Puget Sound Curbing stormwater pollution: Cleaning up Washington’s toxic runoff
Sightline Institute, January 21, 2010 As rainwater streams off roofs and over pavement, it mixes a toxic cocktail of oil, grease, antifreeze, and heavy metals from cars; pesticides lethal to aquatic insects and fish; fertilizers that stoke algal blooms; soap; and bacteria from pet and farm-animal waste. A heavy rainfall delivers this potent shot of pollutants straight into streams and water bodies—threatening everything from tiny herring to the region’s iconic orcas. Shoreline program is critical for clean water, our survival The Olympian, January 20, 2010 Thurston County contains 688 miles of shorelines, and these areas are in peril. Failing our sound The Seattle Times, May 14, 2008 The Sound is by no means dead. By some measures it's cleaner and healthier than it was 30 years ago. Yet that progress is at risk because we're still betraying Puget Sound with the choices we make about developing the land. It's not because people are breaking the rules. The rules are simply inadequate for the task at hand. The painful cost of booming growth
The Settle Times, May 14, 2008 It happens one creek at a time as bulldozers and pavement disrupt the natural flow of water through the ecosystem, destroying habitat and sending billions of gallons of polluted runoff into the Sound. This year, even as Gov. Christine Gregoire, the newly formed Puget Sound Partnership and teams of scientists all work to protect and restore Puget Sound, the management of wetlands in Washington remains in disarray.
From runoff to rain gardens: A new way to aid Puget Sound
The Olympian, August 31, 2006 A classic application of a soil science problem with a soil science solution that typically requires soil sampling and assessment to evaluate the soil's capability to absorb, treat, and store water. Sampling to characterize the soil capability allows us to develop a specific application prescription for that site and design a supporting program with fertilization and irrigation that will not overwhelm the background soil capacity. Impacts on climate change How our economy is killing the Earth
New Scientist, October 16, 2008 Consumption of resources is rising rapidly, biodiversity is plummeting and just about every measure shows humans affecting Earth on a vast scale. Most of us accept the need for a more sustainable way to live, by reducing carbon emissions, developing renewable technology and increasing energy efficiency. But are these efforts to save the planet doomed? A growing band of experts are looking at figures like these and arguing that personal carbon virtue and collective environmentalism are futile as long as our economic system is built on the assumption of growth. Terra Preta: Biochar and The MEGO Effect Oil Drum ~ discussions about energy and our future A look at modern day techniques to
produce terra preta (often called biochar or agrichar), which have the
potential to increase soil fertility, generate energy and sequester
carbon all at the same time.
Scientist documents melting Siberian permafrost
The Olympian, May 5, 2008 In a country where many scientists scoff at the existence of global warming, Zimov has been waging a lonely campaign to warn the world about Russia’s melting permafrost and its nexus with climate change. His laboratory is the vast expanse of tundra and larch forest along the East Siberian Sea, an icy corner of the world that Zimov has scrutinized almost entirely on his own for 28 years. Methane belches in lakes supercharge global warming
National Geographic, September 6, 2006 Global warming is causing Siberian lakes to bubble methane, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere at an alarming rate, scientists say. Global warming could accelerate from thawing Siberian permafrost
Physorg.com, June 16, 2006 Permafrost soil blanketing northeastern Siberia contains about 75 times more carbon than is released by burning fossil fuels each year. That means it could become a potent, likely unstoppable contributor to global climate change if it continues to thaw. So conclude three scientists in a paper in the journal Science. Thawing permafrost could supercharge warming
National Geographic, June 15, 2006 "...Thawing permafrost in the Arctic could play a role in fueling global warming, scientists in Russia and the United States report..." |
|
Home >
In the News |