Sustainability Initiative Newsletter

A Busy Month on the Sustainability Front (especially for Rob)

Greater Yellowstone, An Ecosystem At Risk

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) sprawl study is ready to roll out and the website is up. Thanks to Chris Angrisani and Chad Wienczkowski for all their work getting this across the finish line.


The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is a national treasure, but even this "pristine" area is under threat by growth and development. Between 1982 and 2017 (the first and last years for which data is available) the area of developed non-federal land in the 20 GYE counties grew from from 345,300 acres (9539.5 square miles) in 1982 to 497,400 acres (777.2 square miles) in 2017, an increase of 44% or 152,100 acres (237.7 square miles). Approximately 67% (161 square miles) of this increase was related to population growth and 33% (79 square miles) to increasing per capita developed land consumption.

As investigative journalist Todd Wilkinson writes in his Foreword to this study, "Unless things change, unbridled growth is going to ruin many of the things that still set Greater Yellowstone apart as a national natural treasure."

One of the most effective ways to check unbridled growth, in the GYE and across the U.S., is to reduce immigration. Not only will this have a direct effect on development and sprawl, it will mitigate some of the secondary migration within the United States, when people move from more populated states, especially California, to places like the GYE.

Visit the GYE website to read Todd Wilkinson's Foreword, and the Executive Summary by Leon Kolankiewicz, Eric Ruark, and Rob Harding.

Rob Harding on the Road

Rob, NumberUSA's Sustainability Outreach Liaison, is visiting the northwest region of Greater Yellowstone next week to join Todd Wilkinson for meetings with some key stakeholders that share our concerns about the deleterious impacts of unending growth on life in the GYE.

Look out for next month's newsletter for highlights from Rob's experience.

Photo: Rob Harding and Howie Wolke hiking in Yellowstone National Park

Earlier this month Rob was the invited guest speaker at the Benewah County (Idaho) Farm Bureau's Annual Meeting in Plummer, Idaho. Meeting attendees learned about the findings of NumbersUSA's Idaho Sprawl Study and were encouraged to read Rob's op-ed about the Californication of Idaho published by the Kootenai Journal in February.

Future presentations at other Farm Bureau meetings is something that Rob may be invited to do in coming months, including a possible appearance at the 2025 American Farm Bureau Convention in San Antonio, Texas in January.

>>>Looking for a speaker? Contact Rob Harding, the Sustainability Initiative's Outreach Liaison, to organize a presentation for your group, organization, or event.<<<


Photo: Rob Harding speaking at the Benewah County (Idaho) Farm Bureau's Annual Meeting

NumbersUSA Partners with Yellowstonian


Todd Wilkinson is a nationally-known, award-winning American journalist, author and lecturer who has earned special recognition for his writing and investigative reporting about the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. He operates the Yellowstonian, "a special project of Artemis Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization" that explores the "dynamic intersection between people and wild, untamed nature in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem--and beyond."

In tandem with our newest sprawl study, NumberUSA has teamed up with Todd to sponsor his work. The banner above -- designed by Amanda Yoakum -- appears at the bottom of Yellowstonian stories as well as Yellowstonian's regular email newsletters.

Fighting the Right Battle to Save Wild and Sacred Lands

Henry Barbaro and Karen Shrag posted an article to the website on the efforts of Native Americans to preserve open spaces from development.

A consistent source of open space activism comes from Indigenous nations. Tribal bands from all over the Americas are fighting to keep their ancestral lands sovereign and free from encroachment. These

lands are sacred because of their historical and spiritual significance.

And they point out the added challenge the immigration-driven population growth poses to these efforts.

In recent decades, immigration has become the primary driver of our nation's population growth. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, our population will soar by 50 million in the next 35 years, with 90% due to immigration. This adds up to the consumption of massive amounts of non-renewable open spaces.

Check out the full article here.

New Sustainability Initiative X (Twitter) Account


While our main account X account (still calling it Twitter is just fine), @NumbersUSA, is the go-to place for all things related to immigration, our newest account, @NumberUSA_SI, is dedicated specifically to the intersection of immigration, population, and the environment. NumbersUSA has always tried to provide a "civil forum for Americans of all backgrounds to focus on a single issue: an immigration policy in the interest of our national community." Hopefully, SI on X will help NumbersUSA to reach new potential members who might not otherwise seek us out. Follow Us!

Staying with X, Rob had a good week pushing back on the growtherism of One Billion Americans author, Matthew Yglesias. Yglesias retweeted it, and Rob's response garnered

over 125,000 impressions.


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