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/ --