Essay - Ground Shift | New thinking for America's lands and waters

How Advanced Technologies Can Supercharge Collaborative Conservation

Pairing the power of an AI-driven geospatial decision support system with the wisdom of locally-led conservation can help us respond to the rapid unraveling of global ecosystems.

By Zander Evans

/ 22 Jul 2026

How Advanced Technologies Can Supercharge Collaborative Conservation

The Conservation Movement Has a Relevance (and Class) Problem

To build the political power it needs, the conservation movement should connect nature loss to kitchen table issues and create policy solutions that working people will fight for.

By Amanda John Kimsey

/ 11 Jun 2026

The Conservation Movement Has a Relevance (and Class) Problem

Addition by Subtraction: Scaling Up Dam Removals to Revitalize America’s Rivers

Thousands of aging and forgotten dams — big and small — have outlived their usefulness. A nationwide dam removal effort, led by communities, would reduce public safety risks, bring rivers back to life, and boost economies.

By Elizabeth Klein

/ 4 Jun 2026

Addition by Subtraction: Scaling Up Dam Removals to Revitalize America’s Rivers

Public Land Reform in the New Gilded Age

In looking towards a new era of public land management, we should focus on the root causes of our current problems, which have been fueled by corporate power, rather than compromise our foundational conservation laws yet again.

By Martin Nie

/ 15 Apr 2026

Public Land Reform in the New Gilded Age

Collaborative Conservation in a Time of Discord

Refocusing on locally-led problem solving and cooperative decision making may not be an easy or glamorous solution, but it is the only way to tackle the big challenges facing our public lands and waters. And it is exactly the kind of work our democracy needs right now.

By Lynn Scarlett

/ 30 Mar 2026

Collaborative Conservation in a Time of Discord

Rethinking Multiple Use Management of America’s Public Lands

Deciding the primary purposes and uses of more lands and waters could bring balance and health to our shared landscapes.

By Justin Pidot

/ 26 Feb 2026

Rethinking Multiple Use Management of America’s Public Lands

The Next Era of American Conservation

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, it’s time to add a new chapter to America’s conservation legacy, with private lands, market-based tools, and bottom-up approaches at the center.

By Brian Yablonski

/ 9 Feb 2026

Standing for What We Stand On

A call to embrace systems thinking and diversity in land management

By Luis Villa

/ 9 Feb 2026

The Future of Common Ground

The status quo has been so thoroughly shattered that we have no choice but to forge a new consensus for how we manage our lands and waters.

By Tracy Stone-Manning

/ 9 Feb 2026

Reimagining Endangered Species Conservation in a Time of Crisis

The Endangered Species Act brought U.S. wildlife back from the brink, but new pressures—from a changing climate to anti-science ideology in Washington—threaten nature as never before. Instead of simply defending the status quo, we need new ideas, smart reforms, and a bold vision of abundant nature.

By John Podesta and Drew McConville

/ 9 Feb 2026

Reimagining Endangered Species Conservation in a Time of Crisis

American Exceptionalism and Our Public Lands: The Case for a New Public Lands Law Review Commission

Now is the time for Congress to form a bipartisan commission to rethink and renew the laws, policies, and agencies governing America’s public lands.

By Andrew Mergen

/ 9 Feb 2026

American Exceptionalism and Our Public Lands: The Case for a New Public Lands Law Review Commission

Fixing One Byzantine Process Would Return Reservation Lands to Tribes and Improve Landscape Health

A law from 1887 broke up lands within Indian reservations, creating a “checkerboard” pattern and making it very difficult for Tribes to manage their lands. There is a fix for this.

By Natalie Landreth

/ 9 Feb 2026

Fixing One Byzantine Process Would Return Reservation Lands to Tribes and Improve Landscape Health