FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2021
New resource highlights grassroots support, opportunities for achieving the national 30×30 goal
DENVER—A new website released today highlights grassroots support for the national goal of conserving and restoring at least 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030. With a call to #SaveMoreNature, the Groundwork for 30×30 website (30x30Groundwork.org) shows dozens of examples of locally-led conservation solutions around the country that are contributing to the 30×30 goal, in addition to hundreds of elected officials who have spoken up in support of the effort.
The new website is hosted by the American Nature Campaign and includes case studies of 30×30 in action, demonstrating the breadth of conservation mechanisms and locally-driven efforts moving us closer to the national 30×30 goal. The case studies illuminate how the effort can:
- uphold Tribal visions for conservation;
- close the nature gap;
- support the voluntary conservation efforts of private landowners;
- conserve healthy marine and freshwater ecosystems;
- help stabilize the climate and ensure landscape connectivity for wildlife;
- and support the outdoor recreation economy.
The Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Executive Director Jennifer Rokala:
“This resource demonstrates what communities around the country have known for decades: local support for conservation is widespread, particularly when it comes to places and landscapes communities have long cherished.
“As the Biden administration moves forward with implementing its plan to conserve 30% of America by 2030, it has the opportunity to raise up the efforts of local communities, find collaborative solutions, and create a lasting conservation legacy. Locally-led conservation efforts are as diverse as the people and places they originate from. This resource barely scratches the surface of the plentiful opportunities that are out there.”
Local stakeholders, organizations, and individuals around the country feel passionately about their own efforts to #SaveMoreNature. These are just a few of the local voices and projects that are featured on 30x30Groundwork.org:
Avi Kwa Ame | Southern Nevada
“Spanning 380,000 acres of Nevada’s Mojave Desert, the proposed Avi Kwa Ame National Monument is held sacred by local Indigineous peoples and is home to a wealth of biological and cultural diversity. With Avi Kwa Ame at center stage, Nevada is poised to make a significant contribution to President Biden’s ambitious 30×30 conservation agenda—a contribution that supports Indigenous-led efforts and ensures our treasured public lands are conserved for present and future generations.” — Paul Selberg, Executive Director, Nevada Conservation League
PRESS CONTACT: Paul Selberg, Executive Director, Nevada Conservation League, paul@nevadaconservationleague.org
Bayou Bienvenue Wetland Triangle | New Orleans, Louisiana
“Our marshes and swamps in the Lower Ninth Ward were eaten up with saltwater, killing off community-protecting cypress forests and wetlands, and making our neighborhoods vulnerable to storms like Hurricane Katrina. We need to restore areas like Bayou Bienvenue Wetland Triangle. It’s important to our community and can help teach others about the value of our coastal wetlands and all the birds and critters that live there. Many people don’t understand the value of wetlands. They protect us and filter the air and water. When the land is destroyed, it takes so much to bring it back.” — John Taylor, Naturalist and Artist
PRESS CONTACT: Emily Guidry Schatzel, Senior Communication Manager, National Wildlife Federation, SchatzelE@nwf.org
Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary | California’s Central Coast
“My people hold in our hearts deep reverence for Grandmother Ocean, Mother Earth, and all living things. The preservation of our tribe’s spiritual and cultural resources is our heritage and our responsibility. The Biden administration’s designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary would protect ocean life and sacred cultural Chumash sites; strengthen our community and serve as a model of indigenous-led conservation in local and national efforts to protect 30×30.” — Violet Sage Walker, Vice Chairwoman, Northern Chumash Tribal Council
PRESS CONTACT: Violet Sage Walker, Vice Chairwoman, Northern Chumash Tribal Council, (760) 549-3532
Chesapeake Bay | Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, Washington D.C.
“As a part of a national goal to conserve 30% of the nation’s lands and waters by 2030, Chesapeake Conservancy is proud to help coordinate a Chesapeake Bay watershed-wide effort to conserve 30% of the lands and waters in the 64,000 square mile Chesapeake Bay watershed by 2030. Achieving this ambitious and important conservation milestone for the Chesapeake Bay and for landscapes across the United States requires us to democratize conservation; we must engage and build meaningful partnerships across all communities, empower partners with tools and data, and coordinate closely to ensure that we protect nature for the benefit of our wildlife, public health and local economies for generations to come.” — Joel Dunn, President and CEO, Chesapeake Conservancy
PRESS CONTACT: Jody Couser, Senior Vice President of Communications, Chesapeake Conservancy, jcouser@chesapeakeconservancy.org
LEARN MORE
- Road to 30 Storymap Collection
- Western Road to 30 Report
- Western voters say “go big” on protecting public lands, conserving nature, and tackling climate change
Photo: National Parks Conservation Association