NWF News: Invasive Carp, Herbicide Drift, Environmental Justice

NWF and affiliates make progress on halting invasive carp and herbicide drift; plus, a new environmental justice mapping tool

By Delaney McPherson
NWF News
Dec 18, 2024

A Clear Path Forward

At its Annual Meeting last June, the National Wildlife Federation unveiled a new strategic plan, Meeting the Moment: Ensuring Wildlife, People, and Ecosystems Thrive. The plan lays out NWF’s objectives and strategies for 2024 through 2030—a year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has identified as a critical deadline for stabilizing the climate.

In the plan, NWF pinpoints three pillars of focus: wildlife recovery (including bison, above) and habitat restoration, climate solutions and clean energy, and environmental justice and community resilience. Each pillar includes supporting objectives and strategies, such as increasing wildlife habitat in urban and suburban areas, and seeking nature-based solutions.

The plan was developed over a year by NWF staff, affiliates and board members, demonstrating NWF’s commitment to the One Federation model, which encourages input from all levels of the organization.

“The conservation needs of this country have arguably never been greater, nor have our potential contributions to wildlife, society and this planet more profound,” says Collin O’Mara, NWF president and CEO. “We must be united and resolute on our objectives and precise in our strategies to achieve them.”

Over the next six years, the strategic plan will guide NWF and affiliates’ work toward the shared mission of ensuring all wildlife, people and ecosystems thrive, especially at this integral juncture. Read the full strategic plan.

An image of NWF's Environmental Justice Mapping tool.

Mapping Issues and Assets

Environmental injustices don’t happen in a vacuum. Where there’s one inequity—the presence of hazardous waste or lack of food sovereignty—there are often more. To visualize these complexities, NWF’s Environmental Justice (EJ) team has launched the Environmental Justice Mapping Tool.

Using stacked layers of data on extreme weather, redlining and more, the tool displays where environmental injustices are occurring. It also highlights community groups working to address concerns. Map users can see where issues overlap, which areas are affected and how people can help.

“The opportunities are pretty endless with this map,” says Becca Ward, a member of the EJ team. “It’s not stagnant and will continue to grow and develop.”

The map currently plots more than 500 sites and 2,200 groups (above). Explore the interactive tool.

An image of jumping silver carp.

Keeping Out Carp

Last July, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed an agreement to green-light the Brandon Road Lock and Dam project in Joliet, Illinois: a critical step toward keeping nonnative carp out of the Great Lakes. Invasive bighead and silver carp pose a danger to waterways, as they outcompete native species for food and can injure people and damage boats when they jump out of the water (above). The agreement allocates nearly $400 million for the first phase of the project, retrofitting the existing lock and dam with technology to prevent invasive fish passage. NWF staff educated key stakeholders on the project and helped secure the agreement, a huge win for the Great Lakes region and its multibillion-dollar fishing and recreation industry. Construction is set to begin in early 2025.

Donor Spotlight: Jackie Durazo and Tom Miller of San Jose, California

WHY I GIVE “Largely for our grandkids. We’re nowhere near being grandparents, but we would be foolish to not think two or three generations out in what we do today.”

Interested in learning more about the impact you can have on wildlife? Please visit nwf.org/donate.

An image of children walking through a field.

Halting the Drift

Since 1967, Prairie Rivers Network (PRN), an NWF affiliate, has been a leader in protecting Illinois from agricultural and industrial pollution. Once known for its 22 million acres of prairie, the state now holds only a small remnant of that landscape. In response, PRN’s mission is to safeguard Illinois’ vital ecosystems by harnessing the power of science, law and collective action to protect water, heal land and inspire change throughout the state.

Illinois’ history of coal mining and monoculture farming poses a particular threat to its rural communities. Challenges include herbicide drift, which occurs when herbicides intended for farmland are carried up to miles away from where they are applied, causing damage to prairies, yards and forests. For the past seven years, PRN has been monitoring herbicide drift and educating Illinoisans about its harmful effects on biodiversity, climate health and communities (a PRN staff member points out herbicide injury to a tree, below).

An image of a PRN staff member pointing out herbicide injury on leaves.

In July, PRN published its findings in the report Hidden in Plain Sight, which documents symptoms of drift at 99 percent of the sites surveyed. This research underscores the need to protect schools (nature-based preschool, top), state-protected natural areas and private property from chemical trespass.

“There’s not a simple solution. There’s not going to be one or two bills that will solve this problem,” says Kim Erndt-Pitcher, PRN director of ecological health. “This is a systemic issue that requires long-term changes to our agricultural systems. But we must take immediate steps to reduce drift injuries.”

Habitat protection is just one aspect of PRN’s work. To stop pollution in the state, PRN recognizes the importance of collaborating with local communities to find sustainable and cleaner solutions. When mines close and industrial agriculture pushes out family farmers, communities struggle. PRN helps connect rural residents to resources—including a scholarship for the children of laid-off coal workers—and emphasizes their role at the decision-making table. Says Johnathan Hettinger, PRN communications director, “We want to make sure people know they can influence decisions.”

An image of people in a tent smiling.

Bulletin: Success Stories

Each year, the NWF Impact Report tells stories of recovered wildlife, environmental justice efforts, conservation wins and more. Read the 2024 Impact Report.