• Politics

Western Voters, Nevadans In Particular, See Climate and Pollution As Top Issues In Election

• #30x30
• climate change
• conservation
• endagered species
• poll
• water
• Westerners
• wildlife

A new poll released Thursday by Colorado College just before the Nevada Democratic caucuses shows that for residents of both parties in Western states care deeply about a wide range of conservation issues from battling climate change and pollution, to protecting federal lands and parks and endangered species, and ensuring clean and plentiful water. 

Why This Matters:  If history is a guide, climate change will drive Latinos to vote in the caucuses and in the general election in Nevada this year.

• Land

Stewart Udall’s Legacy: Celebrating Parks Across The Country

• #30x30
• conservation
• land trust
• St. Simon's Land Trust
• St. Simons Island
• Stewart Udall

Today would have been Stewart Udall’s 100th birthday — and while many Americans may not know his name — he was Secretary of Interior to President’s John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson and led the birth of today’s conservation movement in the 1960’s — there are few Americans who have not benefitted from his legacy, parks large and small across the nation.  He made parks an integral part of modern America.

• Animals

Acidifying Oceans Could Dissolve Shark Scales

• biodiversity
• conservation
• sharks

South African researchers published a new study showing that increasing concentrations of CO2 in the ocean are damaging shark scales, known as denticles.

Why This Matters: These scales protect sharks and allow them their unique ability to move through the water.

• Animals

Top Stories of 2019: Our Impact on Wildlife

• 30 by 30
• biodiversity
• conservation

It wasn’t news in 2019 that humans are pushing animals to the brink. However, a landmark report released in May ran the alarm bells: 1 million species are at risk of extinction unless we take drastic action to reverse our actions.

• Land

Interview of the Week: Emily Ellison

• barrier islands
• conservation
• Georgia
• Land use

Emily is the Executive Director of the St. Simons Land Trust on Georgia’s famed St. Simons Island. ODP: We’ve talked before about why land trusts are an important part of conservation. What is something that SSLT has accomplished this year that exceeded all of your expectations?  EE: This year, the St. Simons Land Trust celebrated […]

• Sustainability

More Green Giving This Year? The Trend Is Good

• charitable giving
• climate change
• conservation

According to a recent report by the Conservation Finance Network, charitable giving to environmental causes last year $12.7 billion — which is only 3% of charitable giving in the U.S. — including donations to animal welfare organizations like local animal shelters. 

Why This Matters: These organizations are working harder than ever to beat back the assault by the Trump Administration on our environmental laws and public lands, but it is tough going.

• Land

A New Kind of National Park, Not Everyone’s Thrilled

• #30by30
• 30 by 30
• bison
• conservation
• great plains
• Montana

The American Prairie Reserve in northeastern Montana is a non-profit working to create the largest nature sanctuary in the continental United States. Founder Sean Gerrity made his money in Silicon Valley and hopes to create a preserve that’s made up of private properties stitched together with vast tracts of neighboring public lands to create one […]

• Land

Something to Be Thankful For: Land Trusts

• conservation
• land conservation
• St. Simon's Land Trust

When we asked our partners at the St. Simons Land Trust about what they’ve been thankful for this year they told us that the opportunity to operate a land trust in one of coastal Georgia’s most diverse ecosystems is something to be thankful for in and of itself. Land trusts are a really important conservation […]

• People

What’s Threatening Biodiversity? Hint: It’s US!

• 30 by 30
• biodiversity
• climate change
• conservation

Over the last century, humans have come to dominate the planet, causing rapid ecosystem change and massive loss of biodiversity across the planet.

Why This Matters: without a vibrant Earth our chances of adequately feeding and sustaining 9.8 billion people by 2050 become slim.

• People

Interview of the Week: Sam Hodder

• California
• conservation
• Forests
• redwoods

Sam Hodder is the president and CEO of the Save the Redwoods League. Hodder has spent his career in land conservation overseeing complex conservation programs and land transactions from the remote wilderness to the inner city. ODP: What’s the difference between a redwood and a giant sequoia? SH: Giant sequoia are the most massive trees […]

• Forests

Hero of the Week: The Stagg Tree

• conservation
• Forests
• giants sequoias
• redwoods

We know, usually, our Heroes of the Week are humans but hear us out: trees are serious climate heroes.

Our hero this week is the Stagg Tree which is a giant sequoia tree located in California’s 530-acre Alder Creek forest–and it needs your help! Last month Save the Redwoods League announced an opportunity to purchase Alder Creek, the largest remaining privately owned giant sequoia property in the world.

• Land

Conservation on a Local Level

• barrier islands
• conservation
• Forests
• St. Simon's Land Trust

    by Raleigh Kitchen, Membership and Outreach Manager, St. Simons Land Trust   The issue of conservation is a topical one. You hear about it on the news, read it in the paper, and sometimes feel overwhelmed by the amount of lands, waters, and wildlife in need of it. Conservation feels like a big […]