Tennessee State Parks Conservancy on LinkedIn: World Nature Conservation Day (2024)

Three months ago, we introduced a front page LA Times article on an unfolding crisis in the San Gabriel Mountains. A problem compounded over several decades, turned a national monument into a national landfill seemingly overnight. However the story of trash and related blight was not new to those who frequently visit the backdrop of Los Angeles. Since the 1970s, has excessive trash plagued the Angeles National Forest. The amount of people visiting the national forest and monument are beyond carrying capacity (4.59 million in 2021). This excessive visitation, made worse by inadequate funds, staffing shortages, insufficient law enforcement, and a lack of open/green space within our communities contributed to the worst conditions the San Gabriel Mountains have ever experienced. Today we are advocating for these long-standing issues to be addressed in conjunction with the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Expansion proposal. We will not support a "name only designation" that fails to address these major problems. We must ensure our conservation efforts are sustainable and provide a balance with preservation. A work with nature approach is necessary to ensure a place with irreplaceable value is not last to time and blight.

12

1 Comment

It can't be overstated the importance of protecting remaining natural lands like forests and wetlands for maintaining water quality and the health of our lakes and streams. Private property owners can learn how to be part of the solution. #rivers #waterquality #landprotection #naturalclimatesolutions

14

Another "movement" to celebrate here in #Massachusetts ..."Pollinator gardens have grown from a plea to protect wildlife into a blossoming movement. Homeowners and municipalities in western Massachusetts are 'killing their lawns' and replacing the grass with trees, bushes and wildflowers that bees, butterflies and bugs rely on. These gardens grow into #ecosystems, supporting native species who continue to lose habitat in the face of climate change, development and invasive species.“'[It’s about] getting people to redefine #aesthetics,' Adams said. 'People look at a vast green lawn and say, ‘oh, that’s beautiful,’ when in fact it’s a biological wasteland. Some people look at a meadow and say it’s so wild and not tamed and not America, but to us it’s just beautiful.'” ..."The movement has expanded to beyond neighborhood backyards to include a program run by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation called Going Wild. Now in its fourth year, the program encourages residents about enhancing and preserving #pollinator habitats."Additionally, proposed legislation on Beacon Hill calls for a special commission to study statewide opportunities for enhancing and expanding pollinator habitat in both developed and natural areas such as farm field borders, forest borders, residential areas, parks, urban areas, industrial areas, energy transmission corridors, energy generating facilities and transportation corridors.More here - https://lnkd.in/eBFh9KXB

8

1 Comment

Is Jackson Hole the next Vail? Part 1.As we contemplate how much development and human activity to place at Stilson, a critical wildlife corridor and habitat, it’s important for us to examine places where they’ve gotten it wrong – like Vail, Colorado.Elk populations in Vail are declining. Their population in Eagle County, Colorado dropped by 50% in a decade, and now they are struggling to rebound.The culprit?? Direct and indirect cumulative impacts from humans.🏘️ Direct impacts, like houses and roads, take away habitat and put barriers or risks to wildlife in their place.🔊Indirect impacts, like recreation and noise, cause animals to use excess calories, experience increased stress, and/or avoid valuable habitat.This should be a warning to us here in Jackson Hole, where our local wildlife are also experiencing increasing levels of direct and indirect impact from humans.So what does this mean??Part 2 of this conversation drops on Wednesday, and we wrap up with Part 3 on Friday... let us know what you think below 👇#conservation#responsibledevelopment#keepjacksonlocal#JHCA#vailThis is a miniseries adapted by a blog post written by our Conservation Director, Kevin Krasnow, Ph.D.

2

🌲Offering a path forward through Wildlands protection.🌲This time last year the study, Wildlands in New England: Past, Present, and Future, was released which filled a critical knowledge gap by providing an inventory of the location, characteristics, and protection status of all 1.3 million acres of Wildlands across the six New England states.Created by in collaboration with NEWT, Harvard Forest, and the Highstead Foundation the impact of this report has been a call to action to include Wildlands protection as part of an integrated approach to conservation that also includes forests managed for wood products, natural spaces for recreation and renewal, and farmlands that produce local food — all existing among communities that rely on the health and beauty of the land that they call home.Once such example of integrated Wildlands is Muddy Pond Wilderness Preserve: "The distribution of many newer smaller Wildlands in suburbs and more densely populated areas, such as Muddy Pond Wilderness Preserve in exurban Kingston, Massachusetts, halfway between Boston and New Bedford, represents a growing emphasis on increasing accessibility for broader populations, and achieving Henry David Thoreau’s vision of a natural park in every town. (Wildlands in New England page 60)"🔗 Check out the report here: https://lnkd.in/ecY2vn-y#landprotection #newengland #foreverwild #landtrust

6

The future is looking brighter for the Ohio River! The 981-mile Ohio River and its tributaries are critical resources for communities in the entire Ohio River Basin. Public drinking water, river transportation, commerce, industry, outdoor recreation and tourism. In 2023 American Rivers named the Ohio River among America's most endangered rivers, which means that without taking basin-scale preservation and restoration measures it could fall into the imperiled category. The Ohio River Basin Alliance will hold its annual Day on Capitol Hill, meeting with Members of Congress to educate and advocate for dedicated, permanent federal funding to support the ecological restoration of the Ohio River. Preserving and enhancing the Ohio River's water quality, recreational value and economic vitality is a worthy goal.#ohioriver#ohioriverbasin#ecologicalrestoration

10

There is only a short period of time for the House to act to avert a government shutdown. Agencies must spend funds planning how to prepare for potential shutdowns even if the shutdowns do not actually occur. Citizens must also be alerted to potential consequences on these possible shutdowns.Where does your Congress member stand on shutdowns? What are the members' issues that would lead to allowing for shutdowns?#governance #federalgovernment #executivedepartments #congress #maga #publicservices

Marjorie's property is a mix of wetlands and forests. When she put the property under easem*nt, 80 percent of the wetlands were thriving, but about five years later they started drying up. The reintroduction of the beavers restored the wetlands. “Now, we have a healthy population of beavers. Half of the wetland is moist, the ponds are thriving. Because beavers build natural fire breaks and create patches of wetland that restore groundwater, they can make landscapes more resistant to fire and drought. In the early evenings or mornings, we can hear the beaver tail."#wetlands #peopleandnature #ecologicalrestoration #landtrusts #conservation #worldwetlandsday@eagle-valley-land-trust

15

Dive into a brief history of how the Presidio Tunnel Tops came to be from WaterNow Alliance's Cynthia Koehler. The Tunnel Tops, located above CA-101, opened in 2022 and helped connect people to parks, wildlife, and the Bay. Green infrastructure, including native plants, helps capture stormwater and prevent pollution from entering our local waterways. Check out this quick clip to learn more about this beautiful and important green space!

3

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

22

2 Comments