Join us tomorrow for a Twitter chat to discuss womens’ increasing role in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). We’ll be sitting down with Jenna Jadin, Ph.D, Office of the Chief Scientist and Dionne Fortson Toombs, Ph.D., National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to answer your questions from our USDA Twitter handle, @USDA. We look forward to seeing you, and check out the Department of Energy’s blog for additional info!

Got Questions about Women in Science, Tech, Engineering, or Math (STEM)? Tweet us! Read more »

Two years of work is nearly complete on a project to eradicate what is considered one of the worst invasive exotic plants in parts of the eastern U.S.

An effort to grow and market locally sourced, locally grown and genetically diverse native plants (Rhody Native) in cooperation with nursery industry has been made possible with Forest Service Recovery Act funding. Photo Credit: Hope Leeson.

The Japanese knotweed grows in thick, dense colonies that completely crowd out native species. Forest Service Recovery Act funds helped to tackle the infestation in the largest contiguous forest block in Rhode Island where the invasive occurs. Read more »

Many tourists in the nation’s capital have stumbled into the historical Sidney R. Yates Federal Building which houses the Forest Service national headquarters by mistake — they were looking for the Holocaust Museum or the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which is just down the street.  But once inside the Forest Service facility, visitors from all over the world are surprised by the warm welcome they receive and the information available on the importance of forests and wildlife habitats.

Smokey Bear greets visitors and reads his mail at Forest Service Information Center.

This year the information center will welcome its 250,000 visitor. Read more »

Hundreds of people, over the web or in person, learned about the financing and technology of anaerobic digester systems, the subject of a pair of webinars recently hosted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  A broad spectrum of individuals participated including academics, farmers, and representatives of the environmental community. Read more »