California Black Media

Lawmakers Present $3 Million Check to 40-Acre Conservation League for Its First Land Acquisition

On Aug. 24, Assemblymembers Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun), chair of the Legislative Black Caucus and Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson) presented a $3 million symbolic check to the 40-Acre Conservation League, California’s first and only Black-led conservation group. This investment, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Board and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, will help the league acquire its first land acquisition, a 650-acre plot 70 miles north of Sacramento.

Published

2 years ago

October 2, 2023

Oakland Post

Shown left to right, Sacramento Branch of NAACP President Betty Williams, Jade Stevens (president; 40 Acre Conservation League), Asm. Mike Gipson (D-Carson), and Julie Avis, chief deputy executive officer from Sierra Nevada Conservancy. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey. Aug. 25, 2023.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. and
Edward Henderson
California Black Media

This investment, provided by the Wildlife Conservation Board and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, will help the league acquire its first land acquisition, a 650-acre plot 70 miles north of Sacramento.

“I am so thrilled that I was able to help secure $3 million for 40-Acre Conservation League’s first land acquisition,” said Gipson. “This remarkable achievement is a gateway for more people of color to enter the conservancy space, and it demonstrates that when like-minded organizations unite for a common cause, they can achieve remarkable results.”

The 40-Acre Conservation League is a nonprofit land conservancy that aims to protect nature by connecting people to it, especially people of color. It also wants to acquire land for economic, environmental and recreational justice.

“With the support and partnership of assemblymembers Mike Gipson and Lori Wilson, we’re excited and humbled to make history as the first Black-led land conservancy in California,” said Jade Stevens, president of the 40-Acre Conservation League. “Today represents a strong step forward in rectifying historical wrongs, restoring dignity, and providing the foundation for economic empowerment and social equity. We look forward to what lies ahead.”