Birders,
Here is information that will be of interest.
Regi
____________
“The future of the world is nuts.” Philip Rutter, founder of the American
Chestnut Foundation
Begin forwarded message:
> From: Maura Stephens <maurastephe...@gmail.com>
> Date: February 24, 2021 at 10:23:43 AM EST
> To: CPNY General List <cpny-gene...@googlegroups.com>
> Subject: [sustainable_tompkins-l] Open Space Institute Launches $18M
> Appalachian Landscapes Protection Fund to Accelerate Land Conservation to
> Fight Climate Change
> Reply-To: Sustainability in Tompkins County
> <sustainable_tompkin...@list.cornell.edu>
>
>
> Please share with organizations in our Appalachian region that might benefit
> from this fund.
> PRESS RELEASE
>
>
> Open Space Institute Launches $18M Appalachian Landscapes Protection Fund to
> Accelerate Land Conservation to Fight Climate Change
>
>
> NEW YORK, NY (Feb. 18, 2021)—Seeking to accelerate land conservation in the
> eastern U.S. to counter climate change and its impacts, the Open Space
> Institute (OSI) today announced the launch of its $18 million Appalachian
> Landscapes Protection Fund (ALPF). This first-of-its-kind fund is aimed
> specifically at protecting some of the nation’s most biologically rich and
> climate-resilient landscapes. The initiative aligns with the Biden
> administration’s recently announced plan to conserve 30 percent of U.S. land
> and waters by the year 2030 to leverage natural climate solutions, protect
> biodiversity, and slow extinction rates.
>
> Harnessing the carbon-capturing role of forests to combat climate change, the
> ALPF’s goal is to conserve 50,000 acres along the spine of the Appalachian
> Mountains, which contain the world’s largest broadleaf forest, are
> responsible for a majority of US forest carbon sequestration, and provide
> essential climate refuge for plants and animals (maps and photos available
> here: https://openspaceinstitute.canto.com/b/SME5F). OSI has initially
> identified three specific regions that are priorities for conservation based
> on their intact habitat and ability to serve as corridors for migrating
> wildlife, contiguous forests, and to protect and increase carbon storage in
> vast forest resources that also provide clean water and recreational
> opportunities for millions of people. The three large-scale forested target
> areas, ranging in size from three to seven million acres, are: (1) the Cradle
> of Southern Appalachia, (2) the Middle Atlantic, and (3) the Northern
> Appalachians.
>
> To date, OSI has secured a $6 million grant from the Doris Duke Charitable
> Foundation and $6 million from six other regional foundations toward its $18
> million goal. Additional funding will allow for further investment in the
> three target areas and/or the geographic expansion of the program.
>
> “Now more than ever, our future depends on forests. By putting climate change
> front and center, the Appalachian Landscapes Protection Fund will help
> protect the land that matters most as we take on the largest environmental
> challenge of our time,” said Kim Elliman, president and CEO of OSI. “While a
> changing climate can create overwhelming uncertainty, the conservation of
> forests can go a long way toward helping wildlife and people adapt, while
> reducing emissions through carbon storage and sequestration.”
>
> To achieve critical, climate-related conservation goals, OSI is providing
> grants and loans for the acquisition of land and conservation easements that
> will leverage an additional $66 million in matching public and private funds.
> The Fund also advances efforts by states, local communities, Native American
> tribes, and land trusts, to align their conservation goals around climate
> priorities. The ALPF will ease funding requirements for organizations that
> identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led that are at heightened
> risk of being negatively impacted by the climate crisis.
>
> The ALPF is part of a growing national effort to increase use of strategic
> land conservation to combat climate change. Forests, their trees, and soil
> are critical to storing carbon; and, when managed correctly, forests can also
> play a critical role in capturing the carbon emissions that are being
> produced today.
>
> …
>
> Please see the full text of the release here:
> https://www.openspaceinstitute.org/news/open-space-institute-launches-18-million-appalachian-landscapes-protection-fund-to-accelerate-land-conservation-to-fight-climate-change
>
--
Cayugabirds-L List Info:
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm
ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds
3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html
Please submit your observations to eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/
--
