Cuyahoga Valley NP adds almost 200 acres through donation

Nearly 200 acres of rolling, forested landscape has been obtained by the National Park Service at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio.

The land, part of the former Brandywine Golf Course, had been held by the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The Park Service closed on purchase of 198 acres on December 28. The Conservancy retained 15 acres. The transaction was for the appraised price of $3.1 million.

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2023/01/cuyahoga-valley-national-park-acquires-almost-200-acres

14 Black Belt counties in Alabama are newest National Heritage Area

More than a decade in the making, 14 Black Belt counties in Alabama are now officially designated a National Heritage Area, which could pave the way for new funding and tourism opportunities.

President Joe Biden on Jan. 6 signed into law the designation of the Black Belt National Heritage Area.

https://alabamanewscenter.com/2023/01/10/alabamas-black-belt-is-now-a-national-heritage-area/

Iraq | WH-listed Mesopotamian marshlands now hit hard by drought after recovering from war damage

Three years ago, the vast marshlands of southern Iraq’s Dhi Qar province were flourishing. Fishermen glided in punts across swathes of still water between vast reed beds, while buffalo bathed amid green vegetation. But today those wetlands, part of the vast Mesopotamian Marshes, have shriveled to narrow channels of polluted water bordered by cracked and salty earth. Hundreds of desiccated fish dot stream banks, along with the carcasses of water buffalo poisoned by saline water. Drought has parched tens of thousands of hectares of fields and orchards, and villages are emptying as farmers abandon their land.

https://e360.yale.edu/features/iraq-marshes-drought-climate-change