** Biden’s bold conservation vision
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Thursday, May 6, 2021
Cover image from "Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful"

President Biden was expected to release a report on the 30x30 initiative this week—the bold plan to protect 30 percent of American lands and ocean by 2030. Instead, he went even farther, unveiling a 10-year “America the Beautiful” campaign ([link removed]) built on locally-led efforts ([link removed]) to conserve and restore parks and nature.

America the Beautiful is based on eight principles, putting local, collaborative, and inclusive approaches to conservation at the forefront. It recognizes the importance of Tribal nations in conservation, as well as voluntary stewardship efforts of private landowners. Finally, it commits to using science as a guide while building on the wide variety of existing tools to make the outdoors more accessible to Americans.

Jennifer Rokala, the executive director of the Center for Western Priorities told reporters ([link removed]) that America the Beautiful “shows how community- and Indigenous-led conservation efforts can ensure our lands and waters are conserved and accessible for generations to come—protecting wildlife, restoring damaged forests, and mitigating the effects of climate change.”

“Protecting 30x30 is not something the U.S. government can do on its own,” Rokala added. “It will take from-the-ground-up efforts in every state, using many different forms of conservation, to get there.”


** 30x30 disinformation makes it to Congress
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Meanwhile, the anti-government extremist group American Stewards of Liberty (ASL) has brought its disinformation campaign to the halls of Congress, according to HuffPost ([link removed]) . Trent Loos, who stood alongside Ammon Bundy at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, is helping lead the campaign. ASL head Margaret Byfield, the daughter of scofflaw ranchers who illegally ran cattle long before the Bundy family, has compared 30x30 to a 1939 mass starvation in Ukraine. At one of American Stewards' training sessions, Loos likened it to Adolf Hitler.

Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas appears to have taken up ASL's disinformation, saying ([link removed]) “The idea of taking 30% of Kansas farmland and pastureland out of production would literally ruin, end the Kansas economy.” The Biden administration has never suggested seizing private property, and today's announcement makes it clear that voluntary private conservation efforts are the backbone of America the Beautiful.
Quick hits


** Montana conservation leader is Biden’s pick to head Bureau of Land Management
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NPR ([link removed])


** Biden administration unveils 10-year “America the Beautiful” conservation plan
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The Hill ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed])


** Burger bans and land grabs: The right’s deceptive war against 30x30
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HuffPost ([link removed])


** Interior moves to revoke Trump-era bird-killing rule
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The Hill ([link removed])


** Fungus that causes white-nose syndrome found in New Mexico caves; study finds 90% of three bat species wiped out
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New Mexico Political Report ([link removed]) | USGS ([link removed])


** How bouncing cell signals can help track wildfire smoke
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Wired ([link removed])


** Haaland: “Unfortunate” that Rick Santorum doesn't know Native American history
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HuffPost ([link removed])


** A local's guide to exploring Montana, beyond Glacier and Yellowstone
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Washington Post ([link removed])
Quote of the day
Where this path leads over the next decade will be determined not by our agencies, but by the ideas and leadership of local communities. It is our job to listen, learn, and provide support along the way to help strengthen economies and pass on healthy lands, waters, and wildlife for generations to come.”
—Interior Secretary Deb Haaland,
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack,
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo,
White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory,
in the America the Beautiful report ([link removed])
Picture this


** @usfws ([link removed])
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Black-tailed prairie dogs are not only cute, but are also important in western habitats. They are key to the existence of entire ecosystems. Through foraging and burrowing, they enhance the diversity of vegetation and contribute to nutrient cycling. Photo: N Axelson

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