By Misty Haji-Sheikh
Imagine getting an email invitation from the White House to the Conservation in Action Summit at the Department of Interior (DOI). This invitation to a White House Summit was a first. As surprised as I was, I dropped everything and flew to DC. The day before I left, the news was reporting that President Biden would be dedicating Avi Kwa Ame as a new National Monument. I had worked on Avi Kwa Ame with the Sierra Club and was excited to go to the Summit.
When I arrived at the DOI I went through the metal detector and presented my ID. They gave me a yellow wristband. As I passed past various checkpoints, they wanted to see my yellow band. What I didn't know was what the yellow band meant. As I went into the auditorium/theater they directed me to the front and said I was in the Reserved section. Susie Lee, Dina Titus, Catherine Cortes Masto, and Jackie Rosen were there. and I took my seat on the second row, center. I was surrounded by Tribal Leaders and other Conservation groups - more than 30 different groups that all worked on making this happen.
Before I go on, be sure and save this video because it is the thing to watch anytime you need a reminder of why we do what we do at Sierra Club.
There were many speakers, and the information was so compact that I am including clips from the Summit for you to watch. Each is about 4-5 minutes long. [Note: video timestamps let you know where in the video each speaker begins and ends their speech. To use it open the video and move the bar to the desired timestamp and hit play.]
The first Speaker was from the Department of the Interior in Washington, DC., Deb Haaland (video timestamp 5:12-13:40). She was well-received and got a standing ovation before even speaking. In her opening remarks, she listed the conservation work that has been done since taking office. The list is impressive. She sounds like she is in the Sierra Club with all of her efforts. She was moved to tears when she talked about restoring the American Bison and the prairie grasslands.
White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair, Brenda Mallory, (video timestamp 14:00-21:17) talked about the new and powerful conservation movement that we all are creating, that every child needs access to the great outdoors, and President Biden’s America the Beautiful Initiative. She announced that there is a commitment from 15 foundations to contribute over $100,000,000 to Tribal Conservation and Stewardship.
US Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, (video timestamp 21:27-28:20) talked about the 195,000,000 acres of forest land, and the Administration’s commitment to fighting wildfires and preserving the forests including the necessary funding. He spoke about replanting millions of damaged areas in the forests and about soil health and its importance.
Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy, John Podesta, (video timestamp 28:30-33:28) spoke of the President’s accomplishments in the first two years of his term including conserving more lands and waters than any president since JFK. He invested more dollars in conservation in a two-year period in conservation than any president in history, including fully restoring Bears Ears, Grand Staircase Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts. And he said that there are new initiatives like trees that would be planted in underserved neighborhoods.
Fort Mojave Chairman, Tim Williams, spoke and introduced President Biden (video timestamp 38:10-40:23). He spoke of the sacredness of Avi Kwa Ame, and his gratitude for the seat at the table and the conservation efforts of President Biden.
President Biden (video timestamp 40:25-53:03) dedicated Avi Kwa Ame a total of 506,814 acres, which is more acres than was in the original plan. It is the last piece in a corridor from California through Arizona for wildlife. This protects the land from development, and it protects the land for wildlife. Then he dedicated the Castner Range which is near El Paso, Texas. This National Monument consists of 7,000 acres. The last dedication was 777,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean. President Biden emphasized that this is square miles not acres and is bigger than Alaska and Colorado combined. This protects the western Pacific Islands that were not previously under protection and includes: Hawai'i, as well as the Territories of Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the Republic of Palau (RP), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI).
Undersecretary of the Army, Gabe Camarillo, (video time stamp 57:49-1:03:10) spoke about Castner Range and the impact it has on him, his family, and his community. He talked about the importance of Castner Range in training Army troops in the past, and the cleanup efforts that will make this area clean for the variety of wildlife and available for families.
Undersecretary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Robert Spinrad, (video timestamp 1:03:15-1:09:37) spoke of climate change including drought, flooding, and heat waves. He spoke of NOAA’s efforts in working with the Biden-Harris Administration’s 30x30 conservation plan and conserving Northeast Canyons and Seamonts Marine National Monument. He also talked about the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary, and the proposed Chumash Heritage/Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, and more.
Office of Science and Technology Policy Director, Arati Prabhakar, (video timestamp: 1:09:55-1:14:43) spoke about the first U.S. Ocean Climate Action Plan, how important the oceans are, and actions that are outlined in this plan, saying "the oceans are a powerful source of solutions”.
The final speaker was Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor, Ali Zaidi. He had the most amazing list of accomplishments that the groups in the audience had accomplished. The audience began applauding before he even finished. Every speaker talked about the ways their office is working with the Administration on climate issues. His speech (video timestamp: 1:14:59-1:22:55) is worth your time.
After the speeches finished it was time for the Summit.
First, there was a break for networking. I met Craig Bakerjian, Nevada Conservation League, Ramon Cruz, Sierra Club President, Melinda Pierce, Sierra Club Legislative Director, and Athen Manuel, Sierra Club Lobbyist. Athen introduced me to Tracy Stone-Manning, Bureau of Land Management Director. I asked her about the final map for Avi Kwa Ame since there have been changes. She said that originally Spirit Mountain was not a part of this Monument. She also told me that in the final map there were no cutouts and it includes more acreage.
There were two breakout sessions. Most sessions were too full. I was lucky to attend The Growing Resilience in Supporting and Expanding Tribal Co-Stewardship Efforts. The biggest takeaways were the co-stewardship for Avi Kwa Ame and that these tribes had raised $1,500,000 in private funds for tribal needs including water. Next was the Investing in Partnership-Driven Conservation and Restoration through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. This session took a bit deeper dive into what the law entails.
This was a very exciting day. Today nearly 500,000,000 acres are under preservation which is a big step in preserving 30% of the U.S. lands and waters by 2030. I feel fortunate to have been someone that has been Witnessing History.