The land we protect and the food we eat are incontrovertibly connected. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, food supply chains have been massively disrupted and, in many under-resourced communities, food has been harder to come by. We’ve worked in concert with local food hubs in North Carolina to ensure food insecure families have enough to eat without taking on any unnecessary risk.
Currently, half of the earth’s habitable surface is used for agriculture production. And the $5 trillion global industry is only getting bigger. Leading Harvest, a newly formed sustainable agriculture nonprofit, seeks to influence the industry for the better by improving transparency and ensuring everyone has access to healthy soil, food, and water for generations to come.
For me, this time of the year results in reflection; and though 2020 has looked and felt very different than any year I’ve known before, it is with gratitude that I’m writing you. With the presidential election now behind us and the transition to the new Administration underway, I’m returning my attention to some of the top priorities for The Conservation Fund. I am grateful that we have these opportunities to make a real difference on the ground and in people’s lives.
The people of Greater Portland, Maine, and their upstream Sebago Lake watershed neighbors enjoy exceptionally pure water. This purity is in large part due to the forests surrounding the lakes, rivers, and streams in the 234,000-acre Sebago watershed acting as a natural filter. Sebago Clean Waters, a coalition of eight conservation organizations and a regional water utility, aims to protect the forests that keep these waters clean, provide habitat for wildlife, support community well-being, and boost the local and state economy.
Over the last few decades, America’s local farms have been disappearing at an alarming rate. High costs, low margins, increasing consolidation, and aging farmers have put our food supply in a precarious position. In mid-November, The Conservation Fund gathered a panel of partners from its Working Farms Fund to discuss the plight of the American farm and propose solutions for a healthier, more equitable and resilient food system. Here are the major takeaways.
SAVE Farm was founded to give military service members meaningful skills and job opportunities in agribusiness (farming and farming-related commercial activities) upon returning to civilian life. To date, SAVE Farm has trained more than 500 veterans, and more than 90% of these students have gone on to hold jobs related to farming. Find out how SAVE Farm provided one former Army helicopter pilot the opportunity and skills to turn his passion for helping people into a new career… goat farming!
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to adapt to entirely new limitations and possibilities. This post is the third in a series on how our staff members are navigating unprecedented conditions and still managing to accomplish good conservation outcomes. We feature Stacia Turner, our Parks with Purpose Urban Conservation Associate, who shares how she has maintained connections with partners and found new ways to build community. Stay tuned for more of these personal stories in coming weeks and months.
Audubon's Texas Women in Conservation Program honors the role that women play in the conservation field in the Lone Star State, and seeks to inspire the next generation of female conservationists. This year, we are thrilled that Audubon Texas has chosen The Conservation Fund’s own Julie Shackelford as a 2020 Terry Hershey Award recipient. Julie exemplifies the very best in conservation leadership, and we are proud to recognize her achievements. Way to go, Julie!
The creation of Skalkaho Bend Park couldn’t have come to fruition at a better time, when residents of Hamilton, Montana were seeking nature more than ever. But a community park doesn’t just grow overnight—it takes local dedication and the help of many partners. Emy Royce at Bitter Root Land Trust shares how her community shaped its future with conservation.
Salmon is the second most popular seafood in the U.S., and its popularity continues to grow each year. Americans’ hunger for this tasty and healthy fish has merited its own special day, with October 8 named National Salmon Day. In honor of this top fish, we are spotlighting a few of our conservation efforts that focus on protecting and improving natural salmon habitat and developing more sustainable techniques for raising fish on land. Just keep swimming…or reading to learn more.
As another wildfire season scorches the western United States, it’s natural to be shocked by the startling images of dark red skies full of smoke and ash. But while seemingly unprecedented and insurmountable, the now yearly devastation fits into a clear trend. Ryan Klausch, a forester out of our North Coast California Office, explains the history of forest fires in the region, how climate change is making fires worse, and why proper forest management techniques are so important to alleviating fire’s destructive spread.
Healthy and connected watersheds are key to the resilience of fish populations. Blocked streams and rivers prevent completion of the essential cycle for healthy fish populations, and place their future in peril. The Conservation Fund’s acquisition of the 27,000-acre Pleasant River Headwaters Forest in Maine created the opportunity to restore connectivity for fish passage in the Penobscot River Watershed. That's good news for Atlantic salmon and brook trout, which depend on this watershed for their survival.
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended lives all over the world, and people everywhere are adapting to entirely new limitations and possibilities. This post is the second in a series on how our various staff members are moving forward with their conservation efforts during this time. We will feature a day (or week) in their lives, how they are navigating conditions and still managing to accomplish good conservation outcomes. Stay tuned for more of these personal stories in coming weeks and months.
As I watched a truckload of 40-foot-long redwood logs being loaded in the forest, I felt incredibly grateful that nature not only offers a feeling of consistency and renewal during these times, but so does my line of work. I feel comforted knowing that as our work proceeds, we are continuing to transform the landscape into a healthier ecosystem, while stimulating and keeping the local economy engaged during a global pandemic.
Middle school science teacher and coach, Chris Hanson, spends way more time outside than your average educator. Over his 22 years of teaching in Brainerd, Minnesota, Mr. Hanson has made outdoor learning and nature-based activities a key part of his curriculum. And thanks to a recent conservation effort, his school’s outdoor learning space just got a whole lot bigger.
Freetown Farm in Maryland is a small farm with a big vision. Seeing the farm’s potential and a unique opportunity for community education, food production, and sustainable environmental practices, The Conservation Fund provided Community Ecology Institute with a bridge loan to help them purchase the farm in the Summer of 2019 and secure their future. Now, CEI’s executive director Chiara D’Amore shares their progress over the past year, and what amazing things they’ve accomplished for their community.
Over hundreds of years, logging, farming and heavy industrial development released significant pollution and agricultural run-off into the Saginaw Bay, Michigan watershed. That contamination, combined with overfishing, destroyed much of the native fish population and their breeding reefs throughout the bay. The Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network has been working for years to rebuild these historic fish spawning habitats. The culmination of this work can be seen in the 15-minute long documentary.
While there are many ways to improve cities and urban living in a post-Covid-19 world, The Conservation Fund's Will Allen offers four steps we can take now to promote nature in cities, to reduce crowding, and to improve urban density’s natural advantages to foster economic resilience and efficiency.
