Board of Directors E. William Reichert Board Chair Mary Vandevord President Ronda Latina Vice Chair William Boardman Second Vice Chair Stephen Parrish Treasurer Robert C. Nelson Secretary Brenda Chandler Janet Haroian Gary Huelsmann Dawnesha Johnson Nancy Larson Charlie Meier Cliff Schuette Anne Werner
Team Michael Andreas Special Projects Shelli Bement Director of Finance & Administration Landon Brooks Communications & Engagement Manager Tyler Burk Project Manager Laura L. Lyon Director of Strategic Initiatives Kim O’Bryan Director of Development & Events Mary Vandevord President & CEO Sarah Vogt Conservation Manager Ed Weilbacher Vice President Steve Widowski Wildlife Biologist
HeartLands Conservancy 3 N High Street Belleville, IL 62220 (618) 566-4451
info@HeartLandsConservancy.org www.HeartlandsConservancy.org HLC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions are tax deductible and are graciously accepted throughout the year. 2
GOINGFOR Over the past few months, HeartLands Conservancy’s plans for most of the year have been tossed in the compost bin.
people of color more vulnerable to pandemics, health issues, flooding, and climate change. COVID-19 has only exacerbated these inequities.
It would be easy to hunker down and say, “wait until things get back to normal,” but in conservation, normal wasn’t working great anyway. “Normal” was wrong.
Racism has undeniably been a significant factor in environmental inequity. A lack of diverse voices in the environmental movement has led to unequal results, with people of color bearing the largest burden of pollution, environmental degradation, and injustice.
Here’s why I say that: • Half the world’s wildlife has been lost in the last 50 years. A football field-size area of natural habitat is destroyed every 30 seconds in the US. • Farmland, the land that feeds our communities, is developed at a rate of one acre per hour in our region. • People of color in low-income communities have been exposed to more pollution and have less access to open space than the rest of our region. These inequities leave low-income communities and
I recently listened to a panel during Black Birders Week, which showed that people of color have been excluded in the majority of naturerelated stories and images. This has created a false perception that Black people aren’t interested or engaged with nature. The panelists shared stories of hiking, birding, and exploring in nature, and loving it. But they also shared being met with hostility, questioning, or unwelcomeness in many cases.
TOG
www.HeartLands Conservancy.org
