Laura C. Williams, MSOL’s Post

Our recent hedgerow surveying session with students from the The Woodroffe School in Dorset was full of energy and enthusiasm. There were some excellent comments from both students and staff including, "[I learnt about] different types of hedges, and the heights and width of hedges. I had a lot of fun and it was very interesting.” “[I learnt] how to start a hedgerow, good plants to use, how long they take to grow, what a good hedge looks like. Excellent session. Thank you." “[I learnt about] different micro climates of trees. It was fun to learn about hedgerows and trees.” 100% of the feedback forms reported the students had learnt something new about hedgerows, which is great, including tree leaf identification and the benefits of hedgerows to wildlife, humans, and helping to mitigate against the effects of climate change. Thanks to our project partner, Dorset Climate Action Network; our project funder, Lyme Regis Town Council; and Woodroffe School's staff lead for this project, Jim Johnson-Hills. For more information, go to https://lnkd.in/eMb_3qst #littlegreenchange #awardwinning #nonprofit #socialenterprise #environmentaleducation #primaryschools #secondaryschools #communityaction #hedgerows #ukwildlife #climatechange #treeidentification

Your Countryside in Crisis – a call for action! The Colne Valley Regional Park is amongst the most pressurised parts of the Green Belt. Current rhetoric points to the greenbelt as a development opportunity however there is a vacuum of policy addressing these development pressures/needs. The Colne Valley is at the epicentre of this problem, with currently proposals for ⚠ more than a dozen data centres (20-30m high) ⚠ motorway services ⚠ Warehousing ⚠ Tens of thousands of houses ⚠ Huge film studios and many other speculative developments. 🚅 All sandwiched between two of the biggest civil engineering projects in Europe: HS2 and proposed Heathrow expansion. ✈ If no action is taken and no changes made then, by default, local communities and city populations will suffer the effects of a swell of un-coordinated, unregulated development as previously protected greenspaces and wildlife will be lost for good. On Monday we launched a new campaign where we are persuade decision-makers to act now to protect the special landscape of the Colne Valley Regional Park, specifically safeguarding it for future generations and enabling it to realise its full potential for the benefit of people and wildlife. Find out more about our campaign here https://lnkd.in/eyDn8g9a 🌿 How can you help us today 🌿 ✔ Share this post and spread the word on social media ✔ Join the Friends of the Colne Valley Regional Park https://lnkd.in/ehf7dTgx ✔ Donate – don’t forget to tick the gift aid box which adds 20% to your donation at no cost to you https://lnkd.in/enANJAYz ✔ Join our volunteer team – the bigger volunteer group we have the bigger impact https://lnkd.in/eqX6iNV3 ✔ Visit your local countryside – explore those public footpath. If we don’t use them, they can slowly be lost by neglection. If you spot a problem report it to your local authority https://lnkd.in/e5-J2bsi ✔ Encourage your business to become corporate supporter   https://lnkd.in/ewUayYb6

If you've ever been out to Caddo Lake, you know what a special place it is! Over the past year, I've had the pleasure of collaborating with Caddo Lake Institute (CLI) through our Conservation Wrangler program, and I'm excited to share this blog outlining a few of the things we have worked on together. Read more about how CLI is working to protect this ecological jewel for generations to come:

Are you interested in transforming vacant spaces in your community to improve the health and well-being of residents, but aren’t familiar with brownfields? If the answer is yes, this webinar is for you! Join me on February 7th from 2-3 pm EST to learn about the impact brownfield redevelopment can have on your community! I’ll cover the strategic redevelopment of brownfield sites into community assets and how this can align with your organization's work. You will learn about innovative and creative land reuse solutions, from parks to playgrounds, urban farms, and affordable housing, that tackle critical mission-driven issues like food security, climate adaptation, and anti-displacement. If your organization is interested in learning more about how brownfield revitalization can contribute to the well-being of your community, register today!

🌳 March 21 is International Day of Forests. 🌲 Here at Great River Greening, we LOVE trees! So much so that we can't wait to plant, distribute, and maintain up to 10,000 trees over the next five years. These trees will be on city property, school campuses, public housing, community sites, regional parks, and residential homes across communities identified as in need of tree canopy improvement via the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST). In Fall 2023, Greening was awarded $10M from the USDA’s Forest Service to implement this coalition-building, 5-year program called Cooling Minnesota Communities (CMC): Expanding Tree Canopies, Empowering Communities, and Increasing Access. ✨GET THE DETAILS ✨ To learn more about who we're partnering with, what geographic areas can get trees as part of the funding (updates will be added as they're available), and check out our FAQ section, visit our new webpage: https://lnkd.in/g-Fwb5CK 📸: Phil Davies #GreatRiverGreening #InternationalDayOfForests #Forests #Trees #TreeCanopy #Partnerships #EnvironmentalJustice #ClimateSolutions #Nature

What can the act of saving tadpoles teach us about organizing in public schools? A HEAL Together grantee's story in The New York Times demonstrates that both public schools and frogs can impart valuable lessons, including: - Collective accountability. - Safeguarding ecosystems and advocating for an environment where everyone has an opportunity to prosper. - The important lessons acquired through trial and error. Full article here: https://lnkd.in/gHqMw9kp

https://lnkd.in/gJWJ3dqC So pleased to partner with the Erb Family Foundation on our important environmental management and justice work on Detroit's Eastside. (Fun fact: Dr. Shuster purchased materials from Erb Lumber for his 1982 Eagle Scout nature trail project!) We all live in a watershed (or, us urban dwellers, in sewersheds), which is the geographic area of land that drains or “sheds” water into a specific surface water. The coastal eastside sheds water (and – yuk – sewer overflows) into the Detroit River (thus the sewershed naming). The USEPA established a program to sustainably manage watersheds for water quality. This program calls for a watershed management plan (WMP), which guides this work. However, the Detroit River watershed is the only watershed in southeastern Michigan without a WMP. How did that happen? 🙁 Dr. Shuster has worked with MI EGLE, WSU OVPR, USACE, and now Erb Family Foundation to fund a WMP HQ at the Eastside Community Network, and get this WMP drafted and on the move. 🙂 What is special about the Erb Family Foundation Funding and our WMP effort? We are building a resident-driven writing process toward drafting this WMP. We value the time and expertise of resident watershed planners drawing from the Eastside to work with with us. We recognize this effort and engagement via the still-novel concept of compensating for the value these watershed planners will bring to the process. Filing this WMP means that Eastsiders can resolve this significant environmental injustice, identify and guide voluntary measures, and become eligible for different types of environmental project funding (State, Federal), which can be used to implement the WMP, and improve our coastal Detroit environment writ large.

Another step towards a more equitable outdoors! Really proud of the work my team and ally organizations have done to advance this legislation forward. Learn more & get involved below.

As a business leader and neighbor, our decisions are shaped by guiding principles that we call the JKLH Creed.  We believe in: ✳ Demonstrating the same care and respect to all communities that we touch as we do across our parent company JK Moving Services and sister company CapRelo.  ✳The need for balance between preserving area lands for future generations and commercial development to support area economic growth.  ✳Giving back, so we put approximately 44 acres into conservation easement for every 1 acre we develop commercially.  ✳Smart development that benefits the area community in terms of jobs and tax revenue.  ✳Demonstrating our commitment to the environment by preserving historically and environmentally important sites through conservation easement.  ✳Committing time to work with the communities to listen to their wants and needs.  ✳Partnering to clean up the environment for the community. Learn more on our website ⤵

🌲🌳 Last week, Maryland reached a major conservation milestone — after setting its “30 by 30” goal in 2023, the state announced that, as of February 2024, it had reached this goal six years ahead of schedule. This means that the state has already conserved more than 1.85 million acres out of Maryland’s 6.1 million acres of total land area.   State leaders credit partnership as key to this conservation success, including working closely with local governments, nonprofit land trusts, conservation organizations, federal agencies, and landowners. Maryland is now looking towards its next milestone — conserving 40% of land by 2040.    🔗 Learn more about Maryland’s conservation progress via the Maryland Protected Land Dashboard: https://lnkd.in/e2vxTDtc