The Conservation Alliance’s Post

Wanting to better understand the relationship between outdoor recreation and conservation? Then check out Outdoor Alliance's most recent annual report!

On #EarthDay, we're celebrating M&T Business Banking Customer Chesapeake Conservancy, a nonprofit organization based in Annapolis, Maryland. The Conservancy believes the Chesapeake is a national treasure that should be accessible to everyone and where wildlife can thrive. It uses technology to enhance the pace and quality of conservation and helps build parks, trails, and public access sites. “Habitat loss is the greatest threat to biodiversity in the United States. In the 25 years before establishing the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Protected Land goals, the watershed was losing tree canopy cover faster each year, and urban areas increased by 14%. Such habitat loss represents the primary threat to the sustainability of wildlife populations and the livelihoods and local economies that depend upon them. Without a sustainable relationship with protected lands, we will not have clean air, clean water, or abundant food to eat. Joint Chesapeake Bay watershed conservation initiatives have proven to be effective. Already, 22% of the lands have been protected, yet there is a long way to go. Chesapeake Conservancy has supported this effort through data science and global information systems (GIS) technology. Our team has mapped the entire watershed to 1 meter by 1 meter resolution and identified what is on the land and what it is being used for. These precision conservation tools allow governments to make informed policy decisions and increase efficiencies, telling us which lands would be the most beneficial to protect, why, and how. This technology is being deployed throughout the watershed, particularly with our teams and partners in Pennsylvania, to create healthy streams through sustainable methods and move them off the impaired streams list.” Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/e_uNS3Kx #earthmonth #sustainability #planetvsplastics

Interested in how your HOA's decisions impact local wildlife? Our newest blog post delves into the environmental effects of community management practices. We discuss the importance of native landscaping, wildlife-friendly amenities, and responsible pest control methods that can protect and enhance local ecosystems. Learn how making mindful choices can not only preserve but actually improve biodiversity in your neighborhood, making it a better place for all living creatures. https://lnkd.in/e4Tji4Hx

The continued efforts of groups like The Nature Conservancy in restoring longleaf pine forests across the region have contributed significantly to the growth of red-cockaded woodpeckers, one of the best-known animals that thrive in longleaf forests. Throughout the Southeast, a coordinated effort is underway to conserve and restore these rich and vital forests that run through the heart of Mississippi. Spanning nine states in the U.S. southeast, we’re working together to restore and manage longleaf pine forest from Texas to Virginia. Longleaf pine once dominated the coastal plain blanketing more than 90 million acres. Today there are just 5.2 million acres, up from an historical low of 3.2 million acres two decades ago.

It can't be overstated the importance of protecting remaining natural lands like forests and wetlands for maintaining water quality and the health of our lakes and streams. Private property owners can learn how to be part of the solution. #rivers #waterquality #landprotection #naturalclimatesolutions

Super excited today to launch of Forest Love initiative and announce our partnership with Chloris Geospatial. You can learn more about the partnership from the Chloris post below. Bottom line for us is that we really see their technology as a game changer in our collective efforts to understand and better protect, yes, better love our forests and all the magical things they bring us. Why Forest Love? Pond Foundation wants to highlight and nurture the spiritual connection between humans and forests and the word ‘love’ captures how we feel about forests and how we want to inspire others to feel about them. We could have called it the Forest Protection Initiative, or something similarly bland and boring, but there’s nothing bland or boring about forests.   Forests teem with vibrant, magical life; they’re great for the planet, for so many species and for humans too. We see people as being integral to forest ecosystems, not separate from them and not a part that should ever be separated by political or forest management decisions. We acknowledge, deeply respect, and love the role that indigenous and local communities play in protecting forests the world over. A central part of Forest Love’s work will be to help communities secure the resources they need to continue their work to both protect their forests and grow their communities. Another part is to help people who have become disconnected from forests to find reconnection to that most ancient current.   Our goal. So many forests are under threat – from logging, fire, mining, agricultural clearance, pests, and disease and most insidiously, from climate change. If we lose them, we lose life itself. Our goal is to support the protection of as many hectares of forest as we possibly can. We'll share more about Forest Love in future posts, but for now, we're celebrating this partnership with Chloris Geospatial that will underpin this work.  

I'm still buzzing about The Nature Conservancy in Texas achieving its 1 Million Acres protected milestone! Check out this excellent StoryMap, created by Lauren Lombardo and our team, to learn more: https://lnkd.in/ghs5kddr 1 million acres is big but how big? If you added up the municipal footprints of these American cities below (not their metro areas) - it would roughly add up to 1 million acres

Have you been keeping up with Earth Week? The Biden Administration has finalized several initiatives that include protections for 245 million acres of public land, investments in the American Climate Corps, and conserving important land and water in Alaska. Outdoor Alliance has been offering ideas about how the administration and Congress can work to benefit climate, conservation, and outdoor recreation access. Recreation continues to be a vital voice in championing conservation and in helping to shape the future of public lands and waters that is sustainable, resilient, and equipped to face the challenges of the 21st century. This week is the culmination of years of work, advocacy, public outreach, and good ideas for protecting the outdoors. For the outdoor recreation community, these initiatives will lead to very real improvements to how lands are managed and protected. https://lnkd.in/gKh34UM5

This year, Give Local York funds to Friends of Codorus State Park will be used to continue our work to improve the park for the benefit of its visitors, wildlife, and ecosystem. We plan to: 1. Renovate the Landis Barn Environmental Educational Center to expand the hours that it can be used. 2. Remove hazardous trees that are next to the Center, which present a safety hazard. 3. Purchase an educational trailer for presenting environmental programs within the park and throughout the surrounding community. 4. Construct turtle platforms for placement in Lake Marburg. 5. Remove Invasive plant species, which are taking over areas of native plant species, throughout the park

"It’s a delicate balance to ensure recreation use and access can continue without losing the wilderness and wildlife that make these mountains so special." — Hilary Eisen, Policy Director Winter Wildlands Alliance proudly supports The Greater Yellowstone Conservation and Recreation Act, which will: -Protect 250,000 acres of public lands in the Madison and Gallatin ranges. -Safeguard critical wildlife habitats. -Preserve recreation access without expanding into sensitive wildlands. -Ensure clean water for our rivers and communities. 📢 Take Action: Endorse the Act here: https://lnkd.in/gQuehWa2. 📖 Learn More: Read Hilary's op-ed on why this Act is crucial: https://bit.ly/3WXGat3.