American Farmland Trust’s Post

Environment Texas' fiscal year ends on Sunday. Here's some of what we accomplished. 1. We won voter approval of the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund - $1 billion to buy land for new state parks (the largest investment in nature in Texas history) 2. We produced a video narrated by Kacey Musgraves promoting the Centennial Fund 3. We worked as part of the Dallas Parks Coalition to win $345 million in bond funding for Dallas parks (the biggest municipal parks bond in U.S. history) 4. We joined with Rethink35 and others to sue TxDOT over the expansion of I-35 through central Austin 5. We helped convince Austin City Council to adopt major code changes promoting transit oriented development 6. We helped convince the Dallas and Austin City Councils to create new incentives for electric lawn equipment 7. We supported TxDOT’s successful application for $1.8 million in federal funding wildlife underpass crossings for the endangered ocelot 8. We helped convince the Biden administration to adopt strong rules on methane, soot, chemical plant pollution and more. 9. We ran an ad campaign promoting an animated video we produced celebrating the methane rule 10. We launched a municipal advocacy program with Ian Seamans as our first City Hall Advocate (covering Dallas and north Texas) - he's pictured with EPA Regional Administrator Earthea Nance and Congressman Veasey celebrating a $15 million EPA grant to Fort Worth ISD for electric school buses 11. We wrote a popular series of articles for our website about the Gulf of Mexico (including sharks, dolphins, whales, octopuses, coral reefs, and the biggest threats) 12. We helped convince the State Energy office to apply for the $690 million in home energy rebates due to Texas 13. We worked with Texans for Mountain Lions and others to help win new protections for mountain lions. If you'd like to support our work for our next fiscal year, please donate here! https://lnkd.in/g7HNfJPs

New podcast episode with the great Joe Whitworth of The Freshwater Trust!

Board Member Spotlight: Jenny Zhang! In a recent chat with Jenny, she explained why she feels the work of The Land Trust is important: "Protecting land matters. Land fuels the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we grow. It is the home to endangered wildlife that are losing their habitat. It is key to addressing climate change which is affecting all of us. For landowners considering a conservation easement, your impact is permanent. Not a lot in this world is permanent, but a conservation easement is! Forever is a long time. What do you want to be remembered for?" Read the full blog post here: https://bit.ly/4cEH5oa

100,000 - WOW. I almost can't believe it, but then I remember the willingness, courage, and commitment of our FFCP-enrolled landowners that I have seen over the past five years - and that disbelief turns into a sense of accomplishment I haven't felt before.   Back in 2017, a scrappy group of AFF veterans saw an emerging voluntary carbon market with a lot of climate mitigation promise but a huge gap: family forest owners. We saw the potential to mobilize the largest ownership group of America's woodlands as one of the country's biggest climate changemakers, but no real way to do it. This is how FFCP was born - through the tireless efforts of not only our staff and board but also our close partners across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. We designed a program that met small landowners from all walks of life where they're at, providing the support they need to improve the health and value of their lands and boost rural economies, all while scaling the conservation impact of our country's largest and most effective carbon capture technology with high integrity: forests.   But we couldn't even dream of the success we've seen at this scale without the efforts of our family forest owners. It's thanks to the commitment of these private landowners who, before FFCP, had no way of easily accessing the voluntary carbon market, that we were able to build a program that meets the needs of their lands, their communities, and the planet.   No matter their political stripes, family forest owners are enrolling because they want to be part of environmental solutions and because FFCP is providing resources to support healthy and productive forests. Those results are undeniably making an impact on our woodlands and the planet.   I am so proud of and have so much gratitude for our team, the AFF board, our partners, and our landowners. Here's to the next 100,000!

Super productive night. Public input and collaboration are key to successful watershed planning.

Our ranch ecologist team Kala Eiring and Janét Moore were out at Durham Ranch in Wright, WY recently. They were working the Climate Smart program on one of the largest Buffalo ranches in North America at a whopping 55,000 acres! 🤯 The Climate Smart program ensures accessibility to all ranchers, regardless of background or scale of operation, through its open availability of grants, loans, and subsidies. Through collaborative partnerships with diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, and private sector organizations, the program extends its reach and impact, fostering equity in sustainable agriculture initiatives. With a focus on personalized technical assistance and educational resources, the program empowers ranchers to participate actively, promoting inclusivity and diversity in climate-smart practices. 🦬 #TankaFund #BuffaloConservation #SupportNativeRanchers #WildlifePreservation #ProtectTheBuffalo #SustainableRanching #NativeAmericanHeritage #EcoFriendlyFarming #BuffaloFencingProject #ConservationEfforts #WildlifeProtection #SupportIndigenousCommunities #BuffaloRestoration #DonateForACause #WildlifeSupport #CulturalPreservation #IndigenousLandManagement #HelpSaveTheBuffalo #BuffaloHeritage #SustainableAgriculture #LandsLivesEconomies #Buffalo #Bison #TheReturn #NativeAmerican #ClimateRestoration #CommunityEmpowerment #EnvironmentalSustainability #BuffaloRanching #TankaImpact

Did you know that, according to the USDA, over half of all U.S. wetlands have been drained or filled for development or agriculture? Since 1984, Congress has signed two critical federal wetland conservation and restoration programs into law. These laws are designed to help farmers and ranchers maintain or increase important wetland areas. You can learn more about the work the USDA is doing to conserve wetlands, as well as get information on grants and funds designed to help relieve some of the financial burdens by visiting: https://lnkd.in/gPt5GZE9 Midwest Wetland Improvements has successfully helped clients receive grant money for projects. Reach out to learn how we may be able to help you: https://lnkd.in/gjTBj2s7

Coming Soon! Issue #5 - Winter 2024. From the Ground Up. Conversations about conservation, climate, and communities in New England. The winter of 2023-2024 was the warmest on record worldwide. As we enter another winter, we ask: Will another record be broken? Will the snow turn to rain? Will the woods be too muddy to work in? Will flowers bloom in January? Climate change is transforming our world. In From the Ground Up’s Winter 2025 issue, we hear from a variety of voices as we learn to adapt to these new realities. We look to the light of community, of conservation, of rewilding, with a compelling slate of stories, including: >>David Foster contemplates a reappearance of wolves in New England, sparking a discussion with three other authors who believe–or don’t–that coyotes function as wolf stand-ins, and who reflect meaningfully on our connections to wild creatures. >>Nadine Canter explores the power of community and the lessons in adaptation in the face of recurring flooding in Montpelier, Vermont. >>Karen Grey of Wildlands Trust shares the group’s collaborative, innovative work in environmental justice communities in southeastern Massachusetts to make open spaces welcoming and safe for all. >>Colby Galliher describes the challenges of new forest pests, like beech leaf disease, and wonders what we can learn from the lessons of the past. More conversations await in the issue, as well as regular features like the Policy Chronicle, the Bookshelf, and details about upcoming events in the Bulletin Board. From the Ground Up is a free quarterly magazine thanks to the Highstead Foundation's support of the Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities vision. Subscribe to receive From the Ground Up issue #5, and future issues each season, right to your inbox: https://buff.ly/3Z7wIDb #conservation #newengland #northeast #landconservation #wwfc #fromthegroundupne

The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve was originally 300 acres of wetlands in the 1970s, but wasn't officially designated an Ecological Reserve by the Fish and Game Commission until 1993. In 1997, the lowlands were saved when 880 acres were purchased from the developer by the state which increased the acreage to 1,200. It wasn't until 2005 that the upland, or mesa, of the reserve was purchased by the state using Prop 50 funds and was added to the reserve. Now the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve is approximately 1,341 acres and includes both lowlands and upland habitats. None of this could have been done without the local grassroots environmental efforts led by the Amigos de Bolsa Chica and the Bolsa Chica Land Trust. It was everyday people, just like you, who didn't give up throughout the decades of hurdles, who ultimately saved this special place. Real change starts locally. You may not save the world, but you can make your piece of the world a better place to live. 📷 Katrina Plummer #TBT #bolsachicahistory #bolsachicawetlands #bolsachicaecologicalreserve #bolsachicalandtrust #amigosdebolsachica #savingbolsachica #conservation #grassroots #grassrootsenvironmental #wildlifeconservation #habitatconservation

From the place where it slips out of Lake Ann in Benzie County’s northeast corner, Platte River haunts a landscape of forest and open fields, steals past this village of 330 residents, crosses a mighty and silent wetland, fills a big lake, and then, nearly 30 miles from where it started, reaches a curved sand inlet where it empties into Lake Michigan. One of the 49 blue ribbon trout streams in Michigan’s lower peninsula, the Platte’s clear waters sparkle in the sunlight of a blue sky day. Cedars along the banks open their branches, as if to salute the splendor. Still, there’s considerably more to the river’s story than its compelling beauty. In the 160 years since the watershed was settled by immigrants from the East Coast and Europe the river has flowed through three distinctive eras in Benzie County. The decades of rapacious logging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, distinguished the first. That was followed by a half century of healing the waters and the forests, helped by the thousands of red pine seedlings planted by President Franklin Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps. The third era, when Benzie’s restored natural character inspired public policy to protect it, opened in the mid-1960s and has been unfolding ever since with increasing urgency, intelligence, and commitment. The banks of the Platte River, logged, healed, and now secure, have served as a stage for every era. On May 18, 2024, a new act in the drama occurred when the Honor Area Restoration Project (HARP) culminated nearly a decade of citizen engagement and a keen public-private financing strategy and formally opened Platte River Park. The 52-acre expanse of forest, blueberries, and meadow flanks 1,550 feet of undeveloped riverfront. Platte River Park adds to the legacy of stewardship that’s helped make Benzie the greenest county in Michigan. https://lnkd.in/gXarFV5U