Dan McCarthy’s Post

🌲🌳 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   

Did you know that >60% of American adults do not have a current will or trust? During National #EstatePlanning Awareness Month (#NEPAW), consider creating a legacy that reflects your values by making a planned gift to Island Conservation. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g4TAibj6 #plannedgiving #conservationlegacy #environmentalconservation

When you step outside, do you feel grateful for the space and it's accessibility? Or are you one of the 100 million Americans that lack access to a quality local park? Yes, 100 million Americans lack access to a quality local park. The Outdoors for All Act, a bipartisan bill in both the House and Senate, would ensure that the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program has steady funding for generations to come. What does that mean for park access? This program awards grant funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, supporting the development of new parks and the renovation of existing outdoor recreation infrastructure in underinvested urban communities. Help to bring quality parks to ALL Americans, take action now ⏬ https://lnkd.in/eQ5sQRrx

Colorado funding opportunity 📣📣📣💰💰💰 Two types of grants are available: Partnership Capacity Grants. Up to $150,000 to support coalitions that are committed to convening a broad range of outdoor interests to identify and advance conservation and sustainable outdoor recreation objectives. Coalitions focused on Colorado’s eastern plains and other areas where there are no established Regional Partnerships are a priority for capacity funding -- see the RPI map to locate these areas. Plan Development Grants. Up to $250,000 to support Regional Partnerships' work to complete regional conservation and recreation plans that complement Colorado’s Outdoors Strategy, a collaborative vision for conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable recreation. These grants can also include funding for capacity.

This is critical infrastructure!!

The Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) is making $1.7 million available from its Preservation Trust Fund program and $175,000 from its Get Outdoors Fund for grants that protect open space for public use and other public benefits. Preservation Trust Fund grants for the spring 2024 grant round will prioritize projects that result in significant public access, but funds may also be used for projects that protect exceptional conservation values such as water quality, historic and cultural resources, wildlife habitat, and high-quality farmland and forestland. A real estate interest must either be acquired by a local government or conveyed to VOF to be eligible for funding, and protection must meet the requirements of Virginia’s Open-Space Land Act. Get Outdoors Fund grants may be used to fund projects that create, protect, expand, or enhance access to open space in underserved communities. Proposals up to $25,000 may be considered. See the full announcement here: https://lnkd.in/e9zZKxNM

Land rights are fundamental to any REDD project, but what does that mean. In Tanzania the village land act enables a village to develop a village land use plan that creates by-laws governing land use. These plans are participatory in nature, and reflect the cultural uses of that area; grazing, farming, water sources, scared sites. The by-laws then allow communities to enforce the land use plans against people from outside of their village.

ASSISTANCE OPPORTUNITY Program: Conservation or Outdoor Recreation Community Assistance Entity: National Park Service Location: United States Deadline: March 1, 2024 Description: “The National Park Service – Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program (NPS-RTCA) welcomes applications from community groups, nonprofit organizations, tribal governments, national parks, and local, state and federal agencies. NPS-RTCA does not provide financial assistance or monetary grants. As a collaborative partner, we provide professional services to help you achieve your conservation and outdoor recreation project vision.” The projects we highlight are organized into these five categories: -Building Healthy Communities -Conserving Lands and Waters -Developing Organizational Capacity -Supporting Public Land Management Collaboration -Engaging Youth Project Selection Criteria: -The project is expected to accomplish noticeable results that promote natural resource conservation or outdoor recreation in the near future. -Roles and contributions of project partners are significant and well-defined. -There is evidence of broad community support for the project. -The project fits with our focus areas (although proposals falling outside these areas are considered). For more information:  https://lnkd.in/e7N5xD2Q #conservationopportunity #conservationopportunitypr #assistanceopportunities #nationalparkservice #unitedstates #conservation #outdoor #recreation 

Southern Oregon Now Boasts World's Largest Dark Sky Sanctuary: Sheraz Sadiq reports via Oregon Public Broadcasting: An area that's nearly half the size of New Jersey in southern Oregon was recently named the world's largest dark sky sanctuary by DarkSky International. The nonprofit works to combat light pollution through advocacy and conservation, including a program that has certified more than 200 places around the world to protect the night sky. The Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary spans 2.5 million acres of mostly public land in eastern Lake County, and could eventually grow to more than four times that size to include parts of Harney and Malheur Counties. To win certification as a Dark Sky Sanctuary, the applicants had to work with numerous stakeholders to draw the site's boundaries, monitor night sky quality, inventory outdoor lights and replace more than 60 lights on public and private lands. With the inclusion of parts of Harney and Malheur Counties, the sanctuary would surpass 11 million acres, notes KLCC. More than half of the area is under the control of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Southern Oregon Now Boasts World's Largest Dark Sky Sanctuary: Sheraz Sadiq reports via Oregon Public Broadcasting: An area that's nearly half the size of New Jersey in southern Oregon was recently named the world's largest dark sky sanctuary by DarkSky International. The nonprofit works to combat light pollution through advocacy and conservation, including a program that has certified more than 200 places around the world to protect the night sky. The Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary spans 2.5 million acres of mostly public land in eastern Lake County, and could eventually grow to more than four times that size to include parts of Harney and Malheur Counties. To win certification as a Dark Sky Sanctuary, the applicants had to work with numerous stakeholders to draw the site's boundaries, monitor night sky quality, inventory outdoor lights and replace more than 60 lights on public and private lands. With the inclusion of parts of Harney and Malheur Counties, the sanctuary would surpass 11 million acres, notes KLCC. More than half of the area is under the control of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Read more of this story at Slashdot.