Category: Policy & Advocacy

This past April, Openlands’ staff from multiple departments embarked on a mission to make our voices heard by participating in advocacy days at both the state and national capitols. These advocacy days provided an opportunity for Openlands to advocate for crucial conservation issues and engage with and inform policymakers. In this blog post, we will delve into the significance of advocacy days, highlight Openlands’ efforts in Washington, D.C. and Springfield, and discuss ways for individuals to get involved in grassroots advocacy. 

Advocacy days are organized events where individuals or groups gather to advocate for specific causes or issues directly to policymakers. These events offer a platform for citizens and organizations to voice their concerns, propose solutions, and influence policy decisions. This year’s advocacy days took place at the state and national capitols, where legislators and other government officials can be directly engaged. 

From April 17-20, Openlands’ CEO Jerry Adelmann, Vice President of Conservation and Policy Emily Reusswig, and Director of Policy Chris Kessler traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in the Land Trust Alliance Advocacy Days. The mission of the Land Trust Alliance’s annual Advocacy Days is to advocate for and advance important land trust policy priorities. To prepare participants for the week, the LTA provided our staff with advocacy training and helped to facilitate relationships with key legislators to build the political influence of the land trust community. Our team focused on addressing significant conservation matters, and one of the key topics of discussion was the upcoming farm bill, which holds substantial importance for the conservation agenda. Openlands representatives met with members of the Illinois congressional delegation, staff from the offices of U.S. Senators Duckworth and Durbin, as well as agency heads from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  

These meetings aimed to emphasize conservation priorities and raise awareness about specific projects, especially in our priority landscapes, which include Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge. Openlands’ staff highlighted the urgent need to spend the incoming funds from the IRA and America the Beautiful programs to support conservation initiatives while they are still available. Additionally, Openlands aimed to garner support from the Illinois congressional delegation to ensure the transfer of parcels from the former Joliet training area to the U.S. Forest Service. This transfer would be a significant and long-awaited step towards preserving and expanding the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. 

Our staff took advantage of the opportunity to share our work and mission of advancing nature-based solutions to climate change with Illinois legislators, and the recently revised congressional maps presented an excellent opportunity to engage with new representatives and share the scope of our work in their new districts. Openlands’ outreach aimed not only to educate lawmakers on the issues important to the conservation community, but also build relationships necessary to advancing conservation initiatives in the future.  

While the policy team was advocating for land trust priorities in Washington D.C., Openlands’ staffers from the Communications and Development teams travelled down with other environmentalists from the state to advocate for conservation items in Springfield as part of the Illinois Environmental Council’s Lobby Day. IEC’s Lobby Day connects environmental advocates from across the state with their elected representatives in the General Assembly to effectively advocate for Illinois’ people and the environment, and as part of the event, over 400 Illinoisans came together to take action on climate. The event started with a rally in front of the Illinois State Capitol Building and was followed by meetings between participants and their elected officials to discuss important environmental issues. Before the day was over, participants received a surprise visit and photo op from Chicago’s new Mayor Brandon Johnson!  

The Importance of Advocacy Days:  

Advocacy days serve as a vital platform for lobbying and grassroots advocacy. The power of grassroots advocacy lies in the voices and stories of constituents. Personal connections and heartfelt testimonials have a significant impact on lawmakers, who are ultimately responsible for representing their constituents’ views. Openlands’ passionate group of staff and volunteers are critical to advancing our mission and their ability to convey a powerful message rooted in dedication and genuine concern for the environment is a powerful force for change. 

While travelling to Springfield may not be an accessible option for all people interested in communicating with their legislators, individuals who are unable to participate in advocacy days can still contribute to the cause. Engaging with local officials through emails, phone calls, and attending events like town halls or coffee shop gatherings are effective ways to make a difference. What matters first and foremost is staying involved in issues in your community and building relationships with elected officials at the local level. By remaining attentive to Openlands’ action alerts and promptly responding to them, individuals can stay informed and share advocacy initiatives within their networks. 

Openlands’ participation in May 2023 Advocacy Days was a significant step towards advocating for conservation issues both at the state and national levels. By actively engaging with policymakers, Openlands ensured that the conservations concerns and solutions we are working for were effectively communicated. Together, we have the power to make a powerful impact and drive policy that puts the environment and people first! 

The results are in! It’s a historic day as we celebrate the overwhelming passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Wildlife referendum, which will restore and expand protected lands, support and create new jobs, and invest in improvements like new trails, accessibility, and engagement in nature for all ages.

This referendum is one of the most important environmental funding measures in Cook County history and it will support our forest preserves for generations to come. 

“The support of Cook County voters shows just how vital nature is to all residents and how the sound management of the Forest Preserves has had a huge impact on residents’ relationship with nature close to home,” said Jerry Adelmann, President and CEO of Openlands. “Our gratitude and congratulations go to President Preckwinkle, Superintendent Randall, and the entire Forest Preserves of Cook County staff who work tirelessly to ensure residents have healthy, equitable, and enjoyable places to get outside. We are indebted to the over 170 organizations and hundreds of volunteers who joined us in making this campaign a success and join them in celebrating this long-awaited victory for people and nature.”

Now get outside and enjoy our local forest preserves!

On Friday, Aug. 12, after its narrow passage through the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the largest climate investment in our country’s history and on Tuesday, Aug. 16, President Biden signed the bill into law. The Inflation Reduction Act is designed to fight inflation, invest in domestic energy production and manufacturing, and reduce carbon emissions roughly 40 percent by 2030. The Inflation Reduction Act is a $750 billion health care, tax and climate bill and is a pared-down version of the Build Back Better Act, which was a $2.2 trillion bill introduced in 2021 that failed to pass through Congress. 

At a time when we are witnessing record-breaking temperatures, devastating wildfires, extreme flooding, and other environmental catastrophes that have resulted in tremendous amounts of damage and the loss of lives and livelihoods, the Act makes an unprecedented $369 billion investment in climate, clean energy, and environmental justice. 

The Inflation Reduction Act is a large legislative package that contains a number of provisions for healthcare, taxation, and climate. To make it easier to navigate, we’ve broken down the four key takeaways from the passage of this historic climate legislation that Openlanders need to know:

1. The Inflation Reduction Act is expected to reduce carbon emissions roughly 40% by 2030 through an unprecedented $369 billion investment in climate, clean energy, and environmental justice. It is estimated that these investments will create more than 9 million good-paying jobs over the next decade. Plans for clean energy expansion include powering homes, businesses, and communities with clean energy through the installation of 950 million solar panels, 120,000 wind turbines, and 2,300 grid-scale battery plants. While the Act makes significant investments in clean energy technology, it also designates funding for nature-based solutions to climate change.

2. The USDA Forest Service’s Urban & Community Forestry program is set to receive $1.5 billion for urban and community forestry projects, with priority funding going to underserved and low-canopy populations, as well as state agencies, local government entities, tribal communities, and nonprofit organizations. These new investments will help expand urban tree canopies and advance equity in neighborhoods while creating jobs and bolstering local economies across the nation.

3. The Inflation Reduction Act dedicates $60 billion to environmental justice projects by promoting legacy pollution reduction, increasing access to clean energy indisadvantaged communities, and investing in the creation of green jobs, especially in the forestry sector. Environmental justice priorities include creating Climate and Environmental Justice Block Grants to support community-led projects in disadvantaged communities and address disproportionate environmental and public health harms related to pollution and climate change, allocating funding for fenceline monitoring near industrial facilities, air quality sensors in disadvantaged communities, and making clean energy more affordable, especially in disadvantaged communities and Indian country. 

4. While we celebrate this monumental legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act unfortunately leaves out important nature-based solutions to climate change that were included in the Build Back Better Act. We must continue to prioritize nature-based solutions to climate change in future legislation, as among the things not included was the Civilian Climate Corps (CCC), a priority for Openlands, which would have employed thousands of young Americans to help protect our natural areas and maintain public lands.

While the Inflation Reduction Act is “the biggest single investment the government has ever made in fighting climate change,” we know that the fight is far from over. We celebrate this historic legislation and will continue advocating for bolder future policies that take unprecedented steps to protect forests, plant trees in cities, create a green-jobs economy, undo the effects of environmental injustice, and much more. 

It is hard to imagine another location on earth quite like Chicago’s Museum Campus. Three world-class institutions sit side by side, devoted to the study of the earth, heavens, and water. Views capture what sets Chicago apart as a global city – where one of the world’s largest freshwater lakes meets a people’s park and architecturally renowned skyline. No matter what happens at Soldier Field in the future, the Museum Campus has and always will play a formative role in crafting the spirit of Chicago. Yet we still fall short when thinking about that spirit and Chicago’s motto, City in a Garden. Now, a new plan offers opportunities to bring nature back to the Museum Campus: creating a recreational and restorative urban nature retreat that educates through integrated stories of people and the rich environment in which we live. This new vision of the Museum Campus can truly make Chicago “A City in a Garden” and a destination for its residents and global visitors.

With this new vision comes a renewed sense of place. Most Chicagoans know the Museum Campus as the narrowly defined areas around Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, the Adler Planetarium, and sometimes Soldier Field. The new vision encompasses a broader campus, including Northerly Island, going west to DuSable Lake Shore Drive and the McCormick Bird Sanctuary to the south, all under the ownership of the Chicago Park District. The plan also puts the Museum Campus in context with the other magnificent public spaces, entertainment, and natural areas along the lake and downtown, proposing transportation connections between existing systems and places to increase accessibility. With this plan, the Museum Campus seamlessly integrates with the entire lakefront—from Grant Park through the Burnham Wildlife Corridor to the Obama Presidential Center and beyond—creating directional and interpretive signage and coordinated pedestrian and bike trail systems for an easier and more enjoyable experience for all.

Most exciting is the proposed rewilding of the campus, restoring the ecological integrity of Northerly Island as a powerful outdoor laboratory of nature-based solutions to climate change. Restoring larger areas of the campus with native plants and trees will create beauty and minimize expenses to the Park District and museums, and create much-needed habitat for migrating birds. In addition, moving the Huntington Bank Pavilion to an area on campus better suited for entertainment will create a therapeutic and recreational urban retreat for residents and visitors alike. The terminal at Northerly Island is ideally situated to become an environmental learning center for students, families, and visitors and the focus of a Great Lakes Climate Lab. The Climate Lab should build on the strengths and expertise of the three institutions and bring in multiple partners such as local universities, not-for-profits, and regional and national leaders. Imagine the opportunities for placemaking and creative interpretation with three world-renowned institutions to interpret earth, sky, and water on one campus surrounded by the native beauty of the prairie! The Campus can serve as a model for the entire lakefront and across the Great Lakes.

This vision for the Museum Campus will only be successful with increased accessibility and transportation solutions. This is especially true for the communities to the west. The plan aptly calls for pedestrian and bike connections across DuSable Lake Shore Drive, including access to Northerly Island from the 18th street bridge and Waldron Drive. In addition, it recommends dependable Bus, trolley, and bike options are available to all Chicagoans year-round so it can be a place everyone can enjoy. To ensure that, the City’s next steps must include broad public engagement leading to a comprehensive overall plan that makes the campus inviting to all Chicagoans and visitors.

Chicago became world-renowned when it protected its lakefront and created the Museum Campus. Now, we can create a new model for the world – an economic engine for our city and a community park that centers natural climate resiliency, education, and entertainment for all. Let’s live up to our motto as a true City in a Garden.

Today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in West Virginia v U.S. EPA takes the country in the absolute wrong direction, reversing years of environmental progress. Openlands agrees with the three dissenting justices in saying the majority had stripped the EPA of “the power to respond to the most pressing environmental challenge of our time.”

The decision weakens the EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases and dangerous air pollutants that affect our air quality and climate. Fossil Fuel-fired power plants are among the largest sources of dangerous greenhouse gas emissions, second only to transportation. The United States has a major role to play on the global stage, as we are the second largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions in the world.

The United Nations has made it clear in no uncertain terms that the time for action is now, having reported that climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution are three closely interconnected planetary crises that put the wellbeing of current and future generations at unacceptable risks.

The deadline to curb carbon emissions is shorter than most people realize, and the window of opportunity is shrinking exponentially with each day of inaction. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently reported that we have only three years to stabilize emissions writing, “…in the scenarios we assessed, limiting warming to around 1.5°C (2.7°F) requires global greenhouse gas emissions to peak before 2025 at the latest, and be reduced by 43% by 2030; at the same time, methane would also need to be reduced by about a third. Even if we do this, it is almost inevitable that we will temporarily exceed this temperature threshold but could return to below it by the end of the century.”

At a time when we are experiencing record-breaking heat waves, extreme flooding, and fluctuations in water levels that have resulted in tremendous amounts of a damage and loss of lives and livelihoods, we understand that climate change is an existential threat to life as we know it.

We must rely on science, which has established a roadmap to lead us out of this environmental crisis, and not politics. Congress must step in and clarify that the EPA is authorized to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants. In addition to installing alternative energy at an unprecedented scale, we must accelerate support and funding for communities to use nature-based solutions that soak up carbon and make us more resilient.  The United Nations has made clear open space – from our urban canopy in parks to national wildlife refuges – are vital as over a third of the world’s climate solution. 

For the future of our people, the environment in which we live, and the clean air we all have the human right to breathe – we cannot afford to wait. The time for action is now.

photo credit: Ian Hutchinson