Topic: Articles

The Hudson Highlands Land Trust (HHLT) is dedicated to addressing the historic disparities in conservation work by committing to inclusive community outreach and events, diverse hiring practices, safe and equitable access to nature, clean water for all our communities, and amplifying stories from communities of color. They have taken steps to act on this commitment through their Relearning Highlands History series and related initiatives.

On April 11, 2022, the Biden administration launched the $1 billion “America the Beautiful” Challenge, which will fund locally led ecosystem restoration and conservation projects throughout the United States.

Aspetuck Land Trust (ALT) has been working to achieve a vision of a greener, more sustainable world by connecting thousands of acres of land in Southern Connecticut through their Green Corridor Initiative. Through recent land acquisitions and a curated method for success, ALT has been moving step-by-step towards its goal of a 40,000-acre Green Corridor that safeguards land, wildlife, and water resources, and lessens the climate crisis.

New research from Harvard Forest and published in "Environmental Research Letters" shows striking disparities in the distribution of conserved land across multiple dimensions of social marginalization in New England - and creates a tool to help address them. But Harvard Forest authors Lucy Lee and Jonathan Thompson - with colleagues Neenah Estrella-Luna of Boston, and Kate Sims and Margot Lurie ('21) of Amherst College - didn't stop at identifying the problems. They also created tools that will be part of the solution.