Apr 21, 2023
Statements below from America The Beautiful For All Steering Committee Members on the Biden Administration’s Conservation in Action Day, and major announcements representing progress on the America The Beautiful For All Coalition’s 2023 Policy Platform and anchored by the 30 by 30 Climate and Justice40 initiatives.
Mark Magaña, Founding Member And Co-chair, America The Beautiful For All Coalition; Founding President & CEO of GreenLatinos:
“Today the White House has made significant progress toward alleviating the contemporaneous climate, biodiversity, and nature deprivation crises affecting all Americans, especially the most vulnerable communities. 150 organizations came together to create the America the Beautiful for All Policy Agenda which highlights the significant needs of America’s underserved communities and our most pressing land, freshwater and ocean conservation priorities. Today’s land and ocean victories are critical solutions to the climate crisis, but they will prove to be sheer folly if we don’t beat our addiction to fossil fuels and stop new drilling. Like today’s announcements and proclamations, President Biden’s future conservation priorities must be aligned with community-led initiatives to conserve America The Beautiful for the benefit of all our future generations.”
Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, Founding Member And Co-chair, America The Beautiful For All Coalition; Executive Director, Children’s Environmental Health Network:
“Movement forward by the Biden Administration is critical to advancing health, justice, and conservation goals for all. We are pleased to see acknowledgement and actions identified that have been recommended as part of the America The Beautiful For All 2023 Policy Platform.
Jamie Williams, Founding Member of the America the Beautiful for All Coalition; President of The Wilderness Society:
“Today’s announcements from the White House put the U.S. on track to help every community win back a healthy future—starting with strengthening protections for the public lands that supply our drinking water, clean air, and abundant natural areas to explore and cherish. If we work quickly, act together, and invest generously in its well-being, this renowned system of lands and waters has the power to fight climate change, support the resources critical to public health, and conserve the irreplaceable landscapes that are home to our shared and diverse history.”
Chris Hill, Senior Director, Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign:
“We are at a critical moment in our effort to take on climate change, and actions like what we saw today must become the norm, not the exception. We applaud the Biden Administration for today’s announcements, which will help move us forward in achieving the most ambitious conservation goal in the history of the country, but we need more of these actions, and fewer destructive projects like Willow that threaten to undo the climate progress we have made.
“We need more national monuments that honor the people who shaped these landscapes and connect communities to nature, more protections for public lands and forests, and more habitats and species safeguarded from destruction. The Administration has the power to achieve these things, but only if they act boldly.”
Greg Masten, Yurok, VP Tribal Nations Engagement and Special Projects, Native Americans In Philanthropy:
“This pledge is historic in showing the commitment to Tribal Nations and Tribal Ecological Knowledge to support biodiversity conservation efforts. The investments and commitments of $102.5 million from our philanthropic partners is a powerful demonstration of a people-centered vision. And, it is a call to action for other foundations to join our Tribal Nations Conservation Pledge and Funding Collaborative.”
Kim Moore Bailey, President and CEO, Justice Outside:
“As an organization working for equity in the outdoors and environmental sectors, Justice Outside welcomes the steps taken by the Biden administration today to protect culturally important areas. We also recognize that this is only one step in the direction of righting historic and present day injustices and inequities and protecting our lands and waters. We urge the administration to center community wellbeing and sustainability because the health of current and future generations demands it.”
Teresa Martinez (she/hers/ella), Executive Director, Continental Divide Trail Coalition:
“The designation of the Castner Range and Avi Kwa Ame National Monuments continues to build on the legacy of America the Beautiful. As the cost of the climate crisis becomes more clear, ensuring the conservation and connectivity of these biologically diverse, culturally significant areas becomes ever more important. By protecting these special places, the Administration is elevating the voices of the local communities, who have led these protection efforts and who stand the most to benefit from the protection of these places they call home, more access to connect to these landscapes, and greater opportunities to connect with one another in the outdoors. We hope to see even more momentum for this legacy of community-led conservation continue to build, to ensure that future stewardship of landscapes like these preserves the history of the land while creating a path forward for all to enjoy the benefits of protected lands and waters.”
Jerry Otero, Public Lands Co-lead & Policy Director at Grand Canyon Trust:
“Designation of Avi Kwa Ame and Castner Range national monuments shows action and collaboration by President Biden at a pivotal time in our nation’s history. Long overdue engagement of Tribes and the Latino community shows President Biden’s meaningful commitment to working with tribal governments and communities who have historically been excluded from these important decisions. We are a better nation today with the designation of Avi Kwa Ame and Castner Range National Monuments.
The America the Beautiful for All Coalition fully supports President Biden’s use of the Antiquities Act to designate, protect and preserve these two important landscapes with significant ecological and cultural significance. We encourage President Biden and Secretary Haaland to continue to ambitiously advance and build the America the Beautiful work which will protect critical landscapes but also contribute to the full telling of our collective history.”
Dr. Tracy Farrell, North America Director, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN):
“IUCN membership includes governments, government agencies, NGO’s and indigenous peoples’ organizations from over 160 countries, and the office in North America commends the Biden Administration on the progress announced today on many of the community-led campaigns and climate-protecting asks in the America The Beautiful For All’s 2023 Policy Platform. There is much work to do to ensure a healthy future for people and the places they live, and we support these steps in the right direction.”
Katie Huffling, Executive Director, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments:
“Access to green space has numerous health benefits, including promoting physical and mental health and supporting emotional well-being. Yet, for far too long, whether one has access to the healing power of nature has been dictated by community resources, income, and historical policies intended to exclude folks. As nurses we strongly support the Biden Administration’s commitment to conserve at least 30% of land, water, and ocean by 2030 while ensuring that those historically deprived from accessing green space realize the benefits of investments. The conservation commitments announced today are critical investments that will support the health of Americans for generations to come.”
About Us
The America the Beautiful for All Coalition consists of 150 organizations working collectively to thwart the rapidly advancing impacts of climate change; stem the loss of biodiversity; increase more equitable access to nature’s benefits; and ensure at least 40% of conservation spending occurs in communities of color and frontline communities that have historically seen little to no conservation investments. Member organizations range in focus from urban parks and green space, Indigenous rights, public lands protection, public health, wildlife, outdoor recreation and freshwater and ocean conservation — all representative of identities and issue areas that have traditionally been underrepresented in conservation decision-making in the United States.
