ComEd

August 20, 2024

Goats are world-renowned climbers and are able to eat plants in hard-to-reach places, like steep inclines, where humans and equipment have trouble accessing. That’s why every summer, ComEd enlists the help of goats to keep trees and brush along transmission lines under control – a key strategy to thwart interference with power lines, sustainably, in order to uphold our nation-leading power reliability.

This year, over 100 goats are employed to eat through 10 acres of vegetation south of Interstate 80. This is an increase of the 50 goats ComEd had last year. Over the next three to four weeks, these goats will help ensure the reliable distribution of power along our transmission rights-of-way.

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AASHTO

August 9, 2024

An “agronomist” is a scientist specializing in the study and care of crops and plants, conducting research to improve growth, production quality, and to combat diseases. In the agricultural sector, they often act as liaisons between farmers and researchers.

When it comes to roadside vegetation management, Alabama DOT’s agronomists develop guidelines for mowing operations and the use of herbicides.

But the work of the agency’s three agronomists – Jacob Hodnett, senior Alabama DOT agronomist; Steven Drake, agronomist for the Alabama DOT’s West Central Region; and Billy Aaron, the agronomist overseeing the Southeast region for the agency – goes beyond simply ensuring the grass gets cut along state roadsides.

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NWF Blog

August 12, 2024

Every year, an estimated 2 million acres of United States’ grassland and sagebrush shrublands are lost or degraded—on average, an area about triple the size of Yosemite National Park. A recent map developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology starkly shows how rapidly grasslands have succumbed to a combination of urban development, conversion to cropland, and degradation by invasive species. This destruction of grasslands has had dire consequences for wildlife and climate change, not to mention those who depend on healthy grasslands for their livelihoods (like cowboys!). 

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Oklahoma Department of Transportation

July 19, 2024

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is receiving national recognition for its efforts toward anti-littering, environmental responsibility and monarch conservation.

“According to ODOT, the department was recently recognized at the Keep America Beautiful National Awards Ceremony. ODOT was one of four Oklahoma state agencies to be recognized alongside the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Food and Forestry.” 

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