New York League of Conservation Voters’ Post

The Outdoor Equity Grant Program is a bold investment to ensure that Colorado’s natural beauty is accessible to all. This program goes beyond funding—it’s a powerful commitment to breaking down barriers and creating pathways for connection, community building, and thriving in nature. While Colorado is known as an outdoor state, not everyone has had equal access to its trails, parks, and open spaces. This program is changing that by driving resources directly to communities, expanding opportunities for everyone to enjoy and benefit from the outdoors.

College Township Secures $300,000 DCNR Grant For Development of ClearWater Community Conservation Center; Next DCNR Grant Round Opens Jan. 21  [PaEN] https://lnkd.in/ebDuHbcC

Tomorrow, over one hundred NPCA staffers and dedicated volunteers are heading to Capitol Hill to push Congress to protect — and fund — our national parks. While NPCA meets with members of Congress and the administration regularly about challenges impacting our national parks, our annual lobby day gives park advocates from across the country the opportunity to collectively speak up for the future of their national parks and communities. National parks are reaching a critical breaking point from declining budgets and staff, skyrocketing visitation, cumulating maintenance needs and worsening climate disasters. The good news: There are solutions available for lawmakers to act on right now. We're focused on four key actions this Park Advocacy Week: 1. Increase park funding by at least $250 million to help bring back thousands of park staff 2. Extend the Great American Outdoors Act to help #FixOurParks 3. Preserve our history by enacting the Cultural Resource Challenge 4. Tell the story of all Americans by supporting individual bills that expand our National Park System, including the Big Bend National Park Boundary Adjustment Act, Chesapeake National Recreation Area Act and Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act. Learn more on our blog! #ParkAdvocacy #FundOurParks #ParkProtection #LobbyDay #HillDay #NationalParks #ParkAdvocate

Democracy is a lot bigger than any 🗳 single election, and it's bigger than our ⚖ political system. As we experience extreme levels of toxic polarization, division, and loneliness in this country, each of us needs to orient our work (and life) in a way that 🤝 strengthens democratic norms, processes, and cultures in our local communities. I'm thrilled to see Trust for Public Land's 🔬 latest research and thinking on the pivotal role that 🏞 parks play in fostering democracy, justice, and social cohesion published in 📑 the Stanford Social Innovation Review last week. In the article, my co-authors and I highlight powerful case studies that demonstrate how parks serve as vital spaces for community engagement, activism, and the cultivation of democratic values through activities like community organizing, land stewardship, and creative placemaking. Each of us has a part to play in making our democracy work. And I promise you don't have to look much farther than your local park to get involved and take action. 💚 🌳 👊

Proud to say South Fayette Township has been awarded a $430,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnerships Program toward developing more than 5 miles of trails in and around Fairview Park. The connectivity project is in the design phase, with construction expected to start in late 2025 or in 2026. Work will include multi-surface paths, ADA access, landscaping, signs and other improvements. An additional $802,060 secured from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission's Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program means the trail project is about 90 percent covered by grant funding.

Huge Thank You to our amazing Who I Am Foundation #volunteers in #Albuquerque who came out to Saturday morning's Community Clean-Up project! Our volunteers picked up over 4 BAGS of trash at Tingley Beach, in a little over 2 hours! Showcasing the impact you can make in the community by simply volunteering 1-2 hours a week. These Community Clean-Up projects are conducted each month, and our team will rotate around to different parts of Santa Fe, to clean up streets, neighborhoods, and parks. Volunteer-led projects such as these are one of the quickest, simplest, and least expensive ways to inspire more community spirit and civic action. A visually appealing #community increases property values, attracts businesses, and improves the neighborhood's image. Beauty is one of the three most influential factors in community attachment, which means loyalty, to your particular town or city. Some research even shows that a nice-looking neighborhood promotes good behavior. If you know of any parks or neighborhoods that could use some beautification, simply comment below! #EnvironmentalOutreach Awesome job #TeamWhoIAm_Albuquerque

Fed up with an overgrown, unusable space on their school site, Blackrod Primary School are using the Green Spaces Fund to turn it into a community garden for children, families, and community members 🍎 They'll be growing food, teaching about wildlife and healthy food production, and introducing a composting system to enhance soil health and reduce waste. The school hope that their Green Spaces Fund project will foster a closer-knit, healthier community whilst providing accessible green space in Bolton. Lancashire Wildlife Trust

"Your opinion matters! 🌟 Help shape the future of our parks, programs, and events by filling out the Peoria Park District Community Survey. 📝 Your feedback helps us better serve YOU and our community! 👉 Take a few minutes to share your thoughts: [link] Let's work together to make Peoria's parks even better for everyone! 🌳🎉 #PeoriaParks #CommunitySurvey #YourVoiceMatters #BetterTogether"

🌲🌳 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   

Three-quarters of children want more time in nature, says National Trust Charity publishes survey findings as it calls for youngsters to be no more than a 15-minute walk from green spaces Jamie Grierson More than three-quarters of children want to spend more time in nature, the National Trust has found, as the conservation charity pushes ministers to ensure youngsters are no more than a 15-minute walk from green spaces. Nearly two-thirds – 63% – of parents are able to take their children to nature spaces only once a week or less, citing accessibility as the main barrier, the survey of 1,000 children aged seven to 14 and 1,000 parents by the trust and the children’s newspaper First News found. The trust is calling on the government to live up to its previous promise for every person to be 15 minutes away from nature – a target backed by 80% of parents in the survey – by enshrining the access in law. Read on at https://lnkd.in/evXDn2h4