{"id":17382,"date":"2022-12-15T09:26:27","date_gmt":"2022-12-15T14:26:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=17382"},"modified":"2022-12-15T19:22:10","modified_gmt":"2022-12-16T00:22:10","slug":"advocating-for-nature-in-d-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/advocating-for-nature-in-d-c\/","title":{"rendered":"Advocating for Nature in D.C."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>During the week of December 5, Mass Audubon President David O\u2019Neill and team visited Washington, D.C. to meet with Federal leaders about policies and funding opportunities to advance Mass Audubon&#8217;s nature and climate objectives. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/12\/PXL_20221207_180814268-750.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17383\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/12\/PXL_20221207_180814268-750.jpg 750w, https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/12\/PXL_20221207_180814268-750-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/12\/PXL_20221207_180814268-750-624x416.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vice President of Policy &amp; Advocacy Michelle Manion, President David O&#8217;Neill, Chief of Staff to the President Margo Mercer, and Director of Conservation Science Jeff Collins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>During meetings with members of the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation and their staff, and officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Department of Interior (DOI), Mass Audubon thanked them for their support, encouraged their leadership on specific pieces of legislation, and explored ways to drive new resources to Action Agenda priorities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Topics Discussed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the specific topics discussed included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Recovering America\u2019s Wildlife Act (RAWA)<\/strong>, which passed the House in the summer of 2022. The bill provides financial and technical assistance to states, territories, and DC for recovering species listed as threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act or state law. Additionally, the funds would also support efforts to keep species from needing to be listed in the first place. For Massachusetts, RAWA would provide the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife with $14 million annually to help 570 species in need through habitat restoration, species reintroduction, and research.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)<\/strong>, which also passed U.S. Congress this summer, including $370 billion for climate and clean energy measures. In Massachusetts, the IRA\u2019s funding will be a vital complement to the state\u2019s ambitious goals to achieve net-zero by 2050.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/12\/MicrosoftTeams-image-7.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17384\" width=\"655\" height=\"437\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/12\/MicrosoftTeams-image-7.jpg 750w, https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/12\/MicrosoftTeams-image-7-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/12\/MicrosoftTeams-image-7-624x417.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 655px) 100vw, 655px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Collins, O&#8217;Neill, and Rep McGovern<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The team met directly with Rep. McGovern, Rep. Keating, Rep. Trahan, and met with staff from Rep. Clark and Rep. Neal\u2019s offices. RAWA was a topic of particular interest, because while the bill passed the House in the summer, it has not yet been passed in both chambers. Our hope is that an Omnibus Federal Funding Bill will be passed in the next few weeks and that it includes RAWA. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to seeking continued support for RAWA, the Mass Audubon team sought support for the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2022\/10\/01\/metro\/huge-chance-chelsea\/\" target=\"_blank\">17-acre Forbes project in Chelsea<\/a>. The vision for the Forbes property is to create more than 12 acres of greenspace accessible to the surrounding under-resourced communities, build affordable housing units on the site, and to provide nature-based educational programming.\u00a0Mass Audubon, in partnership with local organizations <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.greenrootschelsea.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">GreenRoots<\/a> and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theneighborhooddevelopers.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Neighborhood Developers<\/a>, and the City of Chelsea, is committed to making this project a reality for the residents of Chelsea. While Chelsea is not in the districts of the Reps. that the team met with, every Rep. expressed their support for the project and committed to signing a joint letter that will be sent to DOI, NOAA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lastly, a conversation with Rep. McGovern brought up the opportunity for small towns in rural Massachusetts to work together and to promote working lands and recreational opportunities potentially supported by funding that is available as a result of the passage of IRA.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get Involved&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Our advocacy will not stop here and we need your help. You can advocate for nature and climate solutions by becoming a Climate Champion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.massaudubon.org\/our-conservation-work\/policy-advocacy\/climate-advocacy\/climate-champions-program\">Learn more &gt;&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>During the week of December 5, Mass Audubon President David O\u2019Neill and team visited Washington, D.C. to meet with Federal leaders about policies and funding opportunities to advance Mass Audubon&#8217;s nature and climate objectives. &nbsp; During meetings with members of the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation and their staff, and officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":17383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advocacy-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/12\/PXL_20221207_180814268-750.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-4wm","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9069,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/mass-audubon-goes-to-washington\/","url_meta":{"origin":17382,"position":0},"title":"Mass Audubon Goes to Washington","author":"Hillary T.","date":"May 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Mass Audubon's President Gary Clayton and Legislative Director Karen Heymann are in Washington DC meeting with our legislators as part of the Land Trust Alliance Advocacy Days. While there, the team is advocating for\u00a0land conservation and\u00a0is also delivering all of your Speak Up for Nature letters, drawings, and postcards. Check\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Advocacy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Advocacy","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/advocacy-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/05\/Warren.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/05\/Warren.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/05\/Warren.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15949,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/three-openings-worth-celebrating\/","url_meta":{"origin":17382,"position":1},"title":"Three Openings Worth Celebrating","author":"Hillary T.","date":"June 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"As more and more people discover the power of spending time outdoors, we\u2019re doing everything we can to offer more opportunities to experience nature. In fact, one of the main goals in our new five-year Action Agenda is creating inclusive and equitable access to nature by opening more than 50\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Get Outdoors&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Get Outdoors","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/get-outdoors\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/ActionAgenda_KForesto-8543-750x500-cf70cc93-6dbf-4342-a0bb-b0b3102195f3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/ActionAgenda_KForesto-8543-750x500-cf70cc93-6dbf-4342-a0bb-b0b3102195f3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/ActionAgenda_KForesto-8543-750x500-cf70cc93-6dbf-4342-a0bb-b0b3102195f3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/06\/ActionAgenda_KForesto-8543-750x500-cf70cc93-6dbf-4342-a0bb-b0b3102195f3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17580,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/a-new-tree-alliance-in-boston\/","url_meta":{"origin":17382,"position":2},"title":"A New Tree Alliance in Boston\u00a0","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"May 18, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"There\u2019s an old proverb that says great cities are filled with people who plant trees under whose shade they will never sit. On May 12, Mass Audubon and the City of Boston kicked off a program aimed at bringing that proverb to life.\u00a0 Mayor Wu and Mass Audubon Boston Regional\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/05\/52892776543_08ec40e985_o750.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/05\/52892776543_08ec40e985_o750.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/05\/52892776543_08ec40e985_o750.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/05\/52892776543_08ec40e985_o750.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14207,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/standing-up-for-what-is-just-and-equitable\/","url_meta":{"origin":17382,"position":3},"title":"Standing Up for What is Just and Equitable","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"June 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This week marks my first week as President of Mass Audubon. I had planned to introduce myself to all of you by sharing my excitement and enthusiasm for what lies ahead. And I am extremely excited to meet with so many of you who are committed to our important mission.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/06\/KForesto-3237.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/06\/KForesto-3237.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/06\/KForesto-3237.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/06\/KForesto-3237.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1762,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/first-impressions\/","url_meta":{"origin":17382,"position":4},"title":"First Impressions","author":"Henry","date":"February 19, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s been a little over a month since I started as the new president of Mass Audubon. During this time, I have had the opportunity to visit several wildlife sanctuaries, including Wellfleet Bay and Long Pasture on the Cape, Habitat in Belmont, and Worcester\u2019s Broad Meadow Brook. I\u2019ve also met\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Henry","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2012\/05\/Henry.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15088,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/massachusetts-signs-on-to-tci-program-heres-what-that-means\/","url_meta":{"origin":17382,"position":5},"title":"Massachusetts signs on to TCI. Here&#8217;s What That Means","author":"Hillary T.","date":"December 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"On Monday, December 21, leaders from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia officially signed on to the Transportation Climate Initiative Program (TCI-P). This bold agreement, which is the first of its kind in the nation, will significantly reduce regional carbon emissions, improving air quality and reducing pollution.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Advocacy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Advocacy","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/advocacy-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Boston Traffic \/ Robbie Shade - Flickr","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/12\/13391685115_2fa4466c35_c.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/12\/13391685115_2fa4466c35_c.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/12\/13391685115_2fa4466c35_c.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/12\/13391685115_2fa4466c35_c.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17382"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17396,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17382\/revisions\/17396"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}