20 good things from 2020
We can all agree – 2020 has been a roller coaster none of us could imagine. Though we’ll be able to talk for years to come about what it was like to live through a global pandemic, we must not forget the positive contributions this year has brought.
Check out 20 good things that have happened in land conservation in 2020 below and let us know of good news that we might have missed!
After switching to a virtual format, we hosted the nation’s first-ever virtual fly-in legislative event, with 185 land trust advocates from 36 states undertaking about 90 virtual meetings.
Navigating the novel pandemic, the Alliance developed policy recommendations to support the land trust community and provided information for land trusts to take advantage of resources to keep organizations open.
Early in the pandemic, we celebrated our many outdoor happy places with an Instagram takeover.
This summer, Forbes featured fun and free family outdoor activities from land trusts across the country.
In response to the incident in Central Park where Black birder Christian Cooper was threatened by a white woman, the first annual #BlackBirdersWeekwas launched with five days of virtual events.
In a year of reckoning, it’s been hard to find the right words. Land trusts across the country responded to the racism across social media – check out examples here.
In June, a study was published showing that every $1 million spent on conservation activities supports 17 to 331 jobs in the US, showing that land conservation is a need to have.
Researchers at MIT developed an online resource as a primer to explore climate science, climate change, risks and solutions
The Pacific Northwest Resilient Landscapes Initiative, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, announced 15 projects to conserve essential lands in the Pacific Northwest.
Lillian Dinkins and Papa Gueye, from the Scholars for Conservation Leadership Program, were placed at a fellowship with the accredited Conservation Florida.
Land trusts across the country increased access to nature by creating more accessible trails and new means of interpretation to bring visitors closer to nature.
In August, the Land and Water Conservation Fund received dedicated funding, meaning $900 million will be committed each year to protecting important land, water and recreation areas.
The America's Conservation Enhancement Act was signed into law, reauthorizing the North American Wetlands Conservation Act through 2025, while increasing funding by $10 million.
This year the Alliance hosted our first virtual Rally, with 3,800 attendees to make it the largest Rally yet!
The Alliance has partnered with Finite Carbon and The Climate Trust to launch a new carbon offset pilot program to provide land trusts access to carbon markets and a new source of conservation funding.
In the Pine Mountain Preserve v. Commissionercase, the Eleventh Circuit simplified the complicated tax regulations and analyses, making them accessible concepts, while also echoing arguments that the Alliance had made in an amicus brief. The case was featured in a recent articles in Forbes and the Tax Connections blog.
The accredited Nature Conservancy debuted new research mapsof a network of landscapes with unique characteristics that can help withstand climate impact.
In 2020, American voters proved conservation is an issue people care about when they approved $3.7 billion in new funding for parks, open space and climate resiliency.
NRCS enrolled more than 430 new easements, totaling 230,000 acres, into the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.
In December, the New York State Conservation Partnership Program awarded the 17th round of grants to 50 New York land trusts!