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Several recent announcements across the West show the breadth of tools that are available to conserve 30 percent of America's land and waters by the end of the decade—a pillar of the Biden administration's “America the Beautiful” initiative.
In Southern Arizona, nonprofit land trusts brokered two separate deals to protect thousands of acres of land from development while also opening up public access to tens of thousands more previously inaccessible areas. The Trust for Public Land (TPL) partnered with federal and state agencies to purchase the Cross F Ranch, which includes a ghost town and a wildlife migration corridor used by bighorn sheep. It also protects natural springs that feed into the Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness. The acquisition was possible thanks to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which uses royalties from oil and gas production to pay for conservation projects.
Separately, the Arizona Land and Water Trust facilitated a private conservation easement on a ranch near Sonoita, ensuring the land will continue to be a wildlife migration habitat while also being used for livestock grazing. The easement prevents the land from being broken up or developed into private homes—an arrangement similar to the easements that Colorado rancher Jay Fetcher told CWP about on a recent episode of our podcast, The Landscape.
In Montana, the state land board worked with the Flathead Land Trust to purchase more than 700 acres along the Flathead River. That acquisition protects wildlife habitat while also ensuring public access to the river and protecting against future development. The LWCF provided a majority of the funds for that project as well.
And in Casper, Wyoming, LWCF money will create a riverfront park on the North Platte River, building a boat ramp, planting native grasses, and adding picnic areas to an area that is currently difficult for the public to access.
These projects, all announced in the last few weeks, encompass federal, state, local, and private conservation efforts. Individually, they're a series of small and large projects, supported by local communities. Taken as a whole, they demonstrate how collaborative conservation is the key to reaching 30x30.
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The removal of such language is bittersweet as it addresses an everyday indignity that Native Americans are continuously subjected to, but also highlights the deeply-rooted anti-Native sentiments that our country was founded on and for which our government is yet to atone.”
