#Watershed Management

[oaresearchpaper]

Participatory Watershed Management for Rural Livelihoods in Gibe, Ethiopia

Abstract

The sustainability of environmental management practices such as watershed management intervention strategies relies on the understanding of the connection of the rural community’s participation, and livelihoods. However, there have not been many efforts effort to document the relationship between watershed management and sustainable livelihoods. In line with this, the research has assessed the role of participatory watershed management practices for sustainable rural livelihood improvement in Handosha Watershed, Gibe district, Southern Ethiopia. To address the above objective, household survey, focus group discussion and key informant interview were employed to collect and analyze the data from 122 randomly selected households in four sub-watersheds. Descriptive analysis, independent t-test and chi-square test were applied to analyze the data. The result of the study indicated that the collective value of overall livelihood assets and the specific major components that encompass crop diversification, food availability, land productivity, and physical assets were better after watershed intervention than before watershed intervention. The key finding of the research presents that due to different interventions the livelihood of the community was diversified and enhanced especially; profits, soil fertility, crop productivity, forest, water and food availability become enhanced. Findings of the study suggested that further emphasis is needed to enhance the households’ livelihood assets for sustainability of livelihoods. Local administrators and development agents need to recognize socio economic and topographic specific features as well as the constraints to involve society fully in various activities of participatory watershed management activities.

Introduction

Sustainable livelihood improvement is a growing issue, particularly in the developing countries given the mounting challenge of poverty, low economic development and poor agricultural. Ethiopia is not an exception where the degradation of land resource base and associated decreasing land productivity have been a major challenge for the sustenance of livelihoods of people (Teklewold et al., 2013). Agriculture is the economic mainstay of the overwhelming majority of people in Ethiopia and will continue to be the base for sustainable livelihood of the country (Gessesse et al., 2016). However, the ongoing watershed degradation in the form of soil erosion and soil nutrient depletion is the threatening factor for agricultural development (Shiferaw and Singh 2010). The degradation of watershed has been associated with the interacting effects of biophysical and socioeconomic factors and exacerbated by rapid population growth which would be resulted in not only decreasing land productivity but also aggravate ecological degradation, hampered households’ livelihood improvement and social development (Kerse 2018). In addition, much watershed conservation related research in Ethiopia is fragmented, focusing on biophysical (Taye et al., 2015) and economic returns (Kassie et al., 2011). Furthermore, a more specific conceptual framework that explains the nexus of the perception, community participation, and livelihoods to- wards sustained watershed management program is rarely found.

In response to the watershed degradation problems in the country, massive conservation, rehabilitation and afforestation movements were undertaken in Ethiopia (Engdawork & Bork, 2014; Tesfahunegn et al., 2012). Furthermore, conservation measures had been regularly accepted by farmers aimed decreased soil erosion, increased soil fertility and safeguarding the soil long-term productivity (Moges & Amsalu, 2017) and achievements in food security, poverty reduction and ecological sustainability (de Graaff et al., 2008; [Teshome et al., 2016). The acceptance of watershed management practices has been considered as agricultural development policy. Farmers gain incentives from agricultural and international initiatives to invest watershed management practices (de Graaff et al., 2013). However, the efforts couldn’t bring perceived changes as expected (Teshome et al., 2016). Consequently, this brought a low acceptance rate of some of these sustainable watershed management practices in the rural regions( Berresaw et al., 2010) for its top-down approach (de Graaff et al., 2013). As farmers were completely ignored from decision making in the selection, designing evaluation and implementation processes of watershed management practices The conservation measures in place were also undertaken without farmer’s interest and conviction. As a result, these drive the farmers to remove conservation structures following the change of foodfor- work programs (Deressa et al., 2009). Furthermore, there was little monitoring and assessment of the status of conservation measures and moreover, negligible maintenance for their sustainability (de Graaff et al., 2013). On the other hand, failure conservation efforts emanated from the fact that was implementing agencies couldn’t notice local level institutional, physical and socioeconomic realities (Enki et al., 2001). Thus, it’s vital to plan appropriate watershed conservation measures that are acceptable by farmers, require practical consideration of different socio-economic determinants affecting farmers’ decision (Shiferaw et al., 2009). Inadequate success in the acceptance of watershed management practices has been a problem as lesser willingness of farmers to implement watershed management practices ( Moges & Amsalu, 2017; Teshome et al., 2016).

Effective watershed management practices can be realized only when farmers believe and decide on the benefits of practices and are actively involved in the evaluation and implementation activities. The farmer’s decision to use and manage natural resources highly depends on their perception of the landscape (Mekuriaw et al., 2018b. In fact, farmers can modify the technologies to their real situations (Teshome et al., 2016).

Their perception and participation also vary in space and individual households due to different interactive factors. Therefore, this research aimed to identify the roles of participatory watershed management practices for sustainable rural livelihood improvement in Gibe district, southern Ethiopia.

Source : Participatory Watershed Management for Rural Livelihoods in Gibe, Ethiopia | InformativeBD

[yimsoksophors]

Conduct Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) with the Indigenous Peoples in Kampong Thom and Preah Vihear Provinces

22–26 April 2024: Duty travel to PEARL target provinces for the conduct of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) with the Indigenous Peoples in Kampong Thom and Preah Vihear Provinces. The Reporting Officers (ROs) travelled to Kampong Thom and Preah Vihear (April 22–26, 2024) to conduct FPIC consultation with the Indigenous Peoples in the project target areas. The FPICs were conducted in…

[retaswatersolutions]

Overview of Watershed Management

Do you have proper insights on the management of watersheds? Before digging out the complete information on watershed management, let’s understand what watershed is.  This in-depth study discusses the vital lighting performance of water rating services, as well as their process, grandeur, and real-world influence.

[smsehgalfoundation]

https://www.smsfoundation.org/how-is-india-managing-water-stress-in-rural-areas/

Despite its escalating severity, the global water crisis remains alarmingly overlooked. The depletion of water resources pushes millions into distress, yet discussions on #water #scarcity are still confined.

[bumblebeeappletree]

Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison journeys to South India to film the ancient Chola Dynasty water management system of lakes and canals that has been restored in the City of Coimbatore by the Coimbatore Lakes Protection Organization ( In Tamil: Kovai Kulangal Padhukappu Amaippu). We visit multiple structures that have been restored, and see the incredible effects that this work has had on the water availability and groundwater levels of the surrounding areas.

KKPA:

Website - http://kovaikulangal.org/ Fb - / kovaikulangal Youtube - / @kovaikulangalpadhukap...

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Twitter - https://twitter.com/KAmaippu?s=08@KAm...

Mail I'd - kovai.kpa@gmail.com

Mob. No. - 8015714790

இதய���்தின் ஈரம் கொண்டு...! புவியின் ஈரம் காப்போம்...!

Post Production by Meenarts.com

ashokcinematographe@gmail.com

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https://www.pearlriverecodesign.com/

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https://www.greengoodlabs.com/

Drone Credits: Gopinath, @cymatics.in.

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[nickstanley]

Schneider’s Creek

I just learned that an Environmental Study will be conducted on this concrete creek to determine what sort of improvements can and should be made. The reason for this change is flood mitigation (to prevent flooding). The brochure discussed widening and naturalizing the banks of the creek, this is something I am 100% in favour of! This could become a really beautiful area when the naturalization project is approved and completed. 

[townpostin]

Tata Steel and StanChart Launch Watershed Project in Jharkhand

1500 households to benefit from soil and water conservation initiative in Noamundi Tata Steel Foundation and Standard Chartered Bank partner to implement watershed and climate proofing project in West Singhbhum. JAMSHEDPUR – Tata Steel Foundation and Standard Chartered Bank announce collaboration on watershed project in Noamundi Block, West Singhbhum. The Integrated Watershed and Climate Proofing…

[waterandenergyrelief]

4th Session, 5th Joint meeting of WG on Integrated Water Resources Management & Monitoring and Assessment.

The 19th meeting of the Working Group on Integrated Water Resources management and the 19th meeting of the Working Group on Monitoring and Assessment under the Water Convention will be held in Geneva. It will start on Monday, 6 May 2024 at 10.00 a.m., and end on Wednesday, 8 May 2024 at 1 p.m. The meetings of the two Working Groups are held jointly to exploit synergies in the work of the two bodies.

Watch the 4th Session, 5th Joint meeting of WG on Integrated Water Resources Management & Monitoring and Assessment!

[reasonsforhope]

As relentless rains pounded LA, the city’s “sponge” infrastructure helped gather 8.6 billion gallons of water—enough to sustain over 100,000 households for a year.

Earlier this month, the future fell on Los Angeles. A long band of moisture in the sky, known as an atmospheric river, dumped 9 inches of rain on the city over three days—over half of what the city typically gets in a year. It’s the kind of extreme rainfall that’ll get ever more extreme as the planet warms.

The city’s water managers, though, were ready and waiting. Like other urban areas around the world, in recent years LA has been transforming into a “sponge city,” replacing impermeable surfaces, like concrete, with permeable ones, like dirt and plants. It has also built out “spreading grounds,” where water accumulates and soaks into the earth.

With traditional dams and all that newfangled spongy infrastructure, between February 4 and 7 the metropolis captured 8.6 billion gallons of stormwater, enough to provide water to 106,000 households for a year. For the rainy season in total, LA has accumulated 14.7 billion gallons.

Long reliant on snowmelt and river water piped in from afar, LA is on a quest to produce as much water as it can locally. “There's going to be a lot more rain and a lot less snow, which is going to alter the way we capture snowmelt and the aqueduct water,” says Art Castro, manager of watershed management at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. “Dams and spreading grounds are the workhorses of local stormwater capture for either flood protection or water supply.”

Centuries of urban-planning dogma dictates using gutters, sewers, and other infrastructure to funnel rainwater out of a metropolis as quickly as possible to prevent flooding. Given the increasingly catastrophic urban flooding seen around the world, though, that clearly isn’t working anymore, so now planners are finding clever ways to capture stormwater, treating it as an asset instead of a liability. “The problem of urban hydrology is caused by a thousand small cuts,” says Michael Kiparsky, director of the Wheeler Water Institute at UC Berkeley. “No one driveway or roof in and of itself causes massive alteration of the hydrologic cycle. But combine millions of them in one area and it does. Maybe we can solve that problem with a thousand Band-Aids.”

Or in this case, sponges. The trick to making a city more absorbent is to add more gardens and other green spaces that allow water to percolate into underlying aquifers—porous subterranean materials that can hold water—which a city can then draw from in times of need. Engineers are also greening up medians and roadside areas to soak up the water that’d normally rush off streets, into sewers, and eventually out to sea...

To exploit all that free water falling from the sky, the LADWP has carved out big patches of brown in the concrete jungle. Stormwater is piped into these spreading grounds and accumulates in dirt basins. That allows it to slowly soak into the underlying aquifer, which acts as a sort of natural underground tank that can hold 28 billion gallons of water.

During a storm, the city is also gathering water in dams, some of which it diverts into the spreading grounds. “After the storm comes by, and it's a bright sunny day, you’ll still see water being released into a channel and diverted into the spreading grounds,” says Castro. That way, water moves from a reservoir where it’s exposed to sunlight and evaporation, into an aquifer where it’s banked safely underground.

On a smaller scale, LADWP has been experimenting with turning parks into mini spreading grounds, diverting stormwater there to soak into subterranean cisterns or chambers. It’s also deploying green spaces along roadways, which have the additional benefit of mitigating flooding in a neighborhood: The less concrete and the more dirt and plants, the more the built environment can soak up stormwater like the actual environment naturally does.

As an added benefit, deploying more of these green spaces, along with urban gardens, improves the mental health of residents. Plants here also “sweat,” cooling the area and beating back the urban heat island effect—the tendency for concrete to absorb solar energy and slowly release it at night. By reducing summer temperatures, you improve the physical health of residents. “The more trees, the more shade, the less heat island effect,” says Castro. “Sometimes when it’s 90 degrees in the middle of summer, it could get up to 110 underneath a bus stop.”

LA’s far from alone in going spongy. Pittsburgh is also deploying more rain gardens, and where they absolutely must have a hard surface—sidewalks, parking lots, etc.—they’re using special concrete bricks that allow water to seep through. And a growing number of municipalities are scrutinizing properties and charging owners fees if they have excessive impermeable surfaces like pavement, thus incentivizing the switch to permeable surfaces like plots of native plants or urban gardens for producing more food locally.

So the old way of stormwater management isn’t just increasingly dangerous and ineffective as the planet warms and storms get more intense—it stands in the way of a more beautiful, less sweltering, more sustainable urban landscape. LA, of all places, is showing the world there’s a better way.

-via Wired, February 19, 2024

[quarterlifekitty]

first, im a bit new to cod but idk…

thinking about ghost’s spouse visiting him on base or some shit, and everyone else wondering how tf he was emotionally flexible enough to bag a bad bitch 🫶

note: this is just my personal little fantasy world headcanon lol so take it with a grain of salt!

Simon maintains a vaguely human lifestyle by adhering to one very strict rule: rigid compartmentalization. You don’t come up at work, and work doesn’t come up around you. Never the twain shall meet, he thinks. And he’s not exactly a watershed of information when he’s with his mates. And it’s not like anyone is asking “When was the last time you got fucked, Ghost?” and seriously expecting a response.

He tells you about the crew, but not about what he does with them. Killing, espionage, torture– that kind of thing stays off the dinner table.

Let it be known that you do not surprise him at work. You respect his boundaries too much, which is why he’s so fucking serious about you, honestly. He calls, asking if you can run something to him. This is maybe the greatest symbol of trust he can bestow, as a man who has only a fraction of an existence in the eyes of the government: he asks you to bring a document of his. He gives you the instructions on how to find it, and trusts that you won’t look at anything you don’t have to.

You know Johnny lets out a low whistle when he sees you coming up with a manilla folder in your hands.

“Who’s that bloody bombshell, then?”

You spy Simon and jog up to him with a smile. He’s the one who embraces you, short but strong. Cue the nigh audible gasping.

“LT, you absolute dog.”

Simon rolls his eyes as the two of you are crowded in short order. You make polite introductions, but have a previous engagement– you really did only have time to stop by.

Hate to see you go, but love to watch you leave.

Everyone is wondering how this could’ve happened. For the record– I think in this scenario, Johnny and Gaz go through a constant string of heartbreaks, and John is kinda married to his job. So in a cruel twist of fate, Simon is actually the only one currently with a partner, much less a spouse.

“How’d you manage to bag a right beauty like that, LT? C’mon, spill it–”

Simon doesn’t mean to diminish your value or anything, but his answer is not going to be satisfying, because he doesn’t find it that difficult to get women. And also, you’re his true love, so you’re perfect for each other and growing close to you was as easy as breathing. But he doesn’t say that.

“S’not that hard. Remember the stuff she says, don’t keep no secrets… dick ‘er down the way she likes.” He doesn’t mean to be crude about it, but from his perspective, is one of the main reasons why you tolerate him. Soap howls at the response.

He’s telling the truth, though! He has a scarily good memory. Remembers every friend you’ve ever told him about, every movie you��ve ever mentioned, every meal he’s cooked for you and how you liked it. He remembers dates, times, and lists with no issue whatsoever.

And he’s never kept anything from you. He tells you how the fuck he’s feeling, and you return the favor, even if it isn’t pleasant. The only thing he doesn’t mention to you are the gorey details of his work.

And you have never had more of a communicative partner, ironically. There were times in the beginning when he didn’t know all of the ins and outs of coaxing pleasure from your body, so he asked you to show him how you like it. And that scary memory is at work yet again– every sensitive spot, every offhand mention of a kink you’ve not yet explored together, every arch of your spine and clench of your cunt. He’s got it down to a science. Could write novels about making love to you specifically.

What I’m trying to say, at the end of the day, is that Ghost bagged a bad bitch by being autistic.

[simp4wom3n]

I'd Fall For You In Real Life Too

Requested: Yes/No ~ Hello, I have a request for Reneè Rapp. Reneè is an interview and is asked about her relationship with former co-star, Reader. (An aussie artist and actress) The two have been spotted by paparazzi and have been all over each other's instagram and tik tok together.

Pairing: Renee Rapp x Reader

Summary: Renee joins Drew Barrymore for NY92, where Renee's Australian girlfriend unknowingly becomes the centre of the conversation. ~ Word Count: 1.8k ~ Warnings: legit none

A/N: HI!! I am so obsessed with Renee atm, writing for her is EVERYTHING. Pls enjoy my lovelies! For those of you who get what I'm referencing in the title, I love you <3

The dim glow of ambient lighting cast a soft haze throughout the auditorium. Conversations hummed through the air as you made your way to your seat, a few rows back from the front, as the excitement in the room grew. In an attempt to blend in with the sea of eager spectators, you carefully adjusted Renee's cap, which you wore, pulling it low over your eyes.

Once settled in your seat, you couldn't help but fidget with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. As the minutes ticked away, you kept your head down, the brim of the cap casting a shadow over your features as you eagerly awaited your girlfriend to arrive on stage.

Renee had been looking forward to this night all week, eager to see and talk to Drew again, even if it was in front of a few hundred people. The two of you had met Drew on her show about a year ago when you were doing press together for The Sex Lifes of College Girls, in which you played Renee's on-screen girlfriend.

Unbeknownst to everyone else, you had actually become each other's off-screen girlfriends around 6 months ago when Renee invited you to collaborate on a song with her for her debut album, and your relationship grew from there.

You had been inseparable since.

Hence why you were currently sitting in the quietening crowd as the lights above you began to dim and the stage became illuminated with spotlights.

The crowd erupted with cheers as Renee and Drew walked onto the stage, waving enthusiastically and smiling infectiously at the audience as the applause echoed throughout the auditorium. You couldn't help but be in awe of your girlfriend as she gracefully walked across the stage. Your eyes scanned her gorgeous figure, causing a rush of warmth to flood your cheeks as she looked out into the audience, eagerly looking for you.

As her eyes met yours, her smile grew even wider when she noticed the hat you had on. With a playful wink and a finger pressed against your lips, a blush crept onto her cheeks as she giggled, shifting her focus back to Drew as she settled into her seat.

Once they had taken their seats and the cheers from the crowd began to fade, Drew gazed out at the audience with a wide grin, "I'm proud to say that Renee and I were texting this morning and that we both showed up in pinstripes.". Cheers filled your ears as you couldn't help but be captivated by Renee's infectious laughter and radiant smile, which always managed to make your heart skip a beat. "We did, and not planned either," she said with a joyful laugh.

"Thank you, everybody, for coming tonight. I heard the bar was packed, so I like that action. That just made me so happy. I'm like, that sets a tone, let's do this." Drew enthusiastically addressed the audience, yet your focus remained on Renee. The smile she wore filled you with familiar warmth, and you couldn't help but smile giddily just looking at her.

As the conversation between the two of them began to flow, covering deep yet incredibly entertaining topics, your attention remained undivided as you proudly listened and watched your girlfriend, admiring every tiny detail.

"So the show... I've read that you are going to come back for season 3 sporadically," Your ears perked up at the mention of the show. It had been a watershed moment for you and Renee alike in your professional and personal lives. Not only was the show itself a massive accomplishment for you, but the exposure you and Renee received from it helped propel your music careers to new heights.

"Yeah. It was obviously a tough decision to make." Renee spoke thoughtfully, her teeth lightly grazing her bottom lip. "The show has given me so much, but singing was always, like, my main goal in life, so." She continued as Drew nodded along understandably.

"I feel as though, if you have multiple talents, it becomes a challenge of, like, how do you fit them all in, how do you make them work cohesively, how do you go in certain directions," Drew spoke as you listened carefully, her words striking familiar chords as Renee nodded along.

"And I think that kind of idea and way of living is very reflective of you and also of your amazing Australian co-star Y/n, who is also a singer and someone who you actually collaborated with on your album." Your eyebrows immediately raised at the mention of your name. You noticed Renee glance at you briefly as Drew spoke, a slight smirk gracing her lips as she did so.

Renee flushed slightly as she returned her gaze to Drew, "Yeah, without a doubt. Y/n and I are very similar in how we function, which I think definitely contributes to why we get along so well and why we love being around each other so much." Her nose scrunched adorably as the audience awwed at her words, a familiar red spreading across your cheeks as you melted into your seat.

"So you won't mind me asking how you and Y/n's on-screen relationship is going to go? Because, oh my god, the chemistry!" The crowd laughed as Drew fell back into her chair, her mouth agape in faux shock. You laughed along as you watched Renee hide her face behind her hands.

"If anything, being in more scenes with her is going to be what I miss most." It was your turn to hide behind your hands as Renee spoke, her eyes briefly glancing towards you. She laughed giddily as the crowd once again awwed at her comments. "That being said, though, I am really excited to continue exploring it. I love Leighton and only want what's best for her."

"Well, I'd say they're perfect for each other!" Renee laughed and thanked her as the crowd cheered in agreement. It was always heartwarming to see how much people enjoyed your work, especially when it was with your girlfriend - and even more so when it was about the two of you being in a relationship.

"I also presume that the chemistry comes off so authentic because, from what I've seen at least, you guys spend so much time together off set." The audience erupted in laughter as memories of you and Renee flashed through your mind, a big smile spreading across your lips as you admired your girlfriend on stage.

Her adorable giggles fill the air as she raises the microphone to her lips. "We do, yeah," she manages to speak from her laughter. Once her giggles had calmed down, she continued. "I am madly in love with that woman." your cheeks glow red even in the dimly lit crowd as she talks, your breathing deepening as your eyes raked over the love of your life.

"We spend basically every day we can with each other, and if we're not together, we're either texting or calling. It's great." Her cheeks flush a deep scarlet, and her grin grows wider by the second as you watch her.

"The paparazzi are certainly loving it," Drew commented, her eyebrows raising slightly. "Yeah, they are," Renee replied, a wry smile playing on her lips. "How do you feel about that?" She had grown somewhat accustomed to the constant presence of the media with their flashing cameras and relentless pursuit, but she still didn't love it, to say the least.

"I'm not a big fan of how intrusive they are and how they, like, force the whole 'public relationship' thing on people," Renee confessed, her words laced with frustration. The never-ending attention and gossip surrounding her love life had proven to be the most difficult part of her experience in the public spotlight.

Your heart skipped a beat when Renee mentioned the public relationship. Although no one had initially caught on, you knew someone would put it together in a matter of seconds, and whilst that thought scared you, it also brought a giddy smile to your lips.

You watched as the revelation hung in the air, a brief silence falling over the crowd before one of the audience members screamed excitedly, followed by several others as the realisation swept through the crowd.

"Wait… Are you guys dating?!" Drew burst out happily, unable to control her excitement as she, too, realised what Renee had alluded to.

A fierce blush spread its way across Renee's cheeks as she quickly moved to cover her wide smile and red cheeks with her hands. The crowd roared with excitement as she began giggling uncontrollably. You smiled proudly as her eyes met yours, shyly nodding for her to continue.

"Yeah,"

Screams and cheers erupted from the audience as Drew bounced in her seat. "Oh my God! You're kidding! "Tell me everything." Renee continued to laugh briefly before it faded: "We've basically been together since we worked on my song together."

The revelation hit the crowd like a wave, and your heart raced amid the uproar. The secret you and Renee had kept hidden for months was now revealed on a public stage, and you felt a mix of excitement and nervousness in the pit of your stomach. The spotlight had shifted not only to Renee but also to the secret love story that, until now, had played out behind closed doors.

Drew's exclamation mirrored the audience's sentiments, but your attention was drawn to Renee at that point. She sat there, bathed in the light from the stage lights, her eyes sparkling with a mix of vulnerability and joy. Your heart swelled with pride as she openly shared your relationship with the world, and you couldn't help but admire her.

"That's amazing! Did you like her before that?" Drew inquired, her eagerness palpable, echoing the curiosity that resonated throughout the auditorium. You held your breath, waiting to hear Renee's response.

"Of course I did. I had like the biggest crush on her the second we met." Renee confessed, her words hanging in the air like a melody that resonated with the audience as they collectively awwed. "Plus, her accent is like the cutest thing you will ever hear."

Drew leant slightly forward, her gaze fixed on Renee. "Is she here tonight?" she inquired curiously. Renee's lips curled into a mysterious smile, the stage lights reflecting the contours of her features. "She might be," she said, a small laugh escaping her lips afterwards. Her affectionate gaze moved across the dimly lit room, briefly meeting your tender gaze. She smiled softly as she spoke.

"And, to my girlfriend, who may or may not be here tonight, I love you so much, baby."

Tag-list:@nitchxhdc @emeraldevan @looseheartedlady @the-night-owl-blr @badassjaguar @txmxav @oh-thats-cute @blckrwidow @cacciatricediartemide @flaiire1805 @rainbow-love4ever @fall-08 @simp4nat @natashadeservedmore @livingforwaddams @alexkolax @ssinfulprayers @wifeyjennaortega @thenextdawn

@wol-fica @ladyofthepitt @jensortega813 @osnapitzmel1 @dyslexic-dreamer @ilacknames @geed-3 @idkjustliving2 @womenofmarvellover @thecrowdedstreetin1944 @natashamaximoff-69 @rafe-camerons-wife @natasha-maximoff @lotussfairy @justatoy4u @tribute-409 @julesreality

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Halalt First Nation in the Cowichan Valley has launched a class-action lawsuit against private forest giant Mosaic Forest Management and three levels of government for damages related to flooding on the band’s reserve on the lower Chemainus River. The B.C. Supreme Court action names several “forestry defendants,” including Mosaic, TimberWest, Island Timberlands and the Municipality of North Cowichan for logging that contributed to downstream flooding. Mosaic is the timberlands manager for TimberWest and Island Timberlands, which are owned by public pension funds. The suit alleges the forestry defendants “conducted their forestry operations in a careless and reckless manner” by overharvesting and failing to manage and clear harmful logging debris. It also says logging caused increased surface runoff, sedimentation and riverbank erosion in the Chemainus River watershed.

Continue Reading

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[retaswatersolutions]

Overview of Watershed Management

Do you have proper insights on the management of watersheds? Before digging out the complete information on watershed management, let’s understand what watershed is.

[smsehgalfoundation]

S M Sehgal Foundation (Sehgal Foundation), with the support from Walmart Foundation, initiated Bolstering Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in the districts of Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, with an intent to strengthen the FPOs in the region. The project trains and builds the capacities of these FPOs, including governance, financial management, and technology adoption. In addition, the foundation assists FPOs to overcome challenges to market their surplus produce and increase women’s involvement effectively.

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Adult SFF Books Bracket: Round 1

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune (The Cerulean Chronicles)

Endorsements from submitter: "Utterly delightful book about found family and queerness and building community and questioning authority."

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.

Fantasy, romance, series, adult

A Half-Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys

Endorsement from submitter: "Excellent first-contact book that really delves into the personal as political and centers around a queer family."

On a warm March night in 2083, Judy Wallach-Stevens wakes to a warning of unknown pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay. She heads out to check what she expects to be a false alarm--and stumbles upon the first alien visitors to Earth. These aliens have crossed the galaxy to save humanity, convinced that the people of Earth must leave their ecologically-ravaged planet behind and join them among the stars. And if humanity doesn't agree, they may need to be saved by force.

The watershed networks aren't ready to give up on Earth. Decades ago, they rose up to exile the last corporations to a few artificial islands, escape the dominance of nation-states, and reorganize humanity around the hope of keeping their world liveable. By sharing the burden of decision-making, they've started to heal the wounded planet.

But now corporations, nation-states, and networks all vie to represent humanity to these powerful new beings, and if any one accepts the aliens' offer, Earth may be lost. With everyone’s eyes turned skyward, everything hinges on the success of Judy's effort to create understanding, both within and beyond her own species.

Science fiction, first contact, climate fiction, family, adult