Why It Matters: With the release of the conservation.gov website and the beta-version of the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas, sportsmen and women, and all Americans have a clearer idea of what the Biden Administration is considering “conserved” as it relates to the America the Beautiful Initiative. Fortunately, the information contained in the Atlas is largely consistent with the sporting-conservation community’s priorities, a cause for celebration among sportsmen and women. Moving forward, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) will remain engaged in support of conservation and our time-honored outdoor traditions.
Highlights:
- Prior to Earth Day, the Biden Administration announced the launch of a new website dedicated to the America the Beautiful
- The website included a beta-version of the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas, the Administration’s benchmark for lands and waters that are considered conserved relative to the Initiative.
- The programs and projects included in the Atlas’ beta-version are largely consistent with the sporting-conservation community’s priorities as outlined in the Hunt Fish 30×30 Statement, and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation will remain engaged as conversations continue.
When President Biden first announced his Administration’s America the Beautiful Initiative, the sporting-conservation quickly weighed in and encouraged the Biden Administration to consider the benefits of sportsmen-led and funded conservation efforts as part of this initiative. This includes comments submitted by the CSF-led Hunt Fish 30×30 Coalition. In the years since, hunters and anglers have waited for a glimpse of the conservation practices and programs that would be included in the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas, the Administration’s database of lands and waters that they consider to be “protected” in accordance with the objectives of America the Beautiful. Earlier this month, a beta-version of the Atlas was made available on the newly created conservation.gov website.
Largely consistent with the priorities outlined by the Hunt Fish 30×30 Coalition, the beta-version of the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas contains a wide variety of data sources that highlight conservation programs and projects taking place on both public and private lands. Unlike many other countries who have pledged to take steps toward protecting 30% of their lands and waters by the year 2030, America’s history of prioritizing conservation, predominantly in the form of sportsmen-led conservation programs, have asserted our nation’s role as a leader in the conservation conversation.
CSF applauds the Biden Administration’s recognition of the vast array of conservation programs and practices, including those critical to sportsmen and women, in their beta-version of the Atlas. As initiatives such as America the Beautiful continue to advance, CSF will remain engaged to ensure that our heritage as sportsmen and women and our commitment to implementing real conservation measures on the ground are recognized and celebrated while protecting access to our time-honored outdoor traditions.
