The New York Times recently published an essay by Jason Metrokin, President and CEO of the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, which urges support for the permanent protection of Bristol Bay— a place defined by wild salmon — and how it is imperative that we guard it against the proposed Pebble Mine and other future threats.
From urban trail systems to the most remote wilderness hikes, The Conservation Fund has helped establish, connect and extend trails, as well as protect viewsheds, for some of America’s best hiking experiences. As we celebrate American Hiking Society’s 30th Annual National Trails Day®, we encourage you to get out and explore a trail near you. Let’s get inspired by learning about some of the great trails the Fund has helped protect.
Sockeye salmon fishing is about to ramp up in Bristol Bay, Alaska as more than 60 million fish are expected to return, as they do year after year, to the rivers and streams within this globally important watershed. Thousands of people devote their lives to this pursuit during the height of the short summer season from June to July. Bristol Bay’s thriving sockeye salmon population depends on a healthy ecosystem—one that our Pedro Bay Rivers project is trying to permanently protect. We asked photographer Bri Dwyer to take us on a journey into the fishing culture of the area to find out what makes it so special, and why so many people in this community are lining up to support our preservation effort.
Conserving and maintaining working forests—and ultimately supporting the communities that depend on them—remains one of our top conservation priorities. It is especially important in Wisconsin, where more than 40 percent of the state is covered in forestland. Let’s visit three Wisconsin forests that we helped protect!
Land protection requires perseverance, flexibility and, most importantly, funding in hand to buy land. Will Allen, Senior Vice President of The Conservation Fund, explains how the Great American Outdoors Act doubled the amount of capital for conservation it has also increased the need for more funding to ensure the protection of our nation’s at-risk lands.
While some of our conservation efforts protect vast forests and endangered species, others preserve history and stories of culturally significant places. Together with our partners Preservation Pennsylvania and the Susquehanna National Heritage Area, The Conservation Fund is working on a project that combines preservation of the past with development of the future to honor the history of the Mifflin House—an important station on the Underground Railroad in central Pennsylvania.
Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the union, but buying farmland here comes with the biggest price tag in the country. This high cost makes it nearly impossible for smaller farming operations, particularly new farmers and those of color and lower economic means, to buy land. For more than 40 years, Southside Community Land Trust has been working hard to change this dynamic in communities across Rhode Island, and recently, with help from The Conservation Fund, acquired a new farm property to help achieve its goals.
Every year Earth Day reminds us that nature provides life-sustaining sources of nourishment, energy and shelter, and we must each do our part to take care of the planet. Today the intensifying impacts of climate change demand that we pay closer attention and take action to tackle the challenges facing our environment more than just one day a year.
Over the last 15 years, U-Haul has partnered with The Conservation Fund to offer its customers the opportunity to support conservation outcomes for wildlife, climate and communities across the U.S. Millions of people have chosen to give back, resulting in more than $9.2 million raised by U-Haul and its customers to plant trees, create parks and support local economies.
This month we’ll be celebrating the 52nd anniversary of Earth Day—and the official 2022 Earth Day theme is “Invest in Our Planet.” We are so thankful for the supporters who’ve been doing just that by investing in nature with The Conservation Fund over the years. We were curious about what sparks our donors’ love of nature and sense of urgency to protect our planet, so we reached out to a handful of them to find out.
Join us in celebrating forests—beautiful and diverse ecosystems that provide life-sustaining benefits for people, wildlife and our planet.
Earlier this year, we hit an exciting milestone. Our Conservation Loans program—which offers flexible financing to conservation-minded groups—issued our 400th loan since the program started in 1993. Lending partners the capital they need to do important, timely conservation projects has generated more access to green and open-space, the recovery of natural habitats, greater education programs and more. What does the impact of 400 conservation loans look like?
As the saying goes, "Here’s to strong women. May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.” We’d like to introduce you to six women forging change via conservation, farming, and communication in their communities and beyond. These women demonstrate what is possible when we follow our passion and commitment to making our world a better place.
The families of David Hall, Rosie Steele, and Robert Gardner have never discussed the contributions their loved ones made to the 1965 Voting Rights March from Selma to Montgomery—until now. The new documentary “54 Miles to Home” is an intimate portrait of these three extraordinary individuals and their families who remain the owners and stewards of these sacred spaces along the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail. Find out about the effort underway to preserve these historically and ecologically significant lands and ensure that the full story of the march does not fall through the cracks of history.
Black History Month is a time to celebrate not only the past heroes who helped shape our country, but also to honor the people who are making a difference today in communities across the United States. We’re sharing the stories of four people who truly inspire us and who are making their own mark on history.
2022’s Black History Month theme is “Black Health and Wellness.” We know that local parks can provide critical access to green space for Black communities, which in turn improves physical and mental health within those communities.
Sixty years have passed since the Freedom Riders bravely took a stand against segregation and discrimination in the United States, and we are still learning from their example today. Their legacy is honored at the Freedom Riders National Monument in Anniston, Alabama, which was established in 2017 to preserve the sites of the attacks against the Freedom Riders and tell the stories of this important movement. How are things going five years later? We checked in with the National Park Service and others close to this project to find out.
Few states have done more to conserve land than California. In the last 20 years alone, California voters have approved more than $20 billion to fund land conservation, which private and public partners have used to protect more than 1.5 million acres of land throughout the state. During that same period, The Conservation Fund, working with local, state and federal partners, has protected more than 200,000 acres in California. This important work continues with projects like Pogo Park’s Harbour-8 Park in Richmond, California.
