Initiative will support locally led efforts to conserve 30 percent of the nation’s land and waters by 2030
May 6, 2021
Contacts:
- Chris Wood, president and CEO, Trout Unlimited, cwood@tu.org
- Steve Moyer, VP for government affairs, Trout Unlimited, smoyer@tu.org
- Steve Kandell, Angler Conservation Program director, Trout Unlimited, skandell@tu.org
ARLINGTON, Virginia—Today the Biden administration announced a plan to meet its goal of conserving 30 percent of the nation’s lands and waters by 2030. The 10-year “Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful” initiative will support locally led conservation and restoration on public, private, and tribal lands and waters by engaging stakeholders in partnership projects.
“This is an excellent start,” said Chris Wood, president and CEO of Trout Unlimited. “We appreciate that the administration sought our input on this plan, and that they took to heart our most important suggestion—the right way to conserve our lands, waters, and fisheries resources is to rely on partnership-based solutions. We look forward to using our decades of on-the-ground conservation experience to help the administration develop more detailed plans in the coming months.”
[Trout Unlimited letter to National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy]
The plan was produced by the National Climate Task Force and signed by the secretaries of Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce, and the chair of the Council on Environmental Quality. It sets a direction for agencies to now develop more detailed plans.
The initiative includes several Trout Unlimited recommendations:
- Increasing the pace of habitat restoration and supporting the conservation of migration corridors to help fish and wildlife better withstand climate change;
- Increasing access for outdoor recreation, including in urban areas;
- Incentivizing voluntary conservation efforts of private landowners, including ranchers, farmers, and forest owners, with whom TU often works;
- Creating jobs by investing in restoration and resilience projects, which are proven job creators, especially valuable in rural communities.
- Expanding the reach and impact of valuable programs such as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife and National Fish Habitat Partnership programs, and the Department of Agriculture’s Farm Bill conservation programs.
“This is just a first step, but it was important to set the right tone and approach, and the administration passed the test,” Wood said. “We welcome the opportunities that will grow out of the ‘America the Beautiful’ initiative for Trout Unlimited staff and volunteers to do more of the partnership projects that are a hallmark of our work.”
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Trout Unlimited is the nation’s oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North America’s trout and salmon and their watersheds. Across the country, TU brings to bear local, regional and national grassroots organizing, durable partnerships, science-backed policy muscle, and legal firepower on behalf of trout and salmon fisheries, healthy waters and vibrant communities.