The first-ever global analysis of plastic production found that “between 2002 and 2015 we made the exact same amount of plastic that we (humans) made between 1950 and 2002.” And much of this plastic ends up in the environment, including our rivers and oceans, by people littering, illegal dumping, and accidental loss of trash during strong winds or during transport.

Additionally, marine activities are a critical source of plastic waste in the ocean; ghost gear (lost or abandoned fishing nets, ropes, and other gear) is a growing problem. It should also be noted that all the rivers of the world are contributors to plastic pollution as they drain their respective populated land masses.

Plastics in the ocean absorb and release toxic pollutants, and these toxins enter marine food webs when animals accidentally consume plastics. Because plastic lingers in the oceans and waterways for extended periods of time, the threat is not only a continuing toxin threat, but the physical plastic item itself presents a bodily threat to marine life.

Plastic pollution is a critical threat to the world’s wildlife, particularly marine life. Scientists believe about 8 million metric tons of plastic entered the ocean in 2010, and that number has probably increased since then.

Plastic is everywhere and unfortunately will be with us beyond its intended use unless we get serious about waste management strategies which necessarily begin with individuals.

One morning this past spring, I pondered this thought while I was out looking for birds and all the magic and joy they bring us. My trusty binoculars hung from my neck. My skill and luck with birding and fishing are about the same, so I am deeply thankful for anything I stumble across. 

I was reminded of Matthew 6:26 and its call to “look at the birds of the air.” I know there is a deeper and greater meaning to this passage than simply calling on us to look up and take in the wonder of birds in flight, but I enjoy thinking of it as the birder’s passage.

What struck me, though, was the realization that one day we may indeed look for the birds of the air, and many will be gone. Many of the species that we hold dear will have disappeared into the dark night of extinction from which there is no dawn. 

As I observed Endangered Species Day 2026, and contemplated the true meaning of extinction in the context of evolution and natural selection, it was hard not to think of its impact on faith and creation. The moral implications of allowing another species to fall victim to extinction are as profoundly catastrophic as the ecological ones.

I find it hard to differentiate between deep and profound faith and the concept that we have a responsibility to honor and respect, to care for and to cherish creation. The abundance and complexity of the majesty of the natural world is endlessly inspiring. I find inspiration and sustenance of my faith in it, just as I will in Church on Sunday morning. The two threads for me are deeply intertwined.

If you don’t share this view, I respect that completely.

If your passion for conservation is rooted more in a non-faith-based world view then I celebrate your right to follow that path and profoundly appreciate your love of the natural world.

Given the threats the Gulf faces, any ally on the front lines of preservation is a kindred spirit. I seek not to convince you of anything except to continue to advocate for all things wild. I celebrate and appreciate your efforts and hope to join you in solidarity.

I do question the profound hypocrisy of those in power, who lead efforts in Washington D.C. to gut the Endangered Species Act and who speak of their faith and how it guides them, only to recklessly and callously tear creation asunder.

I urge those who would cast the sea turtle, the Rice’s Whale and the other threatened and endangered species in the Gulf into oblivion in the name of oil and gas profits, to consider the moral and theological consequences of their actions.

Can they reconcile their passion for their faith with the wholesale destruction they seek to bring down on creation and the natural world?

Whether you walk the path of dominion or stewardship, there is an inherent responsibility to other species as part of caring for and honoring creation. Extinction at the hands of humanity shows none.

Humanity has assumed the role of being the agents of evolution and extinction. We now decide which species survive or which disappears. That is a greater power than we should have.

But as we have it, we need to be guided by our better angels. We need to adapt to the needs of other species, not selfishly expect them to adapt to ours.

As we ponder the true consequences of extinction and our moral responsibility to those species we have endangered, let us be guided by our higher purpose to seek improvement in the world and a better planet for our children, and for our kindred species.

I choose that as the legacy I hope to leave. I urge you too as well.

And to the leaders who profess adherence to a higher path while endangering the natural world, you must stop. For other species, for our country and as a matter of conscience.

Endangered Species Day 2026 could have been a day of mourning, it could have been a day of remembrance, or a day of reflection. But it can inspire us now to move forward and be a starting point for action and inspire days of recommitment across our great nation to the values of conservation and the commitment to cherish creation.

Joe Murphy is a native and lifelong Floridian who lives in Brooksville, Florida, along the Gulf Coast. Joe is a former Wildlife Policy Specialist with NWF’s Gulf Program. He contributes these blogs to NWF’s Gulf Program as a alumnus and supporter. You can follow Joe on Facebook. Portions of this blog post initially appeared in FAU’s The Invading Sea in an edited and abridged format.

Summer doesn’t mean we need to neglect nature to have fun in the sun. It just takes a few moments from time to time to stop and consider if there is a better option out there. That is why we created the Plastic Free July Bingo Card. Print this card and make strides to do better for yourself and the planet this year. Don’t fret if you can’t get a bingo by the end of July. Just keep working on it ’til you finally get it, then aim for a total blackout!

Let’s talk more about some swaps you can do this year

Say “no” to free items you won’t use. 

We have all been there before. You are at a festival or event, checking out vendors. You are offered stickers, water bottles, beer koozies, hats, and keychains as free marketing swag. It’s okay to say yes to these things IF and only IF you will use them.

However, if you have 20 water bottles in your cabinet at home, you might want to consider skipping out on this item going forward. If the item is going to end up in the trash or in a donate pile, it’s probably safe to say “no” to those items as well. 

Air-Dry Synthetic Clothing 

Why would I want to air-dry my clothing when I have a dryer? Well, let’s start with what synthetic clothing is. It’s anything not made from organic materials, such as cotton, linen, silk, or wool.

Synthetic fibers include polyester, nylon, acrylic, and rayon, and are typically made from fossil fuel-based chemicals, or, as we colloquially call them, plastics. When these fibers heat up in the dryer, the fabric starts to break down, releasing microplastics into the environment. 

Now, you may be thinking, well, wouldn’t this happen on a hot wash too? Yes, but we are in the mindset that the most environmentally friendly purchase you can make is the one you didn’t make, so we will not be encouraging you to ditch all synthetic clothing to go out and buy all new, natural clothing. Wear what you have, but use a new lens going forward. Take care of your clothing so it lasts longer.

Skipping the dryer prevents the clothing from breaking down faster. Repair clothing where possible, then either upcycle it or ethically offload or recycle it. 

Purchase Unpackaged Products 

What if I told you that the tomato you were buying didn’t need to go in that single-use plastic bag? You can keep your fruits and veggies naked, free to roll around as they please (this is how I do it!), or you can get your own reusable cloth bags to put them in. 

“Hey, what about things like meat or bread? Those have to come packaged!”

Actually, they don’t. Well, not in plastic. Meat can be purchased from a local butcher and wrapped in freezer paper (make sure it’s actually plastic-free). Food can also be frozen in glass jars (careful not to fill too tightly), beeswax, stainless steel, and many other container options.

To get bread and other pastries, go out and find a local bakery that makes what you are looking for and will box or wrap the items in paper or cardboard. Not only does this cut down packaging waste, but it also reduces your carbon footprint by buying things locally made and keeps your money in your local economy instead of going to big-box stores. 

The Plastic You Just Can’t Avoid

It’s not the end of the world if there is just something you have to have, whether it’s your favorite food or your dog’s favorite food. Here is where we get to problem-solving. Can it be recycled or reused? Packaging can be reused as trash bags. We love to see a 20 LBS dog food bag reused to collect other trash. If it’s too small to be used as a trash bag, find the best way to recycle it or upcycle it. Researching if a facility in your local community will take it or looking online for services like Terracycle or Ridwell. 

Conduct A Waste Audit

No time better than the present to dive through your own trash. Select a time frame when you aren’t hosting or having a party. Collect all your waste in a designated area. Wash anything that will become smelly or attract little crawling insects. After the designated time frame, conduct a study of what you have thrown out and set some goals on how to reduce your findings.

You can learn more about a waste audit here at plasticfreejuly.org.

Plasticfreejuly.org will also provide you with more ways to reduce your plastic waste. Reducing our plastic waste helps the environment by not only ensuring it’s pristine, but it also prevents plastic from being ingested by wildlife, where injury and death are common outcomes when they interact with plastic. Plastic is also a known hormone disruptor, which can and does affect wildlife and humans.

To read more about the effects of plastic on wildlife, read our blog, Plastic Summer.

To learn more about lowering your waste, consider following Kathryn Kellogg @going.zero.waste, author of 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste, and Ashlee Piper @ashleepiper, author of Give A Sh*t: Do good. Live better. Save the planet, who are among many outstanding humans, trying to show the world easier and simpler ways to decrease waste. 

Drought occurs when an area experiences below-average precipitation over an extended period of time. Some droughts develop slowly over months or even years, while others, known as “flash droughts,” emerge rapidly when extreme heat and low rainfall quickly dry out soils and vegetation. Although drought is a natural climate phenomenon, climate change is amplifying its severity and reshaping how it affects communities, wildlife, and ecosystems.

Drought Across the Nation

Across the South, drought is intensifying water stress and increasing wildfire risk in places not historically associated with large fires. Georgia, a state often considered water-rich because it averages roughly 50 inches of rainfall annually, experienced severe drought conditions in 2026. At the same time, the  Pineland Road and Highway 82 Fires burned more than 55,000 acres. Researchers suggest that Hurricane Helene may have contributed to these fires by knocking down large numbers of trees, creating dry fuel that later intensified wildfire conditions. Events that once seemed disconnected—hurricanes, drought, heat, and wildfire—are increasingly compounding one another in a warming climate.

Drought also affects wildlife. Wetlands, rivers, and streams shrink during prolonged dry periods, reducing habitat for fish, amphibians, birds, and other species that depend on freshwater ecosystems. In the western United States, another form of drought called “snow drought” is becoming more common. Snowpack acts as a natural reservoir, slowly releasing water into rivers and streams throughout spring and summer. But warmer winters are reducing that snow storage. States including Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico experienced significant snow drought conditions in 2026. Less snow means less water available during hotter summer months, increasing stress on cities, agriculture, fish populations, and wildlife habitats. Reduced streamflow can disrupt fish migration and reproduction, while dry vegetation increases wildfire risk.

The Great Plains are also experiencing severe agricultural stress, with drought conditions impacting Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Prolonged drought damages crop yields, degrades soil quality, and threatens livestock production. Drought is increasingly being felt and no region is fully immune from its effects.

The Dust Bowl demonstrated how drought, poor land management, and extreme heat can devastate entire regions. Today, climate change, when combined with poor planning policies, may reinforce similar environmental feedback loops that prolong drought and the likelihood of severe climate disasters across the U.S. 

Global Systems and Compound Disasters

Large global climate systems also shape drought patterns. These large-scale climate systems do not act in isolation. They interact with rising global temperatures to influence drought severity, rainfall variability, and the likelihood of cascading disasters. La Niña conditions, part of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), can contribute to drier conditions across parts of the southern and western United States. Scientists are also studying how changes in major ocean circulation systems, such as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), could shift rainfall patterns.

Climate change is also increasing the likelihood of compound disasters, where one extreme event intensifies another. Although intense rainfall can temporarily ease drought, prolonged dry periods harden soil, destroy vegetation, and leave wildfire ash behind, reducing the ground’s ability to absorb water. When heavy rain finally arrives, flash floods and erosion can follow, causing further habitat destruction, wildlife death, and human displacement.

On July 4, 2025 the Central Texas Hill Country Floods, a drought impacted region, where the Guadalupe River rose roughly 26 feet in just 45 minutes, killing 135 people, destroying homes, and devastating aquatic habitats and species.

To learn more about how natural disasters intensified by climate change are affecting people and wildlife across the United States check out NWF’s Unnatural Disasters Map.

Where We Go From Here

Drought is no longer simply an isolated lack of rain. It is becoming part of a larger web of interconnected climate impacts affecting people, wildlife, water systems, and entire ecosystems. 

Water scarcity is becoming more complex as demand continues to grow. Rapidly expanding hyperscale AI data centers require enormous amounts of water for cooling, placing additional pressure on already stressed water systems in some regions.

Understanding drought as part of a larger interconnected climate system is essential for preparing communities for a hotter, drier, and more unpredictable future.

Stay informed on local, state, and/or federal projects that may be water intensive, such as data center buildouts, and check to see if there are any voting opportunities on your ballot. 

Take a look at NWF’s Action Fund to explore more ways to help protect our wildlife, environment, and one another. 

That principle should not be controversial. If a company profits from extracting resources from public lands, it should also be responsible for restoring those lands when the work is done. Unfortunately, that hasn’t always happened.

Across the country, tens of thousands of abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells remain scattered across the landscape. Many of these wells leak methane, contaminate groundwater, degrade wildlife habitat, and pose safety risks to nearby communities. In many cases, the companies responsible for drilling either went bankrupt or walked away, leaving taxpayers to shoulder the cost of cleanup.

The bonding reforms adopted two years ago sought to address this longstanding problem by updating outdated requirements that had not kept pace with the true cost of cleanup. For decades, bonding amounts remained so low that they often covered only a fraction of what it costs to reclaim a well site. The reforms helped ensure that companies provided adequate financial guarantees before drilling began, reducing the likelihood that taxpayers would be left holding the bill later.

At a time when Americans are concerned about energy prices and economic stability, it is important to recognize that responsible energy production and strong environmental safeguards are not mutually exclusive. Last year, the United States produced more oil and gas than any country in the world while still generating substantial profits AND charging fair bonding rates. In other words, we have already demonstrated that we can produce energy while protecting the lands and waters that Americans value. We do not need to choose between energy development and conservation. We can—and should—do both.

Repealing these bonding reforms would move us in the wrong direction. It would increase the risk that more cleanup costs are shifted onto taxpayers, while creating new threats to wildlife habitat, water resources, and public lands. It would reward irresponsible actors while undermining companies that already operate responsibly and plan for reclamation costs.

Public lands belong to all Americans. They support wildlife, provide clean water, sustain outdoor traditions, and contribute billions of dollars to local economies. Protecting these lands means ensuring that those who profit from developing them are also responsible for cleaning up after themselves.

Rather than dismantling commonsense safeguards, policymakers should keep them in place to protect taxpayers, hold industry accountable, and ensure that future generations inherit healthy, productive public lands. 

The natural flood buffers and wetland marshes that once helped reduce storm surge have been replaced by combined sewers and stormwater infrastructure. The lack of natural flood protection, in addition to high levels of pollution, has placed residents at risk before.

A Persistent Risk

During Superstorm Sandy in 2012, “backdoor flooding” from the Creek damaged homes and infrastructure. Floodwaters reached up to 10–11 feet, contaminating homes with saltwater and sewage, leaving many uninhabitable. Because of its geography as a peninsula and projected sea level rise of 6 feet by 2100, Coney Island remains at high risk for future flooding. Inland flooding on major roads is occurring with increasing frequency, disrupting life for residents.

Without robust interventions, Coney Island could be underwater by the end of the century. More immediately, sand from unvegetated dunes in Coney Island Creek Park migrates into streets, storm drains, and adjacent homes, creating a nuisance and additional hazards.

Building Coastal Resilience Through Nature-Based Solutions

Since 2017, the National Wildlife Federation’s award-winning Resilient Schools and Communities (RiSC) program has been educating students, teachers and intergenerational volunteers about climate science, local climate impacts and the nature-based solutions that can mitigate their effects. In 2021, RiSC launched programming in Coney Island with guidance from resident advisors who recounted stories of devastating flooding from both the Creek and the ocean.

Climate Education in Action

Fueled by these stories, and in partnership with NYC Parks and the American Littoral Society, NWF began shoreline restoration efforts at the Creek in 2022 with 80 middle and high school students from five New York City public schools. That year, students planted 6,000 American beachgrass plants in the estuary.

Fast forward to 2026, some 600 students and their teachers from 23 NYC public schools, and about 70 community volunteers, came to plant 40,000 American beachgrass plants in the estuary. Over 100,000 have been planted since 2022 through the RiSC program. 

Creating Habitat for Wildlife

American beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata) is a native plant with a dense network of roots and rhizomes that can stabilize dunes and provide coastal protection from extreme wave conditions. It also provides numerous ecological benefits including cover for wildlife like native and migratory birds, small mammals, crustaceans and pollinators that call Coney Island Creek Park home. According to FEMA, “primary frontal dunes are often the first line of defense against flooding in coastal regions.”

A new partnership with plant biologists at Brooklyn College will determine the health of the beachgrass plants and how well they are providing functional resilience services for this frontline community.

Celebrating 10 Years of RiSC

For 10 years NWF’s RiSC program has been collaborating with partners to engage students and intergenerational volunteers in hands-on learning activities that mitigate local climate impacts and build both social and ecological resilience. NWF also provides teachers with curricula and professional learning opportunities to expand their knowledge and bring climate and resilience topics into the classroom in ways that center hope, solutions and action.

We thank Allied World and Con Edison for their support of the RiSC program.

To learn more about RiSC visit their website here.

Advocates representing Tribal nations met with members of Congress to discuss a range of priorities including wildlife habitat connectivity, grassland conservation, and native seed sovereignty.

Kim Sager-Fradkin, Wildlife Program Manager for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe in Washington State, spoke with congressional offices about wildlife connectivity legislation.

“We are seeing first-hand the consequences of habitat fragmentation due to housing development and highways,” stated Sager-Fradkin.

She noted that habitat fragmentation affects the long-term genetic health of wildlife populations, explaining, “Recent research shows that cougars on the Olympic Peninsula have lower genetic diversity than cougars elsewhere in Washington State, which could portend trouble for the future.”

Sager-Fradkin also emphasized the importance of passing the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA), which would provide critical funding for Indigenous-led conservation efforts. “Please encourage your Congressional representatives to support wildlife movement bills as well as RAWA for the good of the next seven generations,” she stated.

Merissa Dominguez, Program Director for the Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance, highlighted how Tribal leadership is shaping the future of grassland conservation through support for the North American Grasslands Conservation Act. This bill would provide designated funding to Tribal nations for grassland conservation and include Tribal representation on the program’s governing council.

With more than 70 percent of America’s tallgrass, mixed grass, and shortgrass prairies already lost, grasslands are among the most threatened ecosystems in North America. These landscapes serve as critical habitat for wildlife and places of immense cultural significance for Indigenous communities.

“This legislation recognizes the deep connection Tribes have to these landscapes and the importance of supporting Indigenous leadership in conservation,” Dominguez stated, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to advocate for this work and help raise awareness about the importance of protecting our grasslands for future generations.”

Katie Smith-Easter, Indigenous Land Stewardship Coordinator for the Southeastern Grasslands Institute and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma echoed Dominguez’s emphasis on the connections between Indigenous communities, native seeds, and grasslands.

“For Native people, our cultural identity is not separate from the land that holds us,” she stated. “The continuity of our cultural lifeways does not exist without our native seeds and grasslands.”

Smith-Easter advocated for policies including the Native American Seeds Act, the American Seed and Restoration Center Establishment Act, and the North American Grasslands Conservation Act, emphasizing the importance of strengthening native seed systems and Indigenous stewardship efforts across Turtle Island.

“Our country faces a critical native seed shortage, and our grasslands are disappearing at an alarming rate,” Smith-Easter stated. “Twenty five years will be too late. We need to act now.”

Throughout the fly-in, advocates shared how Indigenous knowledge, Tribal sovereignty, and investment in Tribal-led conservation are essential to addressing threats facing wildlife, ecosystems, and communities.

As policymakers consider conservation legislation in the months ahead, the voices shared during the Tribal Advocacy Fly-In served as a reminder that protecting wildlife and ecosystems also means supporting the communities that have cared for them since time immemorial.

With the gratuitous rise of artificial intelligence (AI), tech companies are quickly trying to build the infrastructure needed to power these hubs. New data centers are popping up across the country, with large-scale data centers requiring enormous amounts of electricity to run around the clock.

That growth presents a challenge. Without careful and thoughtful planning, this AI-fueled energy demand can put pressure on the grid and increase costs for families and businesses—in fact, it already is. Last year, utilities received requests from data centers for at least 700 gigawatts (GW) of power connection.

It’s important to understand this number because the entire country’s average power generation is only around 500 GW. Even if some of these projects are never built, the requests still lead to a ramp-up in energy infrastructure including power plants, transmission lines, and transformers. And those costs are passed on to households and businesses.

Clean energy has become the cheapest form of energy, but wind and solar still only account for 17 percent of the country’s energy generation. The biggest barrier to deploying clean energy is usually transmission. Without enough transmission to deliver cheaper clean energy to where it’s needed, over 900 GW of solar and wind projects sit waiting in queue, and utilities often default to more expensive fossil fuel generation instead.

In this moment where Americans are feeling the squeeze of rising electricity bills, expensive groceries, and high prices at the pump, we need to fully invest in an energy system that is more affordable, more resilient, and more reliable than the one we have today. Clean energy is central to that solution.

Renewables Remains the Cheapest Form of Energy

For years, clean energy was framed as something we should invest in for the future. Well, the future is here and we are unprepared.

The good news is that renewable energy like wind and solar, when paired with battery storage, remains the most cost-effective form of new-build energy generation even without tax subsidies. Plus, there’s no volatile gas price or imported fuel cost to worry about. The sun shines. The wind blows. And when they don’t, we can tap into the energy stored in the system’s batteries. That helps protect customers from the price spikes that fossil fuel markets and international conflicts bring.

Beyond wind and solar, emerging technologies like next-generation geothermal can play an important role. It taps into the Earth’s internal heat to generate electricity, using underground heat, instead of coal or natural gas, to drive steam to spin the turbines. That heat is free, non-emitting, and endlessly renewable.

What makes it “next-generation” is its potential to go beyond traditional geothermal resources which are limited to specific locations. New drilling technologies allow next-generation geothermal to be developed in more places and deliver power more locally. Continued research and development are needed, but the opportunity is clear—dependable, non-polluting power available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Clean Energy Gives Us More Options, Not Fewer

Extreme weather is becoming more frequent and more expensive. Heat waves, hurricanes, wildfires, and winter freezes are testing aging energy infrastructure across the country. A more resilient, well-connected grid is better equipped to respond.

Solar paired with battery storage can keep power flowing when the grid is strained during peak demand. Distributed energy resources like rooftop solar and community solar can reduce some pressure on the grid, especially at the local level.

Wind generation often complements solar production across seasons and times of day. Together, these technologies create a more flexible system that can adapt when conditions change.

Opponents of clean energy question whether it’s reliable enough. But reliability is about building a balanced system with multiple sources working together. That means combining wind and solar with battery storage, transmission upgrades, demand flexibility (especially from large electricity users like data centers), geothermal, and other cleaner, non-polluting technologies. It also means modernizing the grid so it can move electricity where and when it’s needed. 

A Healthy Environment and Economic Growth Can Co-Exist

It is a misconception that we have to sacrifice innovation and economic prosperity for a healthy planet. Clean energy is increasingly what makes economic growth possible. As electricity demand rises, we have a choice.

We can double down on outdated systems that pollute our air and water and drive up prices, or we can invest in the resilient energy solutions that have proven to be the cheapest, build the grid needed to deliver them, and ensure the largest electricity users pay their fair share of the costs they trigger.

Our future depends on it.

Constance Stancil, one of National Wildlife Federation’s Longleaf Landowner Mentors, hosted attendees at her family’s property, the Major Mattocks Real Estate Trust Family Farm. The Landowner Mentorship Model engages landowners that have been successful in restoring longleaf pine on their land to share lessons and sustainable management techniques, as Constance did here.

“It’s important that [landowners] see [model farms] for the same reason that Zakia and I saw [Mr. Hodges’s] farm,” Stancil says. “We saw what was possible, and we saw what happens if you work together. But we also had a chance to physically see the trees grow at different stages. . . . So, if people see the possibilities of what can happen on their land, and we expose them to different resources like that training we went to in Georgia and the training that was here in North Carolina, [they can acquire] a lot of information about the different resources that are out there.”

Honoring Ancestors Through Knowledge Sharing

The three-day workshop detailed everything from heirs’ property to non-traditional economic opportunities like carbon markets. The values of forest conservation for some landowners transcend pure financial returns, including the wildlife habitat value, aesthetics of the property, and familial bonds through shared experience. For many, there’s the peace one gains from walking through these forests and, for families like the Mattocks, the knowing it’s the land your ancestors walked, fought for, and won.

“My heart, my soul, is rooted in the dirt on that land,” Stancil says. “Everything I am, who I am now, started there.”

The Mattocks’s faced many hardships in keeping their land, from foreclosures to warranty deeds, eventually going from 902 acres to 615 acres. But their ability to retain any acreage despite their troubles is a symbol of this family’s resistance and strength. Constance Stancil and Zakiya Zaid, both trustees for the Major Mattocks Real Estate Trust Farm, detailed the full history to guests and honored their ancestors Joseph Spicer and Catherine Jones Spicer and Major and Peggie Mattocks, alongside their nine children Alice, Alva, Dorothy, Katie, Mary, Pearlie, Judge, Thurston, and Esther.

The current Mattocks trustees and beneficiaries honor the stewardship legacy of those ancestors by responsibly managing the acreage passed down to them. The family partners with organizations like the National Wildlife Federation and The Longleaf Alliance to promote locally relevant, environmentally sustainable practices and education to the community.

Achieving Progress Through Connection

With groups like Black Family Land Trust, North Carolina Wildlife Federation, and Help for Landowners, the Longleaf and the Landowner Academy equipped eager-to-learn participants with professional resources. These participants also brainstormed lists of their own personal resources to lean on, too, from lawyers and mediators to surveyors and accountants. Forest management, restoration, and estate planning for multi-generational land stewardship often require a team approach for long-term success.

“You will meet so many people that it’s unbelievable,” Zaid said. “There’s so many people we’ve made partnerships with to get us where we are. It’s not just one organization, it’s the community out there that you lean into.”

To round out the event, attendees visited Croatan National Forest, 160,000 acres of pine forests, bogs, estuaries, bogs, and pocosins. Here, they learned about the strategies and success of older longleaf pine forests management firsthand, including uneven age management, the effects of prescribed burns, and red-cockaded woodpeckers. This visit offered a hopeful view into the future of what their properties could become with years of management.

“Let this be your beginning, not your end,” Zaid said. “This is just your first step.”

“There’s not a lot of places in the lower 48 where you have natural and raw anymore, so people can [basically] compare the Keweenaw to Alaska,” says Mueller.

The Lodge, a member of the Great Lakes Business Network (GLBN), makes the most of this by providing an abundance of opportunities for guests, from mountain biking to birdwatching to cross-country skiing to moonlit snowshoe hikes. Lucky trailblazers may hear wolves and coyotes howl, find the scat of hiding bears, or see bald eagles.

But the woods aren’t the only feature drawing people from around the globe.

Lake Superior, one of the five Great Lakes, surrounds Keweenaw Peninsula. The pristine waters offer visitors the opportunity to explore dramatic coastlines and revel in activities like kayaking, boating, and shipwreck diving. Between that and nourishing the Great Northwoods, “it provides that natural diversity that the area really thrives off of,” as Mueller notes.

The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge is one of many businesses whose livelihoods are tied to the health and well-being of the Northwoods. 

Further south, Brian “Koz” Kozminski, owner of True North Trout and GLBN member, leads regular flyfishing tours on the Jordan and Manistee Rivers of Northern Michigan, with the occasional float down the Pidge, Black, and Sturgeon Rivers.

Michigan has more miles of rivers and lakes to fly fish than anywhere in the United States. This has led to many renowned magazines naming Michigan the best fly-fishing state, making businesses like True North Trout highly sought after.

However, these guided tours aren’t just about fishing. The hours on the water navigating fallen logs, spotting native fish species, and taking in the ambiance are just as powerful. Kozminski says they almost always see deer and birds, but sometimes the occasional river otter or beaver will be out during the tours as well. 

He adds, “I think when people take a day out of their 365 days to spend time on the water, they’re not connected to their phones, they’re disconnecting from all the internet and social media, they’re getting a chance to [decompress], and they see things that you don’t normally see. . . . There’s something about being connected to water that gives us the ability to defrag our brains.”

Unfortunately, the Great Northwoods, like many forests across the globe, are at risk.

“There’s so many aspects in the outdoor industry that are being threatened,” says Kozminski. “You know we’re trying to sell all these public lands, we’re opening up roadless areas to ORVs and these pristine places—public land, and access for us to hunt, fish, birdwatch, canoe, whatever it is we do—are very few and sacred, and we need to protect those places. We don’t need to flatten everything and make a parking lot and put a [superstore] there. Some places need to be left alone so we have places to escape and recharge our serenity.”

Then there’s climate change, with warmer, drier conditions drying out aquifers and raising water temperatures. For Kozminski, this means an increase in “Hoot-Owl” restrictions—fishing regulations meant to protect fish from extra stress during periods of high-water temperatures in streams and rivers. Hotter water means less oxygen in the water, which is fatal to fish. 

Fewer rivers to fish on means more fishers per river. This puts pressure on the limited number of rivers without restrictions, straining not only the environment and tarnishing the guest experience. After all, when you’re going fishing, you’re likely seeking that peace you get when on the water. And when guests aren’t happy, businesses struggle.

While warm temperatures threaten water-oriented companies like True North Trout, increased wildfires and shifts in weather patterns threaten forest-oriented businesses like Keweenaw Mountain Lodge.

“When people are coming up and looking at the dark skies, we want the clean air,” says Mueller. “[The smoke from the Canadian wildfires] takes away from the natural aspect of things, because that isn’t necessarily natural.”

Mueller notes that, historically, wildfires have been necessary to maintain balance in the ecosystem. But now, “Wildfires are burning a little bit differently. They’re burning warmer [and] hotter, and it’s a different burn than what you want.”

It’s up to us to protect the Great Northwoods from these destructive forces. Because if we don’t tend to these wild places, business owners like Mueller and Kozminski won’t have a pristine environment in which to immerse their guests.

The heart and soul of businesses like True North Trout and Keweenaw Mountain Lodge is the closeness to nature. If they can’t do that, what does that say for the Great Northwood’s larger outdoor recreation industry?

To get involved, visit our website!