Member Mary Bookwalter is funding a number of dam removals in her home state of Indiana both as an individual and through the Indiana Forest Alliance as a donor and volunteer. Most recently, she helped decommission the Collamer Dam on the Eel River. Mary spoke with us about how she got involved in these projects and what’s next.
The American Chemistry Council has identified $36 billion in potential petrochemical and plastic manufacturing investments in the Ohio River Valley and corporations have already begun building ethane cracker plants, pipelines, storage facilities, and other dirty infrastructure. Rachel’s Network is partnering with the People Over Petro Coalition to fight back.
The outreach and programming that zoos provide is critical in the face of declining endangered species, environmental regulation rollbacks, habitat destruction, and climate change. Olga Donahue who serves on the Board of Governors of the Denver Zoo explains what they do to protect wildlife and habitats around the world.
In 2019, Tompkins Conservation donated one million acres to Chile to help establish 10 million acres of new national parks in the country. Rachel’s Network traveled to Chile earlier this year to meet Tompkins Conservation staff, including president and co-founder Kristine Tompkins, and visit two of the new parks – Pumalín and Patagonia. The trip left an impression on members who subsequently provided a grant to Tompkins to support their continued conservation work.
Greening Youth Foundation (GYF) CEO and Founder Angelou Ezeilo, a leading expert on diversity, equity and inclusion in the conservation field, has joined Rachel’s Network as an advisor. Angelou is working to change the face of conservation in the United States and help young people of color find meaningful outdoor careers.
Rachel’s Network announced that it has awarded climate champion Annel Hernandez with its inaugural Catalyst Award. As associate director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance and member of the NY Renews coalition, Annel was one of the key players in the passage of New York’s new climate law passed in July 2019, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
