40 Acre Conservation League seeks to protect land for future generations

Hey ya’ll, 

As you may know, I have a podcast called Earthmovers that features conversations with trailblazers who are reclaiming the narrative in their respective spaces of influence. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Jade Stevens, cofounder of the 40 Acre Conservation League, California’s first Black-led land conservancy. Jade is a POWERHOUSE and somebody who gives me faith in our future.   

This story is adapted from the Out & Back newsletter. If you’re not a subscriber, you can sign up here.

The name of the conservancy pays homage to a broken promise made to formerly enslaved African Americans after the Civil War, who were promised forty acres and a mule to provide a modicum of reparations for what they had endured and to restart a life in the newly reformed country.  

Jade’s organization carries the torch, with the vision of both protecting land for generations to come and providing public access to the land for recreation for generations to come. At a time when the current administration is reducing public lands and hobbling the Endangered Species Act, knowing that people like Jade exist and are doing the important work of conserving essential resources for future generations is a literal breath of fresh air.   

Part of Jade’s work is also to reconnect Black people with our ancestral relationship to the land. While Black people have faced and continue to face prejudice and hatred in the outdoors in the United States, many Black people in this country descend from enslaved Africans who were kidnapped and stolen from Africa specifically for their expertise in land stewardship and farming. Being connected to the land is not new to us – it is in fact a return and a reclamation. 

I can’t stop thinking about her important work and I encourage you to learn more about it! 

Behind the scenes

It is officially mushroom foraging season!  I have plans on the calendar to go matsutake mushroom foraging and I’m reminded of season 3, episode 5 when I had the opportunity to go foraging with PeiPei Sung, a mycology enthusiast. What I have found is that having hobbies and interests throughout the rainy and dark season here in Seattle makes life more bearable. Rather than dreading the darkness, I can look forward to what this season makes possible.  

Get Outdoors

• Green Tacoma Day – Oct. 10. Join neighbors and community partners across Tacoma for a morning of planting, restoration and caring for the green spaces that make the city a better place to live. 
• Create Space for Wellness and Your Mental Health – Oct. 16 at lululemon University Village. Panel discussion for wellness leaders about managing their mental health, while holding space for others, followed by movement designed to regulate the nervous system. 
• Families belong together fundraiser ride – Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. This ride is open to all allies and people of conscience who refuse to stand still when thousands of immigrants are being unjustifiably detained or deported.  
• Women’s Outdoor Connection Event – Oct. 23 and 24 at REI Seattle Flagship. A women-centered gathering that welcomes everyone who supports the mission of getting women outdoors.  
• Seattle Sauna Festival – Nov. 7 and 8. The Pacific Northwest’s first large-scale gathering dedicated to the art of sauna.