In the days that followed, people understandably began asking who was responsible. Gary’s Mayor Eddie Melton criticized the pace of restoration. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun called the situation unacceptable and requested an investigation into Northern Indiana Public Service Company, or NIPSCO, the electric utility serving Gary and much of northwest Indiana.

Residents have questioned whether the utility adequately maintained vegetation around power lines. A lawsuit has made similar allegations, which NIPSCO disputes. Some residents also ask whether NIPSCO has been too focused on accommodating new energy-sucking data centers rather than upgrading existing electrical infrastructure.

These are important questions to ask to understand what went wrong and to ensure the city is more resilient to future natural disasters, which are becoming more “unnatural” in frequency and severity across the U.S. thanks to human-caused climate change. The residents of Gary deserve to know whether the systems they depend on were properly maintained and whether more could have been done to restore power sooner.

But if we spend all our time trying to determine who was at fault after the storm, we risk missing the bigger question that Gary should make us all think about.

Why are we still waiting until disasters happen to address vulnerabilities we already know exist?

Gary had already made its vulnerabilities and climate risks clear.

Two years before this storm, the city released Climate Ready Gary, its first climate resilience plan. The plan was designed to help Gary prepare for the effects of a changing climate and more extreme weather. It specifically identified the need to “increase resilience in local power distribution.”

Gary is not alone. Across the country, communities have spent years identifying the climate risks they face. We know where extreme heat is most dangerous. We know which neighborhoods flood repeatedly. We know where infrastructure is more fragile and where residents have fewer resources to recover when it fails.

The problem is not that communities have failed to identify their vulnerabilities. It is that identifying a risk does not give a community the resources or authority to reduce it. Gary residents and city officials could recognize that its power system needed to become more resilient, but many of the decisions about how that system is maintained and strengthened rest with utilities, regulators, and other decision-makers.

For many Gary residents, losing power for more than a week was not simply an inconvenience. Families lost groceries. People struggled to keep medical equipment operating. Schools closed and local businesses lost income.

Another reality that decision-makers in Indiana had known for years was that Gary was entering any major natural disaster from a position of deep disadvantage.

Gary is a majority-Black city where roughly one in three residents live in poverty. Decades of industrial decline, population loss, and disinvestment weakened the city’s tax base and limited investments in infrastructure. Those conditions mean that Gary is more at-risk of experiencing significant damage and suffering from natural disasters with recovery taking more time compared to more white and affluent communities.

Climate resilience, then, is not only being prepared for the hazard itself. It is also having the infrastructure and resources to recover from it.

NIPSCO itself had already been making the case for resilience. As part of its most recent electric rate case, the utility said that by the end of 2025 it would have invested $769.5 million in upgrades intended to improve reliability and help harden the system against severe weather. Yet, were the investments significant enough to reduce the consequences of a disaster fueled by climate change? Did those NIPSCO investments go to where need is greatest?

These are precisely the kind of questions we should be asking before the next disaster. We should know whether investments are reaching communities with the greatest needs and whether they are reducing vulnerability as weather events become more extreme.

What are we doing with disaster risk assessments?

When a city identifies extreme heat as a major threat, resulting plans should mean fewer residents are at risk when the next heat wave arrives. When a community identifies repeated flooding as a vulnerability, the next major storm should cause less damage.

If we know that an extended power outage could become a serious public health emergency, resilience means that power systems are less likely to go dark and are restored quickly with more lives saved.

Helping underserved communities access rooftop and community solar and energy efficiency upgrades, investing in underground power lines, and building microgrids are just some ways to improve energy resilience. In fact, renewable energy is usually more resilient to disruption from extreme weather than fossil fuel-based power.

In other words, completing a resilience plan should not be the final outcome. The goal should be ensuring that communities have the capacity and resources to reduce their vulnerability. That also means decision-makers need to understand which communities face the greatest risks and use that information to help determine where resilience investments should go first.

Communities do not begin from the same starting point. Gary has lived through decades of economic disinvestment. Its residents should not have to overcome that history on their own every time another storm arrives. If we distribute resilience resources without accounting for those differences, we can spend a great deal of money while leaving the vulnerability gap largely intact.

There will now be investigations into what happened in Gary, and there absolutely should be. They may tell us whether particular infrastructure should have been stronger or whether maintenance should have been handled differently.

But we should not need an investigation to tell us that Gary was vulnerable. Gary already told us that.

Communities across the country have been telling us the same thing through climate plans and through lived experience. At some point, knowing has to be followed by doing.

The question after Gary should not only ask  who was responsible for what happened. It should also ask: When are we going to act on what communities have already told us? Where are the resources needed to reduce those risks? Where is the capacity to turn resilience plans into actual protection?

And most importantly, when those resources and that capacity are missing, we should be asking why.

NWF does valuable and noble work to protect the forests of Florida and the larger American South. NWF’s Southeast Forestry Program is working across the south to restore longleaf forests for the human and natural communities that depend on them. It is truly impressive work.

I am deeply blessed to live along the southern Nature Coast on the Gulf Coast of Florida, a landscape richly adorned with longleaf pines. Traveling into the forest provides a sublime and transcendent opportunity to hear the wind give them song and listen to their chorus. The song of windswept pines opens doors in my soul that allow me to, just for a moment, venture back in time to the sweetest of memories.

I hear the voice of my grandparents in the music of the pines. I hear the voice of my father, and remember time spent in nature with him. Most powerfully, though, I hear the voice of my mother. It is both painful in the reminder of loss and joyful in the celebration of memory—truly the definition of bittersweet.

My mom was a dedicated adherent of the longleaf pine. She loved hiking among them. We carried our plant and bird guides in our backpacks, seeking to know the botany below and the avian wonders above—the amazing birds of the longleaf. The sounds of the longleaf pine come not just from the wind through their needles, but from the calls that the creatures inhabiting them send forth. My mom and I were thrilled every time the rich chorus burst forth around us.

As we hiked, we heard the crunch of pine needles below our feet. We heard the gentle and hushed call of the northern bobwhite. As evening approached, the back and forth of barred owls announced the transition from day to night. The chuck-will’s-widow welcomed the stars and the moon through the pines. We wandered up and down the hills and valleys of places like the Brooksville Ridge, along some of the highest points in Florida. Sandhills are not mountains, but in Florida, any elevation is worth noting and celebrating. 

We marveled at the science, practice, and magic of prescribed fire. We saw firsthand, many times, the transformational power it had in the longleaf forest. Green growth bursts forth from darkened ashes. New life surges into the world from the burnt offerings of the fire’s transition—nutrients recycled through fire.

Fire is the lifeblood of longleaf pines, as essential as water. Fire is to water as water is to fire in a longleaf forest. Both are equally important. Both nourish all things wild within the range of these mighty trees.

For years these magnificent landscapes disappeared across the American South, but then a small group of ecologists and foresters began to preach the gospel of prescribed fire. They connected the loss of so many elemental species of plants and animals in the South to the loss of longleaf pines. Longleaf systems on public lands that were overrun with oaks and sweetgums were gradually reclaimed, through effective management and prescribed fire. What was once thought lost was being found again.

The longleaf pine is truly the tree of life. Few trees are as essential to all forms of life beneath them, those of shell, fur, feather, and claw. When they wither, when they are lost to lack of fire or overharvest, all below them withers as well. When they are lost, ecological loss ripples in all directions.

My mom and I became pilgrims sharing a journey of restoration as we wandered among the pines and marveled. The trails we hiked helped her put cancer and illness behind her and embrace the wonder of life surging forth after loss.

Let us rejoice in all things longleaf, preserving these trees with fire and patience. By conserving these habitats and ecosystems on public and private lands, perhaps we can show future generations that we had the grace, humility, and wisdom to set right what we had so broken. Let us celebrate the longleaf pine. May their rich chorus forever define wild Florida.

Learn more about longleaf pines.

An edited and modified version of this essay appeared in The Invading Sea. Joe Murphy is a native and lifelong Floridian who lives in Brooksville, along the Nature Coast. Joe is a former Wildlife Policy Specialist for NWF’s Gulf Program and submits these blog posts as an alumnus and supporter. You can follow Joe on Facebook.

For their anniversary, we at the National Wildlife Federation (a member of BGA) are reflecting on our own alignment with ensuring a clean energy transition that serves its people and communities who build, operate, and maintain the infrastructure that powers our economy. When environmental and labor organizations work together, we can build a transition that protects both wildlife and working people.

Offshore wind is one example. From the beginning, NWF has worked alongside BGA and labor partners to advance responsible offshore wind development that creates family-sustaining union jobs while protecting marine ecosystems. The Block Island Wind Farm offered an early glimpse of what that collaboration can achieve: more than 300 workers across 10 building trades locals helped build America’s first offshore wind project, demonstrating the skilled workforce needed to build a new clean energy industry.

NWF has also seen the importance of workers firsthand as electrification expands across other industries. During a tour of Forum Mobility’s charging station at the Port of Long Beach, members of NWF’s Offshore Wind Team explored the nation’s largest port-based truck charging depot, designed to serve more than 200 electric drayage trucks each day. The transition from diesel to electric equipment is not just a technological shift—it is a workforce transition. Workers will need new skills and training as the infrastructure around them changes, underscoring why workers must be part of conversations about how we build a clean energy economy.

NWF also stands with workers facing the impacts of a changing climate. Extreme heat is increasing workplace safety hazards, while federal protections for workers remain uncertain. About 28,000 work injuries each year are linked to hot weather, making strong workplace heat protections increasingly important as temperatures rise.

But the work is far from finished. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) has so far resulted in the cancellation of 223 clean manufacturing, energy, and industrial projects and may have cost the nation 111,765 jobs. These losses threaten both the clean energy industries we need to address climate change and the good jobs those industries can create. They also demonstrate why the partnership between environmental organizations and labor is more important than ever.

With the current federal administration failing to adequately protect workers and the environment, state and local action is increasingly important. NWF will continue to stand with labor and our state and local affiliates to listen, learn, and push for better outcomes for our planet and workers. In partnership with BGA and other coalitions, NWF helped develop a checklist for model heat standards that protect workers from extreme heat.

As NWF celebrates BGA’s 20th anniversary, we are celebrating more than two decades of partnership and a shared vision of a clean economy where workers have family-sustaining jobs, communities have opportunity, and our air, water, lands, and wildlife are protected.

This blog focuses on senior pastor of Kingdom Living Temple and executive director of New Alpha CDC Reverend Leo Woodberry, who has devoted his time, energy, and commitment to supporting his community in Florence, South Carolina. Rev. Woodberry works to build climate resilience against worsening extreme weather and protecting communities from environmental hazards, welcoming anyone with a shared passion for building a more just and more sustainable future. To learn more about Rev. Woodberry and his work, I spoke with him about his start in environmental justice, his current projects, and his insights on the environmental justice movement.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

What led you to environmental justice work?

Rev. Woodberry: “Back in the 90s, we actually had a community center with some young people we were mentoring. And, people from the Department of Health and Environmental [Control]—that today is called the Department of Environmental Services—dropped off these advisories about mercury contamination in fish. I looked at it and I realized, wow, there’s limitations on the fish that you should eat. And I’ve been not only eating too many of these fish that I caught, but feeding them to my family, and particularly to my wife, who was of childbearing age, and my daughter, who was a child. And, you know, mercury contamination can cause learning development disorders, and those sorts of things.

So I immediately wanted to know what was causing this mercury to get into fish, and I found out that it was coal fire plants that made electricity. That began my journey then, because I was like our waterways shouldn’t be getting contaminated. We shouldn’t be putting people’s health at risk. So that’s what led me into the environmental justice movement.”

You’ve dedicated your life to advancing environmental justice. What are some of the most memorable moments?

Rev. Woodberry: “A lot of them have to do with victories. The Executive Order 12898, [President] Bill Clinton’s executive order describing what environmental justice communities actually were. And, some of the victories that we won were in South Carolina, stopping the construction of the V.C. Summer Nuclear facilities that were being built.

On a more local level, stopping Santee Cooper Electric Co-op [South Carolina’s public water and energy provider] from constructing a coal-fired plant in Florence County and, as a matter of fact, in the six counties that make up the Pee Dee region, named after the Indigenous tribe from that area, we have no coal fire facilities in that region. We shut them down a long time ago. Our electricity comes from coal-fired facilities in North Carolina: H.B. Robinson nuclear plant and then some from co-ops that purchased their power from Duke Energy. And Santee Cooper is the only electric co-op we have that actually produces its own electricity. So that was big.

And then recently, a lot of folks got together [and] we were actually negotiating with Stream, which is a data center construction company, and just last week we got the news that Stream will not be constructing a data center in Marion County, which is where we have our Environmental Justice Training Center and another major project. So that is something that stands out recently, that we were able to stop this facility from coming. Not just us, but the entire community.”

What are you involved in right now?

Rev. Woodberry: “We have our Moving from Surviving to Thriving webinar that just went to quarterly—they used to be monthly. With this new landscape, it’s caused some restraints, but it’s a webinar that deals with health issues in EJ [environmental justice] communities primarily and we have health practitioners, people who deal with health and wellness. We’ve been doing that for four years now, hosting these webinars, and they’ve grown outside of the United States. We even have people who listen from Ghana, Liberia, Tanzania. And when we have the funding, we’ve actually sent them health equipment that they needed, like peak flow meters, blood pressure kits, diabetes testing kits. So that’s something we’ve been doing for a while.

We’re into our second year of doing monitoring in EJ communities of childcare centers, monitoring the air quality in the child care facilities. All of them get donated air purifiers. We do this with the Children’s Health and Environmental Network—there’s six cities in six states that are doing it. And then we also certify and teach the directors of the caregivers about PFAS and microplastics, plastic microfibers, make sure that they’re using the correct utensils and those sorts of things. And each of them receives a $1,000 grant.

We [New Alpha CDC and Dogwood Alliance] were blessed to receive an anonymous donation in 2024—I always remember the date, it was Valentine’s Day. Someone showed us some real love—and we were able to purchase 305 acres of old-growth forest [Freedom Land] that has three oxbow lakes, some ponds, about a mile of riverfront property, and it actually was once known as the Woodberry Slave Plantation. So we now own that with the community, and we just finished our planning for Phase 1 to create a outdoor recreation and resort facility that’ll have trails, that’ll have fishing, that’ll have some hunting on it. People can boat, they can kayak, we’ll have some cabins, and also an eco-lodge that will sleep 32 people with a full kitchen, dining room, and a research facility.

And the last thing is, I’ll mention our Imani Market where it’s an online produce website, and we get produce from some Black farmers that we work with and it helps them deal with the issue of them trying to find markets and help us to get fresh produce farm to table and to a lot of communities that are food deserts.”

How do you see the role of large environmental non-profits in supporting grassroots environmental justice efforts?

Rev. Woodberry: “Definitely continuing the role that they have been playing in terms of working on much better policy. The fact that they have networks and a voice and connections nationally helps a lot, especially when we have local or regional problems and we’re working on solutions, and Big Greens are able to share that out across the country and let funders, either directly or indirectly, know about the work that’s going on.

But the other thing, and I would like to see more of this, is helping to build the capacity of organizations that Big Greens partnered with. And so, we have to look at not just fundraising and teaching people how to write grant proposals better and planning but helping us to build capacity globally, regionally, where, as my father said one time, where we’re funding our own freedom. You know, helping us to take some non-traditional approaches.

So, for example, we would like to construct affordable housing. When the Biden administration was in office and HUD [U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development] had an [environmental justice strategy], we were making some headway into making that happen. But what we really need is a way to get that initial investment, that seed money to help us do things like what we want to do. Seed money to help us build institutions, social enterprises, etc. that can help us to fund our work, you know? Still getting grants, still partnering with Big Greens, but also how can we fund our own work? And I do that and that’s kind of a non-traditional approach because I don’t know many funders or Big Greens that are like, hey, let’s help these people, these groups, let’s help them generate money themselves.”

Environmental justice is not a widely supported movement, which makes attempts to mischaracterize or attack environmental justice even more harmful. What is a common misconception about environmental justice that you’d like to correct?

Rev. Woodberry: “Well, that’s easy because, going back to President Bill Clinton’s Executive Order 12898, we—a lot of folks in the environmental justice movement including myself—were so focused on making sure that resources, policy changes, advocacy, etc. [supported] people of color communities that have long been neglected and ignored, that we had a seat at the table and we got a megaphone. One of the things that we did wrong which allowed people on the other side to mischaracterize what the environmental justice movement was, was that they emphasized that it was people of color.

But when you look at the actual definition of what environmental justice communities are, it’s people of color, it’s low-wealth communities, and Lord knows, a whole lot of low-wealth communities of all colors, including white communities. So, we allowed the opposition to do what they do often, and it’s a very common ploy that they use to make it seem that a lot of resources are being directed towards people of color to the detriment and the neglect of the majority population when that is absolutely, positively not true. And so I think that was one mistake we made; we shouldn’t have been not only highlighting what went on in people of color communities, but also what was happening in the communities in general because the climate doesn’t care what color you are, what political persuasion you are, what faith you are, etc. and we kind of dropped the ball on that.

But I think we can turn it around. By doing exactly what we did not do, which is letting folks know that environmental problems and impacts of climate change impact every single one of us. And yes, people of color communities need more help, but we just need to change the script and the language. And then we always don’t have to say environmental justice. A lot of environmental issues could be framed or can be viewed through the lens of conservation. So, I just think we need to have a bigger tent than we have had traditionally and become more intersectional and less siloed.”

What advice do you have for people who are early in their environmental justice advocacy?

Rev. Woodberry: “I’ll take a line from the movie Glory with Common and John Legend, when they talk about victory and how it takes the wisdom of the elders and the young people’s energy. For a lot of young folks, a lot of older folks, we’re really ready to pass the torch. But on the other hand, we can help younger people avoid some of the pitfalls that we fell into. And then on the other hand, they have a lot more knowledge, a 21st century viewpoint. So I think what we should really focus on is making sure that we have an exchange, not a line of demarcation that separates us, but that we have more interchange, more interaction, more sharing.

Now I’m gonna do the pastor thing now, right? There’s a scripture that says, “And in the last days, God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh, and old men will dream dreams of the old days and some other things. But the young people will have visions for the future.” And so I think that’s what we need. We need the history of the past and those dreams, which were and are the foundation for the visions that are gonna be crafted in the future. So, that’s how I feel about that. And I’ll just say one more thing. We should not fall into the trap of having this generational divide, because it’s an old trick that has been used before by the adversary. Back in the 60s, there was a saying that went like this for young people: don’t trust anyone over 30. Because they felt folks over 30 couldn’t see the way to the future. And so we have to be careful that we don’t allow folks to divide us up, but to realize that young people stand on the shoulders of those who came before them and that is just to help them reach higher heights. So, that’s how I feel about that.”

After speaking with Reverend Woodberry, it is clear how he became one of the most notable environmental justice advocates in the U.S. South. Through thoughtful partnerships and persistent action, he’s working to implement diverse, creative, and community-centered solutions to some of the most pressing climate and environmental issues across South Carolina.

As the National Wildlife Federation works to strengthen our environmental justice efforts, we are appreciative of the counsel that Reverend Woodberry and the rest of the Environmental Justice Advisory Council provides. Stay tuned for the rest of the profiles and visit New Alpha CDC’s website and their Instagram to learn more about their work in South Carolina and beyond.

Guiding Career Exploration at Eco-Schools in Detroit and Beyond

This year’s council was primarily composed of high school students from Detroit and surrounding areas in Southeastern Michigan, with two returning members from the 2025 council serving in a mentor role. Prior iterations of the council provided high level guidance to the full suite of the Education & Engagement team’s youth leadership programs, but this year, the council focused on a more tangible product—a new green career action card for use by schools participating in Eco-Schools U.S. in Michigan and across the country.

Early on, the council members shared their career exposure, exploration and planning experiences (or lack thereof) while in middle and high school. With a wide range of experiences, the council then brainstormed which activities would be beneficial to high schools that already incorporate a range of career learning opportunities, as well as those that do not. The council decided to create an Eco-Schools action card that focuses on guiding student-led action teams to create and sustain connections with local environmental community organizations as a way to facilitate learning about a variety of jobs, career pathways, and training and employment opportunities. 

The 2026 Youth Advisory Council

Council members were nominated and selected based on their proven leadership and dedication to environmental issues and community engagement. These members have created and served on school sustainability and environmental justice clubs; boards of delegates; and student advisory councils, committees and unions. At their ages, they have already led efforts to organize recycling programs and trash pickups, present to elementary and middle school students about sustainability, raise funds for school activities, and conduct outreach to the local community.

We thank the following members of this year’s Council and wish them all success on their academic and professional journeys:

• Aleena Siddiqui – Mentor; Pittsburgh, PA
• Maggie Handelman – Mentor; New York, NY
• Elli Koutmou – Ann Arbor, MI
• Gloria Stark – Midland, MI
• Raegan Leaks – Detroit, MI
• Zea Moghtader-Trumbull – Ann Arbor, MI

We appreciate the generosity and support of GM in sponsoring this year’s Education & Engagement Youth Advisory Council!

1. It Helps Wildlife

There are so many wildlife species that depend on fallen leaves. From moths, butterflies, and fireflies that often overwinter in the leaf layer to reptiles and birds that use it as a foraging location.

When you use the fallen leaves in your garden, you are providing wildlife with vital habitat that they need to survive!

2. It Benefits Your Soil

You can take advantage of nature’s oldest recycling system when you add fallen leaves to your garden beds. There’s a whole ecosystem of insects, arthropods, fungi, and microorganisms that will break down these leaves into rich fertilizer that replenishes nutrients in your soil. Skip the store bought stuff and let nature do the hard work for you!

3. It Reduces Waste

In one year alone, Americans disposed of over 35 million tons of yard waste, roughly the equivalent of 1.4 billion standard-size yard wastebags! And you might be surprised how much of this ends up in the landfill. 

When you use the fallen leaves in your garden, you’re reducing the amount of waste you produce.

4. It Can Suppress Weeds

Using fallen leaves as mulch in your garden beds can help prevent weeds from growing. A thick enough layer of leaves (we recommend a leaf layer of 3-5 inches) will block the sunlight and prevent weed seeds from growing. Plus, these leaves will eventually decompose and add nutrients back into your soil.

5. It Saves You Time and Money

There are lots of ways that using your fallen leaves benefits your schedule and wallet, from saving you time bagging up leaves and carting them to the curb, to reducing the need for you to buy store bought fertilizer and mulch. 

Discover How to Leave the Leaves

To get the most out of your fallen leaves, make a plan for how you’re going to use them. We recommend moving leaves off of pathways and turfgrass and using them in the following ways:

• As mulch in your garden beds
• Beneath native trees 
• In the compost to make a natural fertilizer

Learn more in our How to Leave the Leaves Tipsheet

The anglers excitedly loaded their poles, coolers, and other gear onto the vessel before the sun was higher than the boom of the sailboats docked in the marina. With some light chit chat over bagels, coffee, and shared Dramamine for those who were less experienced with ocean fishing, we were on our way. 

The Block Island Inshore Fishing Tournament, our reason for assembling the group of 40 anglers, takes place every year over a weekend in late July off the coast of Rhode Island and in the ocean waters around Block Island. Nine species are included in the tournament: bonito, false albacore, bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, mahi mahi, fluke, black sea bass, bluefish, and striped bass.

This year, the National Wildlife Federation was a sponsor and chartered a boat for recreational anglers and conservationists to gather for a weekend of fishing, community, and camaraderie underneath the Revolution Wind, South Fork Wind, and Block Island Wind turbines. 

On the first day, we traveled out past Block Island to Revolution Wind, a 65-turbine offshore wind project that will generate 704 MW of clean, affordable, and reliable electricity for Rhode Island and Connecticut—the equivalent to powering 350,000 homes and businesses. 

The project will complete construction later this year, but began delivering power to the grid in March 2026. Power from Revolution Wind will help improve grid reliability. A study from Union of Concerned Scientists demonstrated that Revolution Wind and Vineyard Wind would have reduced New England’s blackout risk by 55% if it had been operational during the winter of 2024-2025. 

On the second day of the tournament, we traveled closer to the Block Island coast to fish near the Block Island Wind Farm, the first offshore wind project in the United States with five turbines that began sending power to the island in 2016.

Split into teams of five or six, the anglers put lines in the water to begin the competition. Soon, anglers were reeling in species like black sea Bass to log for their teams, and other species like Atlantic mackerel although they did not count for this tournament. 

Offshore Wind Up Close

Seeing offshore wind turbines for the first time, many of the anglers remarked on how the turbines differed from what they expected. 

“Seeing it up close puts things into perspective for sure,” said La’Tonya Blanding, an angler and Artemis Sportswoman Ambassador from South Carolina. “They are massive and the power they generate is immense but low sound.” 

Underneath the steadily moving blades of the turbine, it was easy to see how a single rotation of the blades could produce enough energy to power the average U.S. household for an entire day.

One participant even found an unexpected connection to their day job. Her workplace, specializing in electrical and power management, shared an article shortly after the trip about how a few of her colleagues participated in an offshore wind readiness program at the Revolution Wind substation. “I’m like wait, I was just there,” said the angler, “so freaking cool.”

“I have been a fan of using ‘green’ options for energy, after seeing these up close I was impressed by just how large they were!” said Jack Illingworth from the Massachusetts Striped Bass Association. “I don’t think my feelings about offshore have changed much, [but] I feel I can better explain my position now.”

Other local anglers said what they saw on the trip came as no surprise. One local noted on fishing in the project area: “I’ve been out there several times for tuna fishing trips, so I was not really surprised by the turbines’ size or the amount of life out there,” but added still, “I never grow tired of encountering whales out there.”

Whales, Dolphins, and Seabirds, Oh My!

And, across the board, the vast array of wildlife thriving around the offshore wind turbines awed the diverse coalition of anglers on the vessel. Within the project areas on our first day out, anglers saw pods of dolphins, various seabirds, and humpback whales breaching to feed near the turbines.

“Seeing the whales bubble feeding [was] just inspirational,” said one angler commenting on the strategy humpback whales sometimes use to catch krill or fish. The whales use ‘bubble-net feeding,’ or the exhalation of air from their blowholes while swimming in a circle, to encase their prey into a smaller underwater space that makes it easier to eat more at once. 

Research suggests that humpback whales learn this behavior from each other, but we are learning from it, too. A similar technology is used in the offshore wind industry to keep whales safe from the noise pollution created during the pile driving process of construction. 

The double ‘bubble curtains’ used during pile driving encase the monopile from the seafloor to the top of the water in a thick layer of bubbles, trapping sound waves inside and protecting whales and other marine mammals from auditory impacts. Developers ‘double’ the bubble curtains—or use two at once—to further prevent construction noise from disrupting marine habitats.

Under the Surface

The offshore wind project areas on the East Coast have become rich underwater ecosystems because of the structure the turbine foundations create for species. 

“I was amazed at the amount of marine mammals and bird life,” noted George Baldwin from the Connecticut Surfcasters Association. “It makes total sense, as fish (especially baitfish) are attracted to structure and the [turbine] bases provide that structure. Gamefish, seabirds, and marine mammals know to hunt around structures to find baitfish, so the windmills should prove beneficial in increasing the marine life in the area.”

Turbine reefs can create new opportunities for marine life across the food chain, including for anglers who can utilize the turbines’ reef effect for their own recreational fishing, and many of the anglers on the boat attested to the boon. 

“Last year, I caught most of my fish right at the base of the [turbines],” said Baldwin.

“The fact that nature and industry can coexist is always interesting to me, and demonstrating that to people is valuable,” said Johnny Marquez from Vanishing Paradise, a program of the National Wildlife Federation that unites sportsmen to advocate for the restoration of water ecosystems in the Gulf. “Seeing the whales was by far my highlight,”

James Riggs from the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association echoed the same admiration for the whales and added, “[I’ll] never forget it.”

Cameradie Across a Big Boat

The weekend ended on Block Island with an awards party at Captain Nicks Rock N Roll Bar with awards for shore, youth, and boat divisions, and best photos. A team from our charter won for best team photo in front of a turbine.

Many anglers noted incredible connections they made with new folks who brought differing perspectives to their engagement in the fishing community and conversation. With anglers coming from different day jobs, fishing clubs, parts of the country, and personal experiences, the boat was ripe for conversation during downtime—an experience that for some was just as, if not more, impactful than the fishing. 

“I had the chance to talk with people I would not normally come across in my daily life either at my job or recreationally, and enjoyed hearing about what they are doing and learned about many things going on around the country,” said Jack Illingworth from the Massachusetts Striped Bass Association. “Many of which I can share with my fishing club and hopefully generate additional support for their causes or work.”  

Another angler, from the West Coast, expressed a similar enthusiasm about connecting to anglers from different parts of the country to discuss fisheries and offshore wind: “Getting to connect with so many new people from across the nation who are invested in and care about the future of our oceans was inspiring and fulfilling. I appreciated the opportunity to connect and hear about East Coast fisheries—crazy fish that are so similar but also so different from the ones on the West Coast—and the recreational angling culture.” 

He added, “just seeing the wind turbines helped me understand what our West Coast may look like in the future.”

“The focused and shared time with a fellow angler and emerging friend from my town and local fishing club was precious,” said Christa Drew from the Cape Code Salties Sportsfishing Club, who recounted a particularly meaningful conversation with one of her tournament team members on policy in her state. “I was inspired to have time with some other anglers and non-anglers who also care about the environment and conservation in an informed and passionate way.”

Anglers walked away from the weekend feeling inspired to talk to others about how healthy ocean ecosystems can exist next to offshore wind, and spoke directly to how they were going to put this experience into action in their circles. 

“I do a lot of conservation work with our fisheries,” said Baldwin, “and am now more inspired to try and influence people to accept wind power as a valid and valuable component in plans to replace dirty fuels that change our atmosphere and our climate, endangering our world and our existence.”

Learn more about responsible offshore wind and recreational fishing and connect with other anglers at the Anglers for Offshore Wind Power website, and connect with them on Facebook and Instagram.

Miss Maryland | The black rail

Talents: Black rails are typically found in wetlands along the east coast and the Gulf. Unlike other rail species, black rails tend to inhabit shallower marshes to decrease competition. As for talents, the elusive black rail is easier to hear than to see.

Platform: As a federally threatened species, the black rail rallies against sea level rise. Preferring shallower marshes and wetlands leaves black rails vulnerable to inundation during violent storms and high tides.

Miss Hawaii | The nēnē (Hawaiian goose)

Talents: Once endemic to all the Hawai’ian Islands, the nēnē is the state bird. Living in a variety of sparsely vegetated habitats, including volcanic deserts, the nēnē has evolved webbed toes designed to walk on lava. Plumage is similar to a Canada goose, differing with a non-solid black neck. 

Platform: As a federally endangered species, the nēnē is declining due to habitat loss and the introduction of non-native species such as cats, mongoose, dogs, rats and pigs that prey on nēnē. Feral agricultural stock also adversely affects nēnē habitat.

Miss Minnesota | The walleye

Talents: Seeing in the dark, swimming to the bottom of lakes over 40 feet deep, a bright toothy smile.

Platform: Invasive mussels in Minnesota’s lakes are changing ecosystems and may even contribute to high mercury levels in the water. Climate change is also affecting walleye spawning season as “ice-out” on lakes happens earlier in the year.

Miss California | The humpback whale

Talents: singing elaborate songs lasting up to 30 minutes, breaching, and long-distance swimming.

Platform: Warming oceans from climate change, vessel strikes, habitat degradation, and entanglements in fishing gear are all threats to humpback whales.

Miss Pennsylvania | The Eastern hellbender

Talents: Snot Otter, Lagasa Lizard, Mud Dog, and Allegheny Alligator are all nicknames of the glorious yet seldom seen hellbender. Although rarely seen, the eastern hellbender is the largest salamander in the United States.

Hellbenders have lungs, but they do not use them for breathing. The large, simple lungs serve mainly as a buoyancy aid, and adult hellbenders breathe almost entirely through their skin. Can you imagine a hellbender’s skincare routine?

Platform: The Eastern hellbender needs strong wetlands protections because they provide essential natural defenses: flood control, water filtration, and wildlife habitats.

Miss South Carolina | The loggerhead sea turtle

Talents: In their free time, loggerhead sea turtles love to marathon swim.  

Platform: The biggest threats to loggerhead sea turtles are climate change and ocean acidification, ocean pollution, bottom trawling, and habitat loss.

Extreme heat has dire impacts on our public health, claiming over 700 lives in the United States each year. This figure is likely an underestimate since most heat injuries are not recorded as such.

Although this heat affects all of us, it doesn’t affect us equally. Indigenous, rural and immigrant communities, communities of color or low income, pregnant people, people experiencing homelessness, and the elderly disproportionately suffer from the impacts of extreme heat.

Outdoor workers, such as construction workers, agricultural workers, and fisherfolk are also at a higher risk of heat-induced illnesses. With a typical work day under the blazing sun and little to no shade, outdoor workers face some of the highest health risks during heat waves. In fact, agricultural workers are 35 times more likely to die from heat exposure than other occupations.

The growing risk has forced some workers to begin work before the sun rises or to consider overnight shifts, however, that may not provide much relief as nighttime temperatures have been steadily increasing, too.

Indoor workers exposed to heat—such as those in unconditioned facilities or with poor ventilation—are also at heightened risk regardless of the intensity of work, though more intense work increases heat stress. This can include school teachers, restaurant kitchen workers, and those working next to furnaces or other heat-emitting machinery.

Additional factors that may increase heat exposure both inside and outside include personal protective equipment, such as non-breathable clothing, face shields, and more.

This is why workplace heat protections are critical to keep workers across industries safe.

Federal Protections are Being Stalled

Despite the need for stronger safeguards, the Trump administration is now backing away from finalizing U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) workplace heat standards. The 2024 proposed rule under the Biden administration would require employers to provide breaks and access to water and shade and to develop heat safety plans and training. These proposed protections were estimated to benefit 35 million workers across the country.

However, the proposed heat rule with strong worker protections has stalled and the future is uncertain. Last year, the Trump administration held the previously scheduled public hearings and OSHA indicated a revised rule could be released by the end of 2026 and finalized in 2027.

The revision, which workers’ advocates expect will be much weaker than the proposed rule, would not only threaten a worker’s ability to access water, shade, and breaks, but has the potential to start a race to the bottom to further embolden businesses to deregulate at the state and local level.

That’s not all. Republicans in Congress are going a step further to prevent any implementation of workplace heat protections. In July, in a party line vote, the U.S. House of Representatives Education and Workforce Committee voted to advance the Heat Workforce Standards Act (HR 6213) that would stop the U.S. Department of Labor from finalizing, implementing, and enforcing standards for worker protections against extreme heat and illness prevention both now and in the future.

Luckily, some states are filling in and using their own tools to protect workers.

States are Stepping Up to Protect Workers Against Extreme Heat

Nationally, about 28,000 work injuries are linked to heat, making state-level protections even more important. States that have policies to protect workers from heat can cut the rate of workplace accidents by half compared to those without.

Currently, only seven states have heat regulations. California, Maryland, and Oregon have rules that protect both indoor and outdoor workers, while three states have heat regulations that apply to specific sectors: Colorado (agriculture), Minnesota (indoor workers), and Washington (outdoor workers).

Nevada has the weakest protections. Its rule does not establish a specific temperature threshold and requires employers only to conduct a one-time review to determine whether they should comply. In other words, there is no clear, enforceable heat threshold in Nevada’s rule.

It is important to remember that not all state heat regulations are created equal. That’s why BlueGreen Alliance, the National Wildlife Federation, and other coalition partners put together a checklist of what should be in a model heat rule. 

What Progress Looks Like in 2026

Comprehensive heat rules that protect all workers require shade, paid rest, and cold water along with a written heat stress prevention plan that includes science-based temperature triggers, annual training, acclimatization, retaliation protection and emergency response procedures.

Based on this criteria, California, Oregon, and Maryland have the most protective rules. Nevada’s is minimally protective because it does not have any temperature triggers and it does not require annual training. There is continued progress on the state level, with 16 states introducing bills to protect workers from heat during the 2026 legislative session. Virginia successfully passed its legislation and the Virginia Department of Labor and Safety and Health Codes Board is now working on a heat rule to be written by 2028. 

What You Can Do

Stay in the know! America’s workforce keeps our country moving—delivering mail, teaching our children, constructing new buildings, maintaining infrastructure, and more. You can speak up for our country’s workforce by staying up-to-date on current policy and solutions and by asking your state electeds to protect workers from extreme heat through smart, science-based rulemaking.

This blog is a collaboration between the National Wildlife Federation and BlueGreen Alliance.

Want to know which tree you’re most like? Take our native tree quiz here!

What is Trees for Wildlife?

The National Wildlife Federation’s Trees for Wildlife program helps grow the population of good neighbors by providing free or subsidized native tree seedlings to partners across the country who plant them through local habitat restoration projects or distribute them at community tree giveaway events.

Thanks to generous donor support, schools, nonprofits, municipalities, and conservation organizations are enabled to launch projects that create lasting benefits for both wildlife and the communities that care for them.

Some native trees are especially valuable because they support an extraordinary number of wildlife species. Known as keystone plants, these species form the foundation of healthy ecosystems. Planting them ensures that butterflies, native bees, birds, and other wildlife have the best chance of success.

2026 by the Numbers

In 2026, the Trees for Wildlife program helped distribute nearly 70,000 native trees representing more than 50 different types of trees. Among them were 16 keystone plants that support close to 500 species of butterfly and moth caterpillars.

Through these projects, partners helped restore habitats after natural disasters, increased future food availability for wildlife, and inspired people of all ages to connect with nature.

Through our partners outreach and activities, we engaged with nearly 23,000 people, giving them the opportunity to take part in hands-on conservation projects where they live, worship, and play. These five stories offer a glimpse into this year’s impact:

Partner Spotlights

University of Michigan-Flint | 500 trees

Sugar maples are great neighbors. Beyond producing the sap used to make maple syrup, sugar maples supply food for many mammals and insects while providing woodpeckers and other birds a safe area to nest.

To help students discover the value of native trees like the sugar maple, the University of Michigan-Flint hosted Genesee County Middle School for their Super Science Friday event where students traded in the classroom for hands-on learning in the great outdoors.

They explored forest ecology, practiced tree identification, and learned forestry skills alongside UMF wildlife biology students and faculty. The event provided the children with a greater understanding of the importance of trees in their communities and ecosystems while the planting of seedlings throughout campus will benefit local wildlife for years to come.

Tennessee Environmental Council (TEC) | 40,000 trees

Harsh winters often take a toll on both people and wildlife. For pollinators, the first taste of spring comes from the Eastern redbud, a tree whose pink and purple blossoms bloom even before its leaves emerge after each long winter, providing an early nectar source for bees and butterflies. The tree even serves as the host plant for the specialized bee Habropoda laboriosa.

Protecting these early signs of spring became a shared mission among thousands of Tennesseans. Following the devastating ice storms that damaged and destroyed thousands of trees across the state, more than 4,500 volunteers participated in the 12^th annual Tennessee Tree Day to help plant 40,000 Trees for Wildlife seedlings!

Thanks to the incredible planning efforts of the TEC pickup sites were set up in all 95 of Tennessee’s counties for the first time in the event’s history. This exceptional feat showcases how communities coming together can have a tremendous impact on restoring wildlife habitats after natural disasters.

Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps & Islamic Society of Baltimore (ISB) | 100 trees

Sweetbay Magnolias thrive where other trees struggle. Well adapted to swampy soils, they help stabilize flood-prone areas while supporting insects. They are pollinated by beetles that covet the tree’s aromatic white flowers and also serve as the host plant for the sweetbay silkmoth and tiger swallowtail butterfly.

These unique qualities made this tree an ideal species for an Earth Day planting event hosted by the Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps and the ISB. Together with students from Al-Rahmah School, volunteers planted native trees across the ISB campus. Located within a floodplain, the location provided the perfect setting for water-tolerant species, which will help reduce stormwater runoff while creating healthier habitat for wildlife and the surrounding community.

West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) with the support of Allied World | 100 trees

Persimmon trees generously provide for the wildlife around them. Their fruit feeds birds and mammals well into fall and winter, while their spring flowers offer nectar and pollen for native bees, making them valuable neighbors throughout the year.

With generous support from Allied World, WAWA transformed what could have been a simple Arbor Day event into their 19th annual Urban Forest Fest, which was a multi-day celebration of community, creativity, and connection to nature.

Residents were invited to participate in guided hikes, take workshops for poetry and photography, and bring home one of the 130 trees given away at the events. With 70 trees remaining, WAWA and its volunteers banded together to plant the rest in designated locations throughout Atlanta, creating lasting habitat across the city.

North Carolina Wildlife Federation | 8,700 trees

Towering American sycamores have a huge impact on wildlife. These gentle giants that grow to heights of 100+ feet have an affinity for aquatic environments and are often found on the banks of rivers and streams. Their cavernous trunks create ideal nesting sites for birds like the wood duck and the iconic bald eagle. The tree’s expansive root system also helps stabilize fragile riverbanks and shorelines to protect them from erosion.

In North Carolina, native trees like the American sycamore have become an important part of the region’s recovery following hurricane Helene in 2024. Working alongside local partners, the North Carolina Wildlife Federation distributed thousands of Trees for Wildlife seedlings to landowners and communities across the state, helping protect against future erosion, reduce invasive species, and restore critical wildlife habitat.

This incredible work has not gone unnoticed: while working on the Watauga River, volunteers were greeted by a group of paddlers and anglers who thanked them for working to protect the waters they know and love.

More to Explore

• Want to see more of this year’s projects? Click here to explore our 2026 Event Summaries to learn how Trees for Wildlife partners are making a difference around the nation.
• To see more photos and learn where native trees are being planted, take a look at our interactive Trees for Wildlife Impact Map!

Help Future Trees for Wildlife Projects Take Root

Native trees are the neighbors that make every community stronger. They provide shelter, protect waterways, clean our air, and create healthier places for us all to live. As forests continue to disappear and wildlife habitat is fragmented by development, these pillars of our communities are being lost.

With your support, Trees for Wildlife can further invest in the future by putting native seedlings directly in the hands of community members so they can restore habitat, strengthen ecosystems, and create more resilient communities for generations to come.