No. 141: Ecosystem Protections

For years, conservation efforts relied on the legal argument that destroying an endangered species's habitat meant harming the species. That argument is now on thin ice as the federal government reevaluates what it means to "harm" an endangered species. Although there's a chance that those arguments won't hold up in court, we're discussing an alternative approach this week: update the Endangered Species Act to protect ecosystems directly.

If you specialize in administrative support, you won't want to miss this week's featured job opportunity at the Gates Foundation: they're looking for someone to support a new Women's Health Innovations program aimed at improving healthcare outcomes in lower income countries. I'm also sharing a list of grant resources if you'd like to support a community improvement project and need a bit of extra help. Off we go!

~ Greg

What we're reading

The Trump administration is trying to redefine what it means to harm an endangered species. Doing so would limit the Endangered Species Act's ability to protect critical habitats. (The Atlantic)

• The proposed change would narrow the definition of harm to include directly injuring or killing a species – not the indirect harms that lead to extinction, like habitat destruction.
  • The ESA was designed to protect ecosystems but has no direct mechanism to do so. Instead, we've relied on legal arguments that if you harm the habitat, you harm the species.
  • Since habitat destruction has been the most common threat to endangered species since 1975, changing the definition of harm could render the ESA ineffective at protecting the most at-risk species.
• Given that background, I like the approach described in The Atlantic: instead of protecting species one by one, shouldn't we protect the habitats themselves? You wouldn't have to rely on a legal workaround to further conservation efforts.
  • It could also be a more efficient approach to conservation: Reed Noss, a conservationist at the University of Florida, estimates that 85% of species could be protected by conserving sufficient areas of each type of ecosystem – forests, prairies, deserts, and so forth.
  • Although I find this approach more practical, it loses some of the marketing power that you get by protecting species. In No. 129: Safe to Drink, I noted that more than 80% of conservation funding goes to large vertebrates like pandas, elephants, and rhinos because they have more donor appeal. I suspect it will be more challenging to pass an ecosystem protection law but not impossible.
• Notwithstanding our current political prospects, ecosystem protection could be surprisingly bipartisan.
  • Americans want to protect our landscapes, and just because an ecosystem is protected doesn't mean we can't use it in compatible, perhaps even profitable, ways: you know I'm a fan of the National Park System, which saw 331.9 million visits last year.
  • The more land we protect, the more jobs we create to maintain those protections as well. Again, I'm not blind to what's happening in our government today, but we've seen intentional efforts to marry environmental impact with jobs programs in the past – albeit with mixed results.
• In short, maybe it's time for a new approach: one that provides the direct protections we need and safeguards biodiversity for the next generation.

Job of the week

This week, I'd like to share a great opportunity for an experienced administrative assistant at one of the most recognizable philanthropic organizations around: the Gates Foundation. They've recently created a Women’s Health Innovations program aimed at improving outcomes in lower income countries, and they are looking to hire a Senior Program Assistant in Seattle to support the team.

What I like most about this role is that you get program responsibilities beyond managing calendars, communications, and logistics. There's a dash of account management, a touch of software tool wizardry, and even a sprinkle of project management. If you like that kind of variety, be quick to jump on this one – applications close June 3rd.

Community roundup

• The Nation's Report Card from last year showed that 40% of fourth graders and 33% of eighth graders scored below the basic reading level. Those trends are prompting states to align improvement efforts at the state level rather than leave them to local districts. (The 74)
• More than 2,600 jobs with "diversity" or "DEI" in the title or description have been eliminated since 2023 as employers scale back efforts. (NPR)
• The Bezos Earth Fund, which is a grant program focused on using artificial intelligence to support environmental impact work, has announced the first round of grantees. (Axios)
  • The fund is going to invest $50k in a variety of projects this year then select to the most promising ones for a $2 million investment.
  • I like this approach – it's similar to what I've seen on the government side where research and development often comes in rounds. It is a relatively efficient way to invest in cutting-edge research because you don't spend a lot of time and money up front and can quickly add resources when the initial research proves viable.
• Researchers from the University of Nottingham – no association with Robin Hood – have tested a new method for diagnosing brain tumors that could unlock new therapies. (The Guardian)
• Angel City Lumber in Los Angeles is diverting trees damaged in the Palisades Fire from mulching, with plans to turn them into lumber used to rebuild 500 homes. (Dwell)
  • This brings up a more general topic: as the number of natural disasters increase, how do we make better use of the resources left over? Angel City Lumber is recycling trees, but there are opportunities to recycle metals, asphalt, and concrete as well.

Civic corner

• Countries have a sphere of influence that extends beyond their borders, and clean and renewable energy projects are no exception. You've seen the race to secure critical rare earth metals in Asia and Africa. China has also been investing in energy projects around the world as part of their Belt and Road Initiative, and their investments in wind and solar energy have eclipsed coal for the first time. (Inside Climate News)
  • That said, their global energy investments have dropped by a factor of five over the past ten years, and although they pledged not to finance new overseas coal power plants, they continue to invest in them domestically. On first read, the renewable energy investments make sense: China is also a major manufacturer of the technologies, so in addition to extending its political reach, it stands to profit through exports as well.
• The Senate revoked California's waiver that gave it the ability to set more stringent air quality standards than the federal government – under which it effectively banned the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. Those rules incentivized automakers to design more efficient vehicles for everyone rather than sell California-only versions of vehicles, and 16 states and D.C. had adopted similar rules following in California's footsteps. (Grist)
  • On a related note, Vermont is stepping back from electric vehicle supply mandates modeled after California's zero-emission vehicle rule. This comes after Vermont saw a significant uptick in EV registrations over the past year.
• On the healthcare front, the Texas legislature has passed a bill that makes it easier for parents to opt their children out of receiving vaccinations required to attend public school. Governor Abbott hasn't signed it yet as of this writing, but he is expected to do so. (ABC News)
  • As you know, Texas is currently experiencing the worst measles outbreak in the country in decades, and two children have died. Vaccination rates have dropped in recent years, and at current vaccination rates, measles could become endemic again for the first time since the World Health Organization declared it eliminated in the United States due to vaccination efforts.
• Speaking of the World Health Organization, officials in the U.S. and Argentina announced intentions on Tuesday to form an "alternative international health system" to the WHO, citing its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. (The Hill)
  • For those keeping track at home, that's "gaggle" for a group of geese, "pride" for a group of lions, and "alternative international health system" for a group of U.S. and Argentinian health officials. I don't make the rules.

Hot job opportunities

• Senior Program Manager – Founders Pledge – Remote
• Controller – Astera – Emeryville, CA
• Assistant Director for Digital Communications and Community Engagement, Global Energy Center – Atlantic Council – Washington, DC
• Mid/Senior Web Designer - iDeas Lab – Center for Strategic and International Studies – Washington, DC
• Impact Associate – Sonen Capital – San Francisco, CA
• Client Service Associate – Align Impact – Denver, CO or New York, NY
• Marketing and Communications Associate – Food for Climate League – Remote
• Communications Manager – National Caucus of Environmental Legislators – Remote
• Director of Content – Global Partnerships – Seattle, WA
• 2025 Fall Development Internship – Partnership for Public Service – Washington, DC

Resource of the week

If you have an idea to improve your community and need a bit of money to make it happen, I think you're going to love the resource this week: Neighborhood Matching Funds. These are community grant programs that provide public dollars to match fundraising efforts for local improvement projects. The programs vary from city to city, but they are prolific – I hadn't heard of them until this week, but there's a good chance you'll find one near you.

The idea is that a community project secures volunteer time, donations, professional services, and so on, and the city matches those contributions dollar-for-dollar. Projects could be anything from community gardens and murals to playground improvements and neighborhood clean-up initiatives. I love this – it feels like the kind of thing where you could partner with a local nonprofit or form your own group and make a tangible difference in your community in no time.

To find a neighborhood matching fund, just search online for your city and the keywords "neighborhood matching fund" or "community matching grants". Here are a few examples to get the juices flowing:

• Seattle, WA
• Austin, TX
• Chicago, IL

Test your knowledge

The Sierra Club is one of the oldest environmental nonprofit organizations in the United States, and last week I asked you who co-founded it and served as its first president. That would be noted conservationist John Muir.

I grew up when the state quarters were a big thing, and that's how I first learned about Muir. He had a hand in establishing Yosemite National Park, and the California state quarter features both Muir and the Yosemite Valley. Check your loose change – you might find a social impact icon in your pocket.

If you've done any gardening this year, you might be familiar with the answer to this week's question:

What is the name of the method that prioritizes using local plants to reduce the amount of water used to maintain landscaping? (There are a few variations on this theme, and I'll accept any of them)

Email me your guess, and I'll send one lucky winner a couple of One Work stickers!

Remember when I went to Joshua Tree National Park? Well, I had hoped to go stargazing but was foiled by the cloudy weather. When I got home, I looked up the next new moon and made plans to revisit a lookout over Mt. Saint Helens last weekend. This was the result – not too shabby for an iPhone picture, right? I still need to get further from civilization to see the Milky Way with the naked eye again, but I am determined.