SouthState Bank’s Post

The continued efforts of groups like The Nature Conservancy in restoring longleaf pine forests across the region have contributed significantly to the growth of red-cockaded woodpeckers, one of the best-known animals that thrive in longleaf forests. Throughout the Southeast, a coordinated effort is underway to conserve and restore these rich and vital forests that run through the heart of Mississippi. Spanning nine states in the U.S. southeast, we’re working together to restore and manage longleaf pine forest from Texas to Virginia. Longleaf pine once dominated the coastal plain blanketing more than 90 million acres. Today there are just 5.2 million acres, up from an historical low of 3.2 million acres two decades ago.

Making Waves with the Last Stop: The Ocean Toolkit #ECOSALUDGLOBAL Let’s talk about litter! Since 2017, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has been facilitating collaboration and developing tools to address land-based marine litter in North America. Today, we are thrilled to invite you to embark on this journey with us to raise public awareness about marine litter and make meaningful change with the free Last Stop: The Ocean Toolkit! Trash Travels: A Journey to the Ocean. The moment your waste falls on the ground, it begins its journey to the ocean—even if you don’t live anywhere near the coast. Litter travels to faraway places via storm drains, streams, canals and rivers. Along its journey, litter harms wildlife and pollutes our rivers and lakes. With a few small actions, we can make a difference in our communities and help protect wildlife, our oceans, the environment and the planet! https://lnkd.in/eZs5Bev5

Cheers to Suncoast Waterkeeper for launching its Mangrove Ranger program to safeguard Florida's precious mangroves. Mangroves aren't just trees—they're lifelines for our coastlines, marine biodiversity, and our planet's health. They are critical nurseries for juvenile reef fish like tarpon and redfish, and for invertebrates like shrimp and clams. As sea levels rise and development increases, their protection is more crucial than ever. The Mangrove Ranger program empowers volunteers to monitor mangrove health and report violations, providing vital data for advocacy efforts. We all need to protect our mangroves for current and future generations! Read more about the program below. #mangroves, #ClimateAction, #water, #cleanwater --

It can't be overstated the importance of protecting remaining natural lands like forests and wetlands for maintaining water quality and the health of our lakes and streams. Private property owners can learn how to be part of the solution. #rivers #waterquality #landprotection #naturalclimatesolutions

In 2015, the Murray Darling Wetlands Working Group, The Nature Conservancy (Australia) and Kilter Rural, launched the Murray-Darling Basin Balanced Water Fund, the first investment vehicle in Australia to provide investors with the opportunity to achieve multiple objectives of securing water for agriculture, realising a financial return and restoring threatened wetlands. Below on the Riverspace site, you can see the wetlands and projects supported by donations of water we are managing in collaboration with many community and government organisations. The estimated 30,000 wetlands within the Murray-Darling Basin are highly diverse, ranging from vast floodplains, billabongs, and swamps to smaller wetlands and streams. The wetlands are home to a wide variety of plants and animals, including several threatened and endangered species. Please take a moment to consider making a donation that will go towards restoration and protection of our wetlands. https://riverspace.au/

What if you had land and then shared access to ranch and/farm land with a community who had these values? Service, Hospitality, Excellence, Humility, Community, Family, Friendship, Formation, Growth, Restoration, Renewal, and Conservation.

What does collaborative conservation look like? 5,000 acres being permanently protected in northern Vermont! In partnership with Vermont Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy in Vermont, Northeast Wilderness Trust created Vermont's newest wilderness area, now called "Bear's Nest Wilderness Preserve." The 2,700-acre property, located in an important bi-national wildlife corridor, joins a growing number of places being protected as forever-wild across Vermont and New England by Northeast Wilderness Trust. The greater project also included 2,000 acres of managed woodlands that are now permanently conserved by Vermont Land Trust. Wildlands and Woodlands. We need both. #rewilding #wilderness Learn more below: https://lnkd.in/eHsB9GUr

#Aboutlastweekend, this is my favorite photo from our morning cleanup, Saturday, April 27, on the Ribault River. Capt. Sam Baker of Sol Margin Fishing & Conservation Foundation had just assisted a youth in catching this fish. I'm not an angler but he called it "a red." Our family from South Carolina said it looked like a spot. I don't know what its name, but before my plant-based lifestyle I called it good food. The look on the Captain's face reminds me of hearing a youngster say, "I did it!" I imagine that's the sentiment every time you have waited expectantly on fish to bite your hook and then, suddenly, it does! Capt. Baker loves nature. He loves fishing, loves the environment, and he loves teaching others about what he loves. Now he has a band of supporters, including us at the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Community Trust, Inc., who want to help him help the community sustain our culture by returning the river to a healthy state. He and Kristopher Smith of the #RibaultSportsmenAssociation, working with the St. Johns Riverkeeper and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Jacksonville, know that a #resilientribault means a #resilientcommunity of #GullahGeechee people who can maintain their #culture through #subsistencefishing and passing down #fishingtraditions to the next generation. #Environmentalconservation is #culturalconservation. Intervening in the #climatecrisis includes providing tools that communities in its path can use to become #sustainable. I'm looking forward to helping Gullah/Geechee people maintain our culture, despite the odds. When the right opportunities bite, we'll reel them in and then we can say, "We did it!" Photo credit: Glenda Simmons Jenkins

Breaking: Today, President Biden issued an ambitious goal to reconnect, restore, and protect 8 million acres of wetlands and 100,000 miles of rivers and streams by 2030 and challenged states, communities, nonprofits, Tribes, and others to partner in achieving this important work. Pew is one of more than 100 entities that have accepted this challenge. We’ll continue to collaborate with states, Tribes, and others to protect these essential yet at-risk habitats that help: ✅Fight climate change ✅Support wildlife ✅Provide clean drinking water ✅Sustain local economies

I'm still buzzing about The Nature Conservancy in Texas achieving its 1 Million Acres protected milestone! Check out this excellent StoryMap, created by Lauren Lombardo and our team, to learn more: https://lnkd.in/ghs5kddr 1 million acres is big but how big? If you added up the municipal footprints of these American cities below (not their metro areas) - it would roughly add up to 1 million acres