Earth Month 2024 introduced huge conservation wins on the White Home and Congress — and new campaigns to guard the lands and waters which are crucial to our communities, our wildlife, and our future. This isn’t simply good coverage — it honors the calls for of greater than 80 percent of voters who say that conserving America’s lands and waters should be a nationwide precedence.
The brand new efforts come at a crucial second. North America’s fowl inhabitants has declined by 3 billion birds since 1970, a lack of multiple in 4 birds. Whether or not the threats come from habitat loss or a altering local weather, what depletes fowl populations threatens all of us.
Audubon and its many allies have been mobilizing thousands and thousands of People to maneuver these conservation efforts ahead, to assist native and Indigenous communities throughout the nation, and the birds and wildlife which are crucial to our future. Right here’s a fast rundown of an Earth Month stuffed with exceptional victories:
Balancing Conservation and Growth: People depend on public lands — which cowl 640 million acres spanning each state — to ship meals, vitality, clear air and water, wildlife habitat, and unsurpassable pure wonders and recreation alternatives. These landscapes – protected as nationwide parks and monuments, wildlife refuges, and different federally designated areas – are necessary ecologically, culturally, and economically.
Managing Public Lands
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The administration of our nation’s public lands has for too lengthy tilted in the direction of improvement, extraction, and short-term useful resource exploitation. 86 percent of the 245 million acres of public lands managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Administration (BLM) lack sturdy conservation safety towards drilling, mining, or different extractive improvement.
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A new rule from the Biden Administration will deliver stability to how public lands are managed by placing habitat conservation on a extra equal footing with vitality improvement — and centering knowledgeable administration choices on science, information and Indigenous data – to make sure these lands are sustainably managed for many years to come back. Balanced administration will assist restore tainted lands and waters and increase the well being of 300 birds and different wildlife species.
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“Defending cherished landscapes is crucial to giving our youngsters and grandchildren their greatest likelihood for a wholesome life,” notes Jon Hayes, govt director of Audubon Southwest.
Reining in Oil and Gasoline Drilling on Public Lands
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Below half-century previous guidelines, oil and fuel builders ceaselessly search drilling leases on public lands close to wildlife habitat and cultural sources, which may result in the air pollution of pristine water and air, the destruction of fragile ecosystems, and the razing of leisure areas that generate job and financial improvement. “When BLM oil and fuel leasing coverage was final up to date, the Bee Gees had been on the radio and a gallon of fuel value a mean of 59 cents,” says Christopher Simmons, senior supervisor of public lands coverage for the Nationwide Audubon Society.
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The Biden Administration is restoring balance to fossil fuel development on federal lands, placing crucial wildlife habitat, cultural sources, and recreation on a stage footing with oil and fuel improvement. Along with transferring oil and fuel improvement farther from wildlife habitat and cultural sources, minimal bids and charges could be introduced consistent with what many states require, and speculative leases on lands with little improvement potential could be curbed.
Defending Alaska
Alaska is house to 223 million acres of pristine public lands that dozens of treasured fowl species like Golden Eagles and Peregrine Falcons name house — together with quite a few different fish species, and endangered animals like caribou, moose, wolf, and brown bear. Federally-designated “Particular Areas” defend wildlife and Indigenous communities on among the Arctic’s most beautiful lands from oil drilling dangers — the Colville River, the Kasegaluk Lagoon, Peard Bay, Teshekpuk Lake, and the Utukok Uplands.
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The excellent news is that a new rule from the Division of the Inside will strengthen protections for 13 million acres of Particular Areas within the Nationwide Petroleum Reserve–Alaska area. “Because the Arctic quickly warms, these new rules will be sure that crucial fowl habitats can be resilient within the face of local weather change,” stated Marshall Johnson, chief conservation officer on the Nationwide Audubon Society.
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The administration additionally put a cease to efforts to construct the “Ambler Highway” industrial hall to succeed in open-pit copper mines that may minimize via Tribal and intact landscapes which are house to the Western Arctic Caribou Herd, the Kobuk and Koyukuk river fisheries, and nesting habitat for birds that migrate to distant locations like Peru and Colombia.
Supporting Migratory Birds
A whole lot of fowl species that grace our neighborhoods each spring and summer time rely on secure migratory paths and nesting grounds hundreds of miles away – and these migratory species have seen the most important declines amongst fowl populations.
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These birds assist drive client spending by greater than 96 million birdwatchers that generate almost $100 billion in financial output.
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The excellent news is that legislation supporting these frequent fliers — the Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act — was simply handed by Congress and signed by the president. This small however mighty program has supplied funding and partnerships for conserving greater than 350 species of birds. “This laws acknowledges that conservation is aware of no boundaries,” stated Elizabeth Grey, CEO of the Nationwide Audubon Society. Now it’s time to completely fund it.
Defending Coastal Communities
Our coastal communities are too usually ravaged by floods and storm surges, endangering weak fowl habitat and wetlands.
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For greater than 40 years the Coastal Barrier Sources Act has buffered individuals and birds–and saved taxpayers billions of dollars–by defending undeveloped seashores, wetlands and different coastal areas.
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In April the Senate handed laws to strengthen the Act and prolong its protections for communities and weak fowl populations additional alongside the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. “This can be a nice step for uncovered coastal communities, weak fowl habitat, and endangered wetlands that want extra safety from coastal storms and flooding,” stated Portia Mastin, coastal conservation coverage supervisor at Nationwide Audubon Society.
Preserving Desert Treasures
Southeast California’s incomparable deserts are house to deeply sacred landscapes and websites cherished by native Iviatim, Nüwü, Pipa Aha Macav, Kwatsáan and Maara’yam Indigenous peoples–and a refuge for fragile ecosystems.
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New laws was launched to designate a brand new Chuckwalla National Monument throughout 620,000 acres of wildlife habitat east of Joshua Tree Nationwide Park, and increase Joshua Tree by almost 18,000 acres.
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“This historic designation would improve wildlife corridors by providing threatened wildlife areas to thrive and a buffer from a warming local weather,” said Frank Ruiz, director of Audubon California’s Deserts and Salton Sea Applications. Ruiz was joined on the Capitol final month by members of Congress, Tribal leaders, and group organizations to current greater than 136,000 signatures calling for the Chuckwalla designation.
Bringing Clear Air and Protected, Plentiful Water to Our Communities
Our birds, wildlife, communities, and households want a clear, thriving setting to remain wholesome and construct financial prosperity. April introduced two necessary new steps:
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The U.S. Environmental Safety Company released new climate pollution standards that minimize emissions from coal and new pure gas-fired energy crops, that are one of many largest emitters of greenhouse gasses and one of many largest sources of dangerous air air pollution. “The EPA’s daring motion is a common sense strategy to embracing the way forward for clear vitality,” stated Sarah Rose, vp of local weather on the Nationwide Audubon Society.
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Audubon joined the White Home, states, Tribes, municipalities, and different NGOs for the America the Beautiful Freshwater Challenge — a brand new conservation and restoration partnership to reconnect 8 million acres of wetlands and 100,000 miles of rivers and streams, ship clear and secure ingesting water, and improve local weather resilience, amongst different targets.
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“Wholesome freshwater ecosystems are crucial for individuals and birds all through the hemisphere,” stated Julie Hill-Gabriel, vp for water conservation. “Audubon is dedicated to defending these areas as crucial habitat for birds but in addition as options to handle the threats of local weather change—like drought, flooding, and extreme storm impacts.”
Defending communities and ecosystems
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The Biden Administration finalized a rule that restored and strengthened the Nationwide Environmental Coverage Act (NEPA) whereas additionally requiring that local weather change and environmental justice impacts are assessed in federal company decision-making.
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“This new rule is a big win in defending communities from environmental hurt, and ecosystems that birds and different wildlife rely on for his or her survival,” stated Sam Wojcicki, senior director of local weather coverage on the Nationwide Audubon Society.
Earth Month 2024 delivered actual progress. It additionally laid the groundwork to start out “bending the bird curve” to reverse the decline of birds throughout the Americas.
These victories mark necessary coverage steps in the direction of our strategic goals — reflecting the priorities of tens of hundreds of Audubon members and supporters, and of thousands and thousands of birders throughout america. Policymakers who ship these victories may have a flock of supporters making the lengthy journey with them.