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Rewilding the Heartland

The Midwest was once one of the wildest and most biologically diverse regions in North America, but much of it has been lost to crops and development. Aiming to reverse this course, a new initiative has been formed by Earth Island’s Project Coyote in partnership with The Rewilding Institute and the Half-Earth Project to rewild the Midwest and the Mississippi River watershed. Using science, advocacy, and education, Heartland Rewilding will develop public campaigns and programs to help restore North America’s grandest watershed and promote coexistence between humans and wildlife. Watch the introductory video here.

Legal Victory for Wildlife

Ruling in favor of Earth Island’s Raptors Are the Solution, California’s First District Court of Appeal has recognized the danger posed by the deadly rodenticide diphacinone in ruling that the California Department of Pesticide Regulation must fully consider evidence before it of the poison’s impacts on non-target wildlife, both on its own and in conjunction with other poisons, which can cause additive harm, when the department renews registration of this product each year. Read more here. Photo by Vishal Subramanyan.

Flipping the Script on Plastics

Continuing its campaign to rid film and television sets of plastic, Dianna Cohen, co-founder of Earth Island’s Plastic Pollution Coalition, has paired up with actor Ed Begley Jr. on a simple audience test to gauge the use of plastic in on-screen entertainment. The Begley-Cohen Test is part of Flip the Script on Plastics, an initiative to help the entertainment industry model real solutions to the plastic crisis. Life imitates art. Let’s get the entertainment industry to reflect a plastic-free world. Listen to an interview with Fishtown Films on transforming their sets into low-waste environments here.

Living Schoolyards Act Introduced

Earth Island’s Green Schoolyards America worked closely with the office of U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) on the Living Schoolyards Act that Senator Heinrich recently introduced to the U.S. Senate. This groundbreaking bill is the first of its kind at the federal level. When enacted, the bill will provide unprecedented grant funds that enable schools to green their school grounds and provide hands-on learning, strengthen local ecological systems, and give children natural places to learn and play outside, particularly in vulnerable communities. Read more here.

Pathways to Healing

Indigenous communities continue to experience generational trauma and an epidemic of violence against their communities with limited resources or support to reduce this harm. As we approach November’s Native American Heritage Month, Earth Island’s Seeding Sovereignty highlights its new Missing and Surviving Indigenous People’s Project and welcomes new program lead, Liz Marin. To build a path to healing, the project established the Fighting the MMIP Epidemic and Healing Survivors fund, providing search and rescue supplies, virtual beading courses for survivors, and new ways to connect and amplify Indigenous experiences as a source of healing. Learn more here.

Safeguarding Our Oceans and Marine Life

Earth Island’s International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) Associate Director Mark J. Palmer was in Washington D.C. recently urging members of Congress to oppose a fossil fuel permitting proposal from Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia). Manchin’s proposal threatened to expedite permitting and to relax regulations at the expense of environmental protections. IMMP is concerned about the impacts of offshore permitting on marine life. Manchin eventually withdrew his proposal in the face of massive opposition, but it may come back. IMMP is asking the public to contact their Congressional representatives and urge them to oppose any efforts to streamline oil and gas permitting. Read more here.

Marking a Milestone

After switching to online programs during the pandemic, and successfully returning to fully in-person programs, Earth Island would like to congratulate its KIDS for the BAY project for thirty years of service to the community. Not only has KIDS for the BAY educated students about the environment, it has a long history of commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a women-founded and led organization, KIDS for the BAY began with a mission to provide opportunities for students in under-resourced schools to connect with nature, learn hands-on science, and become inspired environmentalists. See the infographic above for more information on their accomplishments.