SELT - Southeast Land Trust of NH’s Post

The Eel River is one of California's largest and wildest rivers, but past and current land and water use practices have led to a substantial decline in salmon and steelhead populations in the Eel River. Today, we released a report that will guide holistic restoration and recovery in the watershed. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gHebz9T6 What does the report say? The Eel River Watershed Restoration and Conservation Plan pulls together the best available scientific information to plan for native fish recovery, riparian corridor restoration, and conservation across the watershed. It recommends key recovery actions and an action prioritization framework across the seven major sub-watersheds of the Eel River watershed. The Plan also proposes a management approach that is informed by a monitoring and assessment framework, all of which is built from existing restoration and monitoring efforts. The Plan concludes with a menu of recommendations and next steps needed to get this important work off the ground. Why does this report matter? Salmon and steelhead populations within the Eel River were once incredibly abundant, with combined runs reaching nearly a million adults in good years. The drastic reduction in salmon, steelhead, and Pacific lamprey abundance has impacted communities in the north coast region by reducing access to food, cultural resources, and economic opportunity. This report is the first of its kind to outline restoration and conservation actions for the entire watershed. What's next now that we have this report? The plan is the first step in creating and implementing a new watershed-wide restoration and conservation program. The Eel River Watershed Restoration and Conservation Program is intended to serve as an administrative body that will guide and oversee restoration and conservation in the Eel River Watershed for the foreseeable future.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation invites applications to its Long Island Sound Futures Fund (LISFF) which aims to restore the health and living resources of Long Island Sound. In 2024, the fund will award approximately $12 million within the Long Island Sound watershed boundary in support of efforts to test innovative approaches to conservation, deliver transformative projects, and assist people and communities that value the Sound and take a role in its future. The fund will invest in projects under three CCMP themes, in CCMP Implementation Actions (IAs) associated with each theme, and in three CCMP cross-cutting principles: resiliency to climate change, long-term sustainability, and environmental justice all defined in the CCMP. The most competitive proposals will be those that incorporate theme(s), IA(s) and one or more cross- cutting principle(s) of the CCMP. The CCMP themes include: Clean Waters and Healthy Watersheds Thriving Habitats and Abundant Wildlife Sustainable and Resilient Communities Call 516.410.4895, or email clolataylor@gmail.com for a free fee quote to have us write your entire proposal, or edit your draft, for a reasonable flat fee. https://lnkd.in/ehXYsQvF Holly Rustick Bev Browning

Placer County, California continues to be one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. Beginning in 1994, the county General Plan aimed to accommodate this growth while conserving productive agricultural lands and protecting many of its natural communities and rare species. After numerous assessments and stakeholder engagements, a draft Placer County Conservation Plan (PCCP) was released in 2011. For the western foothills portion of the county, the PCCP focuses on protecting or restoring various oak woodland communities as well as habitat for identified aquatic and terrestrial covered species including Central Valley Chinook salmon, California red-legged frog, northwestern pond turtle, and many more. Implementing the plan is underway and involves integrating high-value lands made available by willing sellers. The biggest challenge is finding suitable habitat to mitigate the projected impacts of new growth in a way that maintains landscape ecological integrity. CBI was asked by the Foothills Conservation Strategy Ad Hoc Committee to integrate the available spatial data pertaining to the natural community and species targets listed in the plan and create a flexible spatially explicit model to assist county staff in identifying and systematically evaluating potential lands for protection or restoration to meet plan goals. To learn more, check out our June newsletter (link in bio)! Placer County

Ducks Unlimited receives 1 Million in support of expanding wetland mitigation offsets programs. - see press release below. The conservation threats to waterfowl are immense. It's a big reason DU is focused on maintaining and expanding upon our traditional ways putting habitat on the ground (philanthropic support leveraged towards state and federal grants), while also nurturing additive conservation finance to get more habitat on the ground. DU is proud to be partnering again with the Richard King Mellon Foundation in support of wetland conservation by establishing wetland mitigation offsets in underserved landscapes in urban coastal and inland settings. Wetland protections in the US generally require more wetland habitats to be offset than developed under a permit. The Multi-user banking approaches DU will establish with this support offer ability to pool financial resources from permitees and develop larger wetland restoration projects than if each development had to provide their own offset. Through support from RKMF - DU is working in key landscapes where technical expertise or capital barriers have prevented establishment of multi-user mitigation options. The programs supported were selected based on their ability to protect and restore 1,000 acres within the support term, and become financially self sufficient programs to get more habitat on the ground on a continued basis. Read more here:

Chearsley Wetland: A Model of Successful Partnership and Habitat Restoration We are pleased to mark the two-year anniversary of the Chearsley Wetland project, where 17 hectares of floodplain grassland have been expertly transformed into a thriving wetland ecosystem. This initiative is a testament to the power of collaboration, bringing together the RTCT, Freshwater Habitats Trust, Environment Agency, and organic farmer Rose Dale. Hilary Phillips, RTCT’s senior project officer, reflects on the project’s success: "Seeing how quickly the land has recovered...gives me hope that we can help to restore nature across our depleted landscapes." Thanks to the collective efforts, the site now supports a diverse range of wildlife, including dragonflies, herons, and the rare great egret. The Chearsley Wetland is a shining example of how effective partnership working can lead to significant environmental gains. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ePhgMMsz #WetlandRestoration #Conservation #Partnership #RiverThame #SustainableFarming

Agricultural Landowners Encouraged to Apply for Regional Conservation Partnership Program Entity Held Easement Program https://lnkd.in/e7hYACB5 The NRCS and ACT will accept applications for the fiscal year 2024 through the NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The RCPP is a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land. The program promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners who offer value-added contributions to expand their collective ability to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. As part of these RCPP projects, NRCS and its partners have funding to pay landowners for conservation easements placed upon their land. #smallfarms #sustainablefarm #sustainableag #farmlife #woodlands #forest #agritourism #tourism #lowerfarmenergycosts #farming #floridafarms #floridaconservationtion #conservation #farmvalue #farmincome

TALT is the only land trust in the state to focus solely on the conservation of agricultural lands, wildlife habitat, or natural resources. Hear from TALT Chairman, Russell Marshall, on why we value the work we do so much. https://lnkd.in/g_hHNu9E

Last fall, Tribal Nations that are members of the ICC joined together to advance a resolution approved at the 80th Annual Convention of the National Congress of American Indians calling for a remedy to the disparities facing Tribal Nations in accessing one of the largest pools of conservation funding: the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). In specific, we asked Tribal Nations to join the Chickahominy Indian Tribe, the CHICKAHOMINY INDIANS-EASTERN DIVISION INCORPORATED, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, the MONACAN INDIAN NATION, INC., the Nansemond Indian Nation, the Rappahannock Tribe, and the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe calling for the development of a stand alone Native American Land and Water Conservation Fund that would provide direct access for Tribal Nations and remove many of the barriers which prevent tribal access to this annual pool of $900 million in funding. This resolution introduced by the Rappahannock Tribe was approved by NCAI's full membership. Today, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the USDA FY2025 budget was announced and a small pilot fund of $8 million was created for this exact purpose. This initial pool of funding has been included in the budget and will provide Tribal Nations with direct access to LWCF for the first time. This is a small but mighty step forward for tribal sovereignty! Read more: 1) DOI Announcement: https://lnkd.in/ehA8Z6Vw 2) TWS/NATHPO Report: https://lnkd.in/evbfyAv4 3) NACAI Resolution: https://lnkd.in/ew3gd5kJ

Pheasants Forever and Blue Forest recently launched the first of its kind Watershed Resilience Bond! This innovative financing mechanism will scale up restoration projects across privately-owned working lands to: 1️⃣ increase a watershed’s resilience to fire and other disturbances, 2️⃣ improve wildlife habitat, 3️⃣ bolster the community and local economy, and 4️⃣ help landowners overcome economic and administrative barriers to implement working lands conservation. How will this be accomplished? Conservation programs require a lot of paperwork, planning, managing contracts, and covering upfront project costs until reimbursement is provided. This can be intimidating or beyond the financial capacity of many landowners and producers, with the result that $1 billion in conservation funding that was available through the Natural Resource Conservation Service in FY22 was unable to be obligated - meaning less conservation was accomplished and fewer people were supported than was possible. Through this bond, mission-driven investors will help Pheasants Forever cover upfront project costs - along with providing essential technical and project management support - while allowing landowners and producers to repay their portion of cost share over time. This Southern Oregon-Northeastern California Watershed Resilience Bond (SONEC I WRB) marks Blue Forest’s first financial product that focuses on improving watershed resilience across property boundaries. Read more below! #wildlife #conservation #sustainability #sustainableag #agriculture #water https://lnkd.in/g9TTi8fJ

NATIONWIDE - Dozens of states across the country are stepping up with innovative solutions to conserve lands and waters, protecting natural resources and wildlife for future generations. For the Confluence of States, Conservation & Stewardship remains a common principle on which our offices of outdoor recreation are built. As momentum builds nationally to address the impact of climate change and stop the alarming loss of natural areas, a new report from the Center for American Progress and the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators reviews a variety of land conservation policy models that have been adopted at the state level—from the tried and true to creative new approaches—highlighting recent examples of each. “While recent state actions are encouraging, more is still needed,” said Drew McConville, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and co-author of the report. “As the pace of nature loss and species extinctions grows, scaling up the impact will require even more committed leadership and deeper investment from governors and legislators, as well as effective support from Congress and federal agencies.” The report called “State Policy Leadership To Conserve Nature: A Guide to Innovative Land Conservation Policy Tools Being Deployed by State and Territorial Governments Across the Country” profiles policy models including: ✅ Statewide targets and conservation plans. ✅ Conservation funds. ✅ Outdoor equity funds. ✅ Tax incentives for conservation. ✅ Natural carbon sequestration. ✅ New state parks and conservation lands. ✅ State trust lands management. ✅ Tribal land return and co-management. ✅ Wildlife corridors and habitat connectivity. The following are some recent conservation investments noted in the report: 🌿 Last year, New Mexico launched a new permanent fund to conserve threatened landscapes, improve recreation access, and protect cultural heritage sites. 🐟 Georgia established a dedicated funding stream for conservation projects in 2018. ⛰ Colorado expanded tax credits for private land conservation in 2021. 🌳 Texas voters approved $1 billion for state parks in 2023. 🦌 Florida’s legislature invested more than $1 billion from 2021 to 2023 to complete a critical wildlife corridor. Read the report: “State Policy Leadership To Conserve Nature: A Guide to Innovative Land Conservation Policy Tools Being Deployed by State and Territorial Governments Across the Country” by Drew McConville, Kate Burgess, and Mariel Lutz - https://lnkd.in/essp2gtn