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The Criminal Court of the Second Judicial Circuit of San José rejected the precautionary measures filed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office against the owner of a farm and several officials for the apparent illegal use of land. Landowner Pacheco, as well as three officials from the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), a forestry manager, […] The post SINAC Officials and Landowner Under Investigation for Illegal Land Use in Costa Rica appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

The Environmental Prosecutor’s Office and the Prosecutor’s Office for Probity, Transparency, and Anticorruption reported that five people have been arrested in connection with an illegal logging investigation in the Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, located in the Talamanca canton. The Public Prosecutor’s Office stated that the events under investigation took place on a farm owned by […] The post 5 Arrested in Costa Rica’s Gandoca Manzanillo Refuge appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

Past Presentation | There were massive transformations of Southern U.S. landscapes in the 19th and 20th centuries in relatively short timeframes. Today those changes are hard to see and are rarely memorialized on the land.

Areas where farmers provide good habitats show notable increase in butterflies, bees, bats and breeding birdsButterflies, bees and bats are among the wildlife being boosted by England’s nature-friendly farming schemes, new government research has found.Birds were among the chief beneficiaries of the strategy, particularly ones that largely feed on invertebrates. An average of 25% more breeding birds were found in areas with more eco-friendly schemes. Continue reading...

Past Presentation | Selva Rica follows the story of a young Bora-Huitoto painter, Brus, as he discovers a unique path to helping his community resist the encroaching Petrol Company that threatens the future of their ancestral lands as well as their culture in the Madre de Dios rainforest of Peru.

Past Presentation | Inspired by Dr. Suess's The Lorax, this claymation by our new middle school students uses 667 images to show how irresponsible shoreline development can impact our precious reef ecosystem.

A city hearings officer will soon decide whether to approve a subdivision proposal that calls for 263 homes.

Now Playing | A day in the life of Patrick Lang living a sustainable life in Malibu… filmed before his home and community were consumed by fire in the fall of 2018.

Now Playing | This film documents the devastating costs of landslides to both private property owners and taxpayers, and offers solutions. Climate change means landslides will only get worse.

Past Presentation | The people of Florida and Sarasota have repeatedly voted to support acquiring and sustaining environmentally sensitive lands. These precious natural resources have not gone unnoticed by those who could profit from them. A battle is ongoing waging private profit against public parks.

Past Presentation | Exposes how impending tar sands and oil shale mining would destroy massive landscapes in Utah and put the already imperiled Colorado River Watershed at risk. Utah has approved the USA’s precedent-setting tar sands mine despite widespread health impacts of similar projects in northern Canada.

Past Presentation | A meditation on urban green spaces and the post-industrial cityscape that explores a 1-acre rooftop organic farm in New York City. Connecting the built and natural environments, this film documents an imaginative experiment in green urban redevelopment attempting to transform the roof of a century-old former factory into a sustainable, pastoral haven.

Now Playing | Part two, filmed in 2019, follows the couple to their new location near Fuzhou. Their community has finally become a reality. While the first installment reflects the dreamy idealism of youth, part two is a song of experience. Can such a community thrive in modern China?

Past Presentation | Multiple interviews, thousands of miles of traveling and countless hours of editing, it is not another documentary that spoon feeds its audience, nor is it pandering to the lowest common denominator. The final story is one that tells of a piece of Florida history that never came to be. From Waterway to Greenway will have you asking the question of how other states and countries are preserving their lands – and how Floridians can continue to preserve their fragile ecosystem.

Now Playing | Following stories about the effects of fracking in Pennsylvania, Colorado, North Dakota, and Montana, an eerie similarity emerges despite the vast differences in geography, personal histories, and different stages of hydro-fracking development that involves increasingly difficult methods of fossil fuel extraction at increasing costs to the people and the environment. Interspersed throughout these human stories are animated illustrations of the bigger “puzzle picture” of which each story is only one small piece.

Now Playing | The island of O'ahu is covered with coconut palms, but for fear of liability the vast majority of these sacred trees have been stripped of coconuts. The grassroots movement "Niu Now" is on a mission to restore the "niu," or coconut, as a fundamental food crop in Hawai'i and spread the Indigenous wisdom of "aloha 'āina:" loving land and serving people.

Past Presentation | I Want to Breathe Sweet Air, a film poem in three parts with acclaimed writer Lucy English, is a stunning and terribly beautiful visual indictment of careless land development and the impact of climate change on the natural environment, incorporating footage shot specifically for this project as well as footage from the vast library accumulated by Outlier Moving Pictures during six years of documenting environmental destruction.

Now Playing | Bread for Tomorrow is a short film about the Indigenous Wicungo community’s struggle to gain legal ownership of their ancestral territory in Peru and how Rainforest Trust’s partner, Center for the Development of an Indigenous Amazon, has helped them to reclaim the rights to their homes and livelihoods.

Not all environmental change is obvious. But incremental and cumulative changes can be just as harmful as more immediate and observable events, meaning risk management practices need to adapt.

Past Presentation | The story of three men's life-long search for a diet, which is good for our health, good for the environment and good for the future of the planet. The film features the ground-breaking work of Dr. T Colin Campbell in China exploring the link between diet and disease, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's use of diet to treat heart disease patients, and Professor Gidon Eshel's investigations into how our food choices contribute to global warming, land use and oceanic dead zones.

This is the same DeSantis who signed a bill into law that forbade Florida municipalities from getting off fossil fuels and turning to wind and solar instead by restricting land use, banning fracking, or interfering with pipelines. The law was supported by the Florida Natural Gas Association.

Now Playing | Chicken Soup for the Soil follows the journey of North Carolina farmers Rachel Herrick and Suzanne Nelson Karreman as they work to rehabilitate farm soil ecosystems one pasture at a time. We learn that animals are not commodities and insects are not pests. They are partners in regenerating the soil. These are grassroots farms working with Nature to help Nature bounce back.

Past Presentation | A handful of photographers look back on the Documerica Project, a long-forgotten epic photo survey of the American environment launched in the early 1970s at the height of environmental awareness. Embodying a moment of truth in a country that had reached the limits of its American Dream, the images of Documerica bear witness to a missed meeting with History. And beyond that, they announce the world in which we live today.

Past Presentation | American billionaire Donald Trump has bought up hundreds of acres on the northeast coast of Scotland, and he needs to buy out a few more locals to reach his goal: In a land swimming with golf courses, Trump wants to build two more along with a 450-room hotel and 1,500 luxury homes. The trouble is, the land he has purchased occupies one of Europe’s most environmentally sensitive stretches of coast, described by one leading scientist as Scotland’s Amazon rainforest . . . and the handful of local residents don't want it destroyed

Past Presentation | Toronto is often perceived to be a flat geography, but the truth is that civil engineering has hidden a vast network of river ravines from our sight. Many people are unaware of this bounty of green spaces that add up to 30 times the area of NYC's Central Park. We hope to change the way people see the nature we're fortunate to have in our midst. These oases from the swirl of urban life will become even more important to our quality of life as our city continues to grow.

Past Presentation | In Peru, the headwaters of the Amazon River cut through the Andes Mountains and help sustain resident communities as well as the most diverse ecosystem on Earth. As the energy demands of Peru increase, the currently free flowing Marañón River faces over 20 proposed dam projects, two of which have already been approved. Our international team of scientists and river experts spent 28 days rafting the Marañón while documenting the natural and cultural resources that would be eminently impacted by proposed dam projects.

Now Playing | With Western Europe’s waterways clogged by thousands of dams, Balkan countries are rallying to protect the continent’s last free-flowing rivers—before it’s too late. In Croatia's popular tourist region of Dalmatia, The Nature Conservancy and its partners helped protect the Krupa River in perpetuity, one of the first conservation wins of its kind in the region.

Now Playing | Common Ground: The Story of Bears Ears brings viewers into the small communities of San Juan County, Utah, where a fierce debate about public land is underway. As five tribes lead an indigenous movement demanding respect for tribal sovereignty, locals advocating for less federal control over public land gain a voice. The story evolving in this remote part of Utah is a microcosm of the greater political and cultural divides seen across the country.

Now Playing | Join us on an quiet trip into the woods and see all the sites, big and small, that you may not have noticed before. There are critters, birds, deer, trees, and great bodies of water that will capture your eye for you to gaze upon. But be forewarned, some day these great sites may disappear in place for something more modern. So enjoy what time you have to gaze on such sites, it may be your last.

Now Playing | It is often said that we must tolerate wildlife, but what happens if we learn to thrive with them instead? What can this mean for the wildlife? What can it mean for the people of Florida? And what can it mean for the endangered Florida panther? Wildlife in Our Backyard shows us some of the problems facing the wildlife as well as the hope of a brighter future as we learn to share the landscape with them.

Past Presentation | Towering stands of old ­growth longleaf pine (pinus palustris) once covered over 90 million acres while stretching from southern Virginia to eastern Texas. Today, the total acreage is about two million, with only about two thousand of that considered old growth. As the South was settled and Northern timber supplies were exhausted, this incredible natural resource was very nearly extirpated from the South's landscape and collective consciousness. LONGLEAF: THE HEART OF PINE is a cultural and natural history of the South's ancient primeval forest and how it might still be saved.

Past Presentation | Banff and the Rocky Mountains: sparkling glaciers, thundering waterfalls, deep gorges and unbelievably blue lakes reflecting the endless fir forests and high craggy mountain peaks. Postcard photo motifs are everywhere. Banff National Park stretches over three vegetation zones to offer a great variety of scenic splendour. The park lies in the middle of the mightiest mountain range in North America, the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Although the days of pioneers and prospectors have long gone, the adventurous spirit from the past has been preserved in the founding history of Canada’s oldest National Park

Now Playing | This short film, produced by three high school students in our Huliau Environmental Filmmaking Club, explores the causes and impacts of brush fires on Maui. It also highlights actionable steps that the public can take to prevent these devastating incidents. Created in partnership with the Maui Fire Department and Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, the students deliver a powerful message that educates and inspires viewers to take action.

Insects tend to be more abundant on organic farms than conventional ones, which may cause the pests to spill over into neighbouring fields, prompting these farmers to increase their pesticide use

Past Presentation | This film explores the prospects of a plant-based society and illustrates the link between climate change and meat consumption, for example, a plant-based diet can prevent up to 8 million deaths per year in 2050 and can reduce up to 73% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions and make it possible to revert 76% of all agricultural land back to nature, Joseph Poore, zoologist at the University of Oxford: “A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use. It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car.”

Past Presentation | Bury Me at Taylor Hollow follows the growing pains of Larkspur as they set out to raise $210,000 to buy 112 acres for both natural burial and conservation. With breathtaking footage and intimate moments of a soul finding its way, director Orion Pahl and writer/editor Rebekah Pahl weave an unforgettable glimpse into a new way of approaching death. More than just a film about death, Bury Me is about the through-line present in all our lives if we keep our ears close to the ground and listen.

Now Playing | Sacred Waters: The Okefenokee in Peril takes viewers into the heart of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, showcasing its mystical natural beauty, cultural importance, and incredible ecological value. But, as the title of the film sets forth, the sacred waters of the Okefenokee are in peril. The threat of a proposed mineral mine near the edge of the Okefenokee looms large, putting the natural integrity of the Swamp at risk. As Sacred Waters brings us deeper into the Okefenokee, we understand how great this threat truly is.

Past Presentation | In Franklin, West Virginia, something magical is happening in the local streams! A native trout species pushed to the brink of extinction is making a remarkable comeback. Working with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Partners for Fish & Wildlife, local farmers, ranchers and the community at large are uniting behind this incredible restoration effort. The short film "Little Stream, Big Magic'' captures the beauty of West Virginia's famous fly-fishing rivers in stunning detail and delivers a heartwarming story of people's resilience and dedication to conservation. Produced by the award-winning film team Tandem Stills + Motion, Inc. in cooperation with the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program (PFW) and Trout Unlimited (TU), the film provides an important perspective to further engage with private landowners in the community on the benefits of restoring trout habitat. This beautiful and uplifting film shows audiences what's possible for grassroots conservation nationally.

The parcel being eyed for warehouses and distribution centers sits on rolling pastures owned by Crosby’s trust.

The EU has been backpedaling on its environmental promises, yielding to agribusiness and far-right demands, risking future ecological stability.Arthur Neslen writes for The Guardian.In short:The EU has scrapped initiatives aimed at reducing pesticide usage, protecting nature, and curbing toxic chemicals due to external pressures.This rollback is partly in response to fears of a far-right surge in upcoming elections, despite potential long-term environmental consequences.The EU's deforestation law, a critical part of its green agenda, faces threats of dilution, raising concerns about global forest conservation.Key quote:“Von der Leyen risks obliterating her last remaining achievement on land use over the last five years. There is already almost nothing left of the green deal.”— Julia Christian of the forest conservation group FernWhy this matters:The recent electoral successes of right-wing parties are expected to influence the European Union's political priorities and policy initiatives, with potential shifts toward more conservative positions on issues like environmental policies.

Now Playing | Decades of mismanagement, environmental changes and a burgeoning population have created tensions for the 40 million people living on the shores of the world's second largest freshwater lake, Lake Victoria. Desperate fishermen use illegal nets and overfish the East African lake's dwindling stocks, while many fishermen have had to turn to other forms of work - much of which has a detrimental impact on the health of the lake and its residents. Lake Victoria: An Ecosystem in Turmoil follows some of those trying to eek out a living on the lake: a Kenyan fisherman who illegally crosses the border into Uganda in the search for fish; a Ugandan who gave up fishing to become a palm oil farmer; and a Tanzanian gold miner using mercury with his bare hands to extract the precious mineral from unregulated mines on the lake's shores. But how well do they comprehend the pressure that they’re putting on the lake, and can the regional governments and communities take action before irreversible damage happens?

"Large-scale production of this chocolate could reduce land use and global warming potential"

Scientists at Tufts University state that soil, which contains 80 percent of the Earth’s carbon, emits more greenhouse gases as droughts cause soils to crack...

Pollution on land inevitably ends up in the sea. Policy makers must stop working in silos and instead consider the indirect consequences human impacts on land have for marine environments.

Now Playing | "Salted Earth" plunges us into the heart of an invisible and creeping crisis that's transforming the Mid-Atlantic – the inexorable rise of sea levels. This hard-hitting, yet tenderly woven 20-minute documentary paints a vivid picture of an escalating environmental catastrophe, where the threat is not just the swelling sea, but the encroaching salt that kills forests and decimates arable land, but could also signal a return to the natural order of the Atlantic Coast. Our journey navigates the brackish waters of climate change alongside an intrepid team of scientists. Through their tireless work, they seek to unravel the intricacies of how salty water infiltrates groundwater and soils, with consequences as far-reaching as they are devastating. Their research is more than academic; it's a desperate quest for solutions that may help vulnerable communities adapt and even survive. "Salted Earth" is not only a saga of scientific discovery. It's also a story of human resilience and ingenuity. We venture into the heart of communities, the lifeblood of the Mid-Atlantic, whose existence is at stake. We see firsthand the farmers struggling to preserve their livelihoods, community leaders forging ahead with audacious resilience strategies, and everyday individuals battling the rising tide. Through intimate interviews with scientists, farmers, and community leaders, "Salted Earth" provides a sobering, yet inspiring look at the very real and present challenge of sea-level rise. It asks a question that affects us all: Can our strategy against the rising sea succeed, or are we fighting an unwinnable war? The answer may unsettle you, but the journey is one you cannot afford to miss. Watch "Salted Earth" and see the future of our world through a salt-streaked lens.

The government has pledged to crack down on rapid development, and on seaside businesses seeking to take advantage of a tourist boom. But some residents and conservationists are unimpressed.

The factoid about biodiversity and Indigenous peoples spread around the world, but scientists say bad data can undermine the very causes it claims to supportThe statistic seemed to crop up everywhere. Versions were cited at UN negotiations, on protest banners, in 186 peer-reviewed scientific papers – even by the film-maker James Cameron, while promoting his Avatar films. Exact wording varied, but the claim was this: that 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity is protected by Indigenous peoples.When scientists investigated its origins, however, they found nothing. In September, the scientific journal Nature reported that the much-cited claim was “a baseless statistic”, not supported by any real data, and could jeopardise the very Indigenous-led conservation efforts it was cited in support of. Indigenous communities play “essential roles” in conserving biodiversity, the comment says, but the 80% claim is simply “wrong” and risks undermining their credibility. Continue reading...

Frente Amplio deputy Ariel Robles demanded explanations from the government after businessman Allan Pacheco Dent obtained permits for an apparently illegal logging project just three days after meeting with Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves. The logging permit was granted on a farm in Gandoca-Manzanillo, land that is considered state patrimony. “Mr. President, could you explain […] The post Alleged Illegal Logging Permits Granted After Meeting Costa Rican President appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

Islas Manuel Antonio appealed the injunction that suspended the construction of an apartment tower, a beach club, and a restaurant near the National Park in Quepos. Last Wednesday, the Public Prosecutor’s Office reported that it was able to stop the works because they are allegedly being carried out within the Aguirre Biological Corridor, very close […] The post Manuel Antonio Developers Fight Back: Will Construction Resume Near Iconic National Park? appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

President Rodrigo Chaves spoke about the case of alleged illegal logging in Gandoca Manzanillo. Chaves minimized the facts, arguing that “only 23 trees were cut.” “The scandal with which they want to distract the population, talking about 23 trees that were cut down with permits on a property of 26 hectares, that is the ecological […] The post Costa Rica President Downplays Illegal Logging in Gandoca Manzanillo appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

The Association for the Integral Development of the Indigenous Territory of Kéköldi (ADITIK), the Cahuita United Movement, COVIRENAS South Caribbean, the Talamanca Ecotourism and Conservation Association (ATEC), and Talamanca Always Green: Community Collective in Defense of the South Caribbean raised their voices against the illegal logging taking place in the Gandoca Manzanillo Refuge. The environmental […] The post Costa Rican Activists Unite Against Illegal Logging in Gandoca Manzanillo Refuge appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

The May election offers a few glimpses into voters' conflicted state of mind about the direction of Multnomah County, the role of big money and growth, the editorial board writes.

People who closely follow an environmentally conscious plant-heavy diet that also includes modest portions of meat and dairy, dubbed the Planetary Health Diet, have a 30% lower risk of premature death from common causes such as cancer and heart disease, according to new research. The study, led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and published today in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that our diets can play dual roles of saving us and the planet. “Climate change has our planet on track for ecological disaster, and our food system plays a major role,” said corresponding author Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in a statement. “Shifting how we eat can help slow the process of climate change. And what’s healthiest for the planet is also healthiest for humans.” The EAT-Lancet Commission created the diet as part of a 2019 report that outlined how to feed a growing planet in a healthy way and avoid exacerbating climate change and environmental impacts from food production. It is “a plant-forward diet where whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes comprise a greater proportion of foods consumed.” It avoids most processed and ultra-processed foods, but still allows for meat and dairy consumption. "What’s healthiest for the planet is also healthiest for humans.” - Walter Willett, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthThe diet suggests that roughly half of your plate should be fruits and vegetables, and the other half should be nearly all whole grains or plant protein. Dairy, animal proteins, starchy vegetables (like potatoes) and sugars are allowed in smaller portions.The plan goes beyond diet and encourages regenerative farming and cooking at home rather than eating out. Its focus on plant-based foods is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from livestock. Research shows transitioning to plant-based diets could reduce diet related land-use by 76% and greenhouse gas emissions by 49%.Willett and colleagues examined data from more than 200,000 people who were disease-free at the start of the study. Each participant completed questionnaires about their diets and health every four years for up to 34 years.The 10% of people that most closely followed the Planetary Health Diet had a 30% lower risk of premature death compared to the 10% of people in the group that least followed the diet. The researchers also estimated that those most closely following the diet had contributed 29% fewer greenhouse gas emissions, 21% lower fertilizer needs and 51% lower cropland use compared to those who followed the diet the least.“Our study is noteworthy given that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has refused to consider the environmental impacts of dietary choices and any reference to the environmental effects of diet will not be allowed in the upcoming revision of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines,” said Willett. “The findings show just how linked human and planetary health are.” See the full study here, and learn more about the Planetary Health Diet.

The details of a group of Silicon Valley titans’ secretive land grab in Solano County, California are starting to come into focus, even as residents say a lot is still up in the air. VC giant Marc Andreessen, LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, and Laurene Powell Jobs are among the tech giants who banded together to purchase over 60,000 acres of land about 60 miles northeast of San Francisco. California Forever, as the group calls itself, revealed last year that it hopes to create a whole new city in the middle of the county. But in order to do that, the group must get voter approval; Solano residents approved rules in 1980 that dictate development must be in the area’s existing seven cities and not in agricultural areas. California Forever has now submitted lengthy ballot language to get the land use changed, and in late February it was given the go ahead by the county to start collecting signatures to put the measure on November’s ballot. The group has 180 days to collect a minimum of 13,062 signatures. The county’s official, nonpartisan summary of the ballot initiative reveals a number of new details around the project, including that if voters pass the measure, California Forever would change the land use of about 25,200 acres, 17,500 of which would be for the city and about 7,000 acres of buffer between it and the nearby Travis Air Force Base and the existing city of Rio Vista. The new city would have capacity for 100,000 to 400,000 residents. Still, even with so much more information spelled out, residents say there are still many important questions left unanswered. Not much is known about how the city would be built. The summary notes that “the exact phasing, standards, and criteria by which development would proceed” are not part of the ballot measure, nor are the ten “voter guarantees” that California Forever has promised to Solano County residents. The guarantees, which are outlined in the group’s proposed ballot, include $400 million in down payment assistance to help residents purchase the homes created, $200 million in commercial investments in the county’s existing cities, the creation of at least 15,000 “good paying” local jobs, $70 million in scholarship funds for residents to go to college or training programs, $30 million for protecting open space and habitats, a “sustainable” water supply, unspecified investment in the region’s highways and schools, and no new taxes on residents or businesses. The county summary makes clear that, by California law, these promises would only become enforceable once an agreement is negotiated and entered into between California Forever’s developers and local government, long after the ballot measure goes before voters. “It’s very misleading to voters to call the ten guarantees ‘promises’ when right now there is no way to enforce them,” says Sadie Wilson, director of planning and research at local nonprofit the Greenbelt Alliance, which is part of the Solano Together coalition opposed to the development plans. And even if all of the promises were secured in such an agreement, they could disappear if the city were to incorporate. Currently any unincorporated area in Solano, which includes the land that California Forever wants to develop, is governed by the county. Wilson thinks it’s likely that, if the city were to hits its 400,000-resident ceiling, they would want to create their own government with its own officers and laws. Although California Forever’s ballot language says it would give the county power to enforce a development agreement after incorporation, the county’s summary states that enforceability “would be limited by state law if the New Community incorporates.” The summary also notes, “The environmental impacts and financial feasibility of the New Community have not yet been fully analyzed and would not be known until after the Measure has been approved by the voters.” It states that “the full impacts to TAFB [Travis Air Force Base] are not yet known.” Passing the measure, Wilson argued, would amount to “just giving them a blank check for development.” The process has also had its bumps. California Forever had to resubmit its initiative language twice. The first time was to address a concern raised by the county that it wasn’t clear at first that the voter guarantees are not enforceable until after the measure passes and a development agreement is in place. The second time was to respond to concerns raised by Travis about the impact of the new city on its flight programs, which Travis said afterward addressed the problems it had raised. But that shows, Wilson says, that California Forever didn’t include Travis as much as the group had touted as it developed its plans. “Ballot initiatives are frequently updated in response to community feedback, and we are delighted that we were able to address the community’s concerns,” says Julia Blystone, a spokesperson for California Forever. Blystone says the group conducted town hall meetings, focus groups, individual meetings, phone calls, and more to communicate with “tens of thousands” of residents. It also convened a community advisory committee made up of 21 residents. “The community’s feedback is evident in all aspects of the initiative,” she says, “including its size, location relative to Travis and Rio Vista, and the 10 Guarantees.” But opponents argue California Forever’s community engagement has mostly been for show.  As Duane Kromm, a resident and former member of the Solano County board of supervisors, told Fast Company in September, the group had to have already been at work crafting such a lengthy ballot measure in the fall at the same time it said it was listening to residents. “What hypocrisy,” he says. When Wilson spoke to California Forever early on, before it started holding town halls and doing polling, “What we heard about the plan was exactly what we saw come out in the initiative.” Then there’s the group’s tactics. Last May, California Forever, then going under the name Flannery Associates, filed a federal lawsuit against local ranchers and residents in the area, many of whom refused to sell their land, accusing them of violating antitrust laws and seeking $510 million in damages. After Margaret and Ian Anderson, who have owned a farm in the area for generations, refused to sell their land, California Forever terminated a lease they held on additional land—one they say they needed to operate their business. As a result of the termination, the Anderson’s operations were reduced by 60%. “Our farm is kind of falling apart because of what’s going on,” Ian told Fast Company. Wilson points out that the Greenbelt Alliance has advocated for building more housing and sees many positives in the California Forever proposal. “We love dense, walkable development. That’s fabulous,” she says. “But you can’t just locate that development in a location that is not connected to jobs, to communities, to transit, and call it sustainable development.” As it is, 67 percent of Solano County residents commute out of the area for work. It’s remote, and the sole transit in the area is an Amtrak stop in Fairfield that only goes to Sacramento or Oakland; it doesn’t go to San Francisco. Blystone says the group plans to create “one of the largest transit operations in the Bay Area,” including a network of rapid bus lines within the new city and a “rapid shuttle program” to connect it to other cities in the area and Bay Area Rapid Transit. There are also many concerns about the environmental impact of paving over this land and bringing so many people to live on it. California Forever is still claiming the land it bought is “rated among the worst for agriculture in all of Solano County,” where “for years and years, nothing much has been able to grow.” Yet the map it has used to justify this point labels it only as “grazing land” that is “suited to the grazing of livestock,” with no qualification as to its quality. To be rated higher the land would have to be irrigated, and Blystone claimed that the reason it isn’t is “because the soils are so poor that it makes no economic sense to do so.” But the farmers who have owned land in the area for generations vehemently disagree. They use a unique dryland farming technique that helps maintain the area’s scare water resources and absorb rainfall to mitigate flooding while producing livestock, grains, nuts, and produce worth more than $350 million annually in gross sales. They have also protected wetlands that are home to endangered animals. “This is productive, valued land,” Wilson says, “that is, right now, doing exactly what it’s supposed to do.”

State officials unveiled 81 targets to transform millions of acres in the Golden State into landscapes that can absorb more carbon than they release by 2045.

After almost two centuries, the Indigenous Nation is reestablishing the only reservation in Illinois.

The rapid expansion of Cancún since the 1970s has created a vastly unequal city, with overpopulated neighborhoods deprived of public space propping up the city's lavish tourist districts.

Advanced computer modeling reveals that sustained human hunting contributed to the woolly rhinoceros’s extinction by blocking their migration to new habitats during post-Ice Age warming,...

A study finds that polycystic echinococcosis, a neglected disease with a high mortality rate, is sensitive to climate, making it possible to predict potential infection...

The company, called Savor, uses a synthetic fat to approximate the taste of butter and is seeking regulatory approval