The official Conference of Parties meetings generally don’t include marginalized voices. That’s why Terry Odendahl, President and CEO of Global Greengrants Fund, expects to see the real momentum to address climate change coming from the grassroots. Her organization is providing small grants to communities around the world and working with funders and civil society groups to help create a drumbeat for change.
During the Rachel’s Network Fall Retreat in Yellowstone National Park, our members were inspired by a presentation by sculptor and ecologist George Bumann who conveyed the value of wild places beyond the facts and figures we often fall back on. We asked George about his process, the experience of working in Yellowstone National Park, and his advice for inspiring a wonder for nature in others.
In October, Rachel’s Network members and guests traveled to Yellowstone National Park for our 2015 Fall Retreat. In addition to visiting some of Yellowstone’s most dynamic landscapes, we heard from top experts in wildlife conservation, park management, climate change, and sustainable ranching.
In this Q&A we hear from Theresa Pierno, the new president and chief executive officer of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). Theresa is the first woman to serve as NPCA’s president in its 96-year history. Here, she shares her thoughts on the state of America’s national parks, her career in conservation, and the women leaders who inspire her.
In a world of unchecked development and climate change, conservation is no longer simply about protecting land. It’s about changing systems and helping people to rethink the ways they interact with the natural world in their daily lives. “From the mountains, to the prairies,” Rachel’s Network members are preserving some of our country’s most ecologically important and beautiful landscapes, and doing it in a way that acknowledges and works with this human element.
