On the Edge of Common Sense BY BAXTER BLACK

of land it would like to purchase near park boundaries, comprising a total of 1.6 million acres. That backlog would cost an estimated $2 billion.

Even if the park service acquired all of it, though, it would barely put a dent in the more than 400 million additional acres required to conserve 30 percent of U.S. lands.

TAKING CONSERVATION LOCAL

About two-thirds of species listed on the U.S. endangered species list are found on privately owned lands, and around half of the country’s forests considered usable for carbon storage sit on private property.

While experts hope for a White House point person, such as National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, to oversee the initiative across federal agencies, successfully executing it will require giving local stakeholders seats at the table early on.

In a study published in February 2020, researchers looked at how rural U.S. voters influence conservation. While many voters understood the need for environmental regulations, they hesitated to offer their full support when they felt regulations were being done “to” them and not with them, says Emily Diamond, one of the study’s authors.

For 30 by 30 to work, “the more local, the better,” Diamond says. “Rural communities have the most trust for state and local governments.”

Incentives like conservation easements would allow landowners to keep their property and receive tax breaks or payments in exchange for giving up development rights.

Tribal governments also “need to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to this initiative,” says Raina Thiele, an alumna of the Obama White House who facilitates conversations among tribes.

Currently, there are about 56 million acres of tribal lands held in trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Most of that land, says Thiele, would not be counted in the 12 percent of U.S. land that is considered protected.

Historically, she says, conservation groups have equated human-free wilderness with protection, leading to tribes being pushed out of large parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite.

Now, she says, “they need to be the stewards of the land, as they have for thousands of years. In the indigenous lifeway, the environment and people are one.”

“I think 30 by 30 is exciting for many tribal leaders,” says Thiele. “It offers an opportunity to refrain from the traditional conservation model and favor one that’s more respectful and better for diversity.”

IN THE WEEDS

For now, it remains mostly unclear where the extra two Texas’ worth of well-conserved land needed to meet the 30 by 30 target will come from—and how it will be paid for.

“There is no secret plan here. There is no list,” says Tracy Stone-Manning, associate vice president for public lands at the National Wildlife Federation.

A comprehensive estimate of what the initiative will cost has yet to be circulated. In addition to the two billion-dollar land acquisition backlog, the National Park Service, Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management already have a combined backlog of maintenance projects estimated to cost over $19 billion.

The Great American Outdoors Act, passed last year, fully funded the Land and Water Conservation Fund to the tune of $900 million a year—considered progress but not nearly enough to satisfy some conservationists.

“The number we celebrated last year, $900 million, is a 1978 number,” says the Nature Conservancy’s Cors. Adjusted for inflation, he says, “We should have been going for $3.4 billion.”

Conservation experts are hopeful that 30 by 30 will be a bipartisan effort, as the Great American Outdoors Act was. That remains to be seen—along with all the details.

Editor’s Note: This article was published in January 2021. Since then there has been a report issued from the U.S. Department of the Interior. This article is by far the most explanatory we have seen from the supportive prospective. ▫

THE EDGE OF COMMON

SENSE

by Baxter Black,

BaxterBlack.com Hints for the Hired Man

1. If the new boss’s hat isn’t sweat stained, you can pretty much figger whose will be. 2. Phrases like, “My dad never paid me a dime till I was twenty-five,” or “I haven’t had a day off since dad’s funeral in 2017,” should put you on guard. 3. Expensive equipment doesn’t guarantee you’ll be paid well. That might be where the money’s all gone. 4. This should send up a warning flag, “My son is all-state in every sport in school, president of the senior class, engaged to the banker’s daughter, building a hot rod and learning to fly an airplane. He’ll be helping you with the chores.” 5. If the words “day off” or “insurance” bring a quizzical look to the boss’s face, you better think it through. 6. You may want to reconsider when the new boss says, “I never had any use for dang new fangled gadgets like milking machines, PTO post hole diggers or a round baler. They just breed sloth.” 7. It should be a tip off if the prospective employer complains that he can’t keep a hired man on the place. 8. Be suspicious if the boss’s own dogs run for cover at the sound of his voice. 9. If the boss himself lives in a 1999 New Moon single-wide, don’t expect much from his offer of “housing furnished.” 10. And if the term “retirement plan” is mentioned, you can rest assured it’s not yours he’s talking about.

But the best hired man learns that critical skill for gettin’ along with a good boss – when to listen to him and when not to.

The most successful arrangement I’ve seen, that lasted for years, was between a couple ol’ compadres of mine named George and Jake. George summed up their perfect relationship this way, “Wouldn’t nobody else work for Jake and nobody else would hire me. I’ve got a job for life.” ▫