The California 30×30 Initiative (C3I) advances a public-private partnership between RLF and the California Natural Resources Agency to support the state’s implementation of Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-82-20, which commits the state to protect 30 percent of the state’s lands and coastal waters by 2030 (30×30). RLF is supporting California Tribes and organizations from underserved communities to enable their active participation in implementing this directive. RLF is also undertaking communications and public education activities designed to build public and decision maker support for achieving 30×30.
Western Land Conservation & Restoration
California 30×30 Initiative
Montana Parks Program
RLF launched the Montana Parks Program (MPP) in 2018 to support Montana’s Parks in Focus Initiative, an effort modeled after California’s Parks Forward Initiative, aimed at addressing the ailing Montana state parks system. Through MPP, RLF has conducted extensive public outreach and education, and is helping to shape and advance a set of recommendations that create more diverse and stable funding sources for state parks; broaden and strengthen the constituency for parks; and connect state parks to larger recreation and economic initiatives and community needs.
Western Energy Project
The Western Energy Project works to protect our treasured landscapes in the American West by ensuring that any development of oil and gas from our federal public lands is done in a responsible manner. We support the preservation of ecologically and culturally important areas, the adoption of common-sense protections for our water, air, land, and wildlife, and the safeguarding of opportunities for Americans to enjoy our public lands.
Website: https://www.westernenergyproject.org
Center for Western Priorities
The Center for Western Priorities works to advance responsible conservation and energy practices in the West through the release of reports, polls, videos, podcasts, and earned media events. CWP encourages open, public debate and works to advance those discussions online, in the media, and throughout Western communities.
Website: https://westernpriorities.org
Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition Project
The coalition was established to support robust community and tribal involvement and promote sustainable use and enjoyment of the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, providing Tribal governments and local community organizations with resources to help manage the monument and to ensure that meaningful on-the-ground projects are resourced properly. The five member Tribes (Hopi, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah Ouray, and Zuni Tribe) are currently working with the Biden administration to re-establish the Bears Ears Commission with the United States Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management after the restoration of the Monument to its original size in October 2021.
Website: https://bearsearscoalition.org/
Wildlands Acquisition Program
The Wildlands Acquisition Program seeks to promote the permanent protection of California’s wildlands through preservation of desert park and wilderness areas. The program funds inholding acquisitions in priority wilderness areas and national parks and monuments to consolidate public land holdings for natural resource protection in the California desert, Carrizo Plain National Monument, and Eastern Sierra Nevada.
In addition to supporting the conservation of tens of thousands of inholdings, RLF helps build capacity among organizations seeking public funding for desert land protection.
Western Rural Communities
The Western Rural Communities (WRC) program is one of several RLF efforts to build long-term support and momentum for conservation in the rural, intermountain region of the western United States. WRC collaborates with local business, community, and government leaders to address intractable environmental and socioeconomic problems with multi-benefit solutions. The work is rooted in an interdisciplinary understanding of the unique economics, culture, geography, and environmental values of the region to advance tailored solutions that maximize conservation and community outcomes.
San Francisco Bay Area Conservation
RLF has been working in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2001, when it commenced efforts to secure the acquisition of commercial salt ponds surrounding the San Francisco Bay. Current efforts support wetlands restoration around the Bay, with a focus on building a diverse constituency to support equitable, long-term funding and government policies for Bay restoration and flood improvements, including the effective implementation of Measure AA.
RLF also supports a regional land conservation approach in the Bay Area that boosts ecosystem resilience for conservation and communities. RLF focuses on multi-benefit conservation efforts that protect and restore high-value habitat and wildlife linkages, provide recreation opportunities, and address natural threats such as climate change, flood, drought, and fire.
Oregon Conservation Program
Launched in 2015, the Oregon Conservation Program supports development of effective conservation projects and policy, including long-term funding for land and water conservation. The program employs public education campaigns to build awareness and support for dedicated public funding streams and policies that advance Oregon’s conservation practices, including working lands and forest conservation. RLF engages diverse voices, including Oregon Tribes, in water conservation policy and funding discussions.
Open Rivers Fund
The Open Rivers Fund supports local community efforts to remove obsolete dams, modernize water infrastructure, and restore rivers across the American West. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation supported the Fund’s launch in 2016 with a 10-year, $50 million grant aimed at removing barriers that impair river function and pose challenges, costs, or risks to communities. In addition to creating significant environmental and economic benefits, the Fund also seeks to build technical knowledge, organizational wherewithal, and public awareness in order to enable future projects.
More information at openriversfund.org
Land-Sea Connection
The Land-Sea Connection (LSC) program, launched in 2017, works to advance the long-term health and resilience of California watersheds by promoting more effective local and state policies and conservation programs; supporting high-value, on-the-ground conservation efforts; and helping secure equitable and sustained public funding to support community needs. The LSC program, funded by the Campbell Foundation, seeks to improve stewardship and reduce impacts to watershed health across a range of issues, with focused investments related to cannabis cultivation, agricultural practices, and urban runoff/stormwater.
