audio story by chris zatarain

when was the last time that you really, truly listened to your surroundings? where were you? what did you hear? how did you feel?

we live in a bustling and noisy world, and i for one find that there is not much room left for stillness—to be present and to really stretch my ears out and listen, even though it seems like there is always something going on. it can be exhausting. 

maybe you can relate, but to me, a retreat into the wilderness is always a welcome reprieve from the constant boom and chatter that accompanies modern life. trekking on a desert trail through saguaro national park or in ponderosa pine forest on mt. lemmon gives me a new palette of sound to tune into: 

birdsong.

wind in the trees.

the trickle of a waterfall tucked into the back of a quiet canyon.

i find it healing.

our world is changing every day, and sometimes it seems that the sprawl of human life expands more and more, and nature can often feel farther and farther away. 

in today’s conversation, i speak to laura gianonne, a field recording artist and acoustic ecology technician whose entire job is to listen to the natural world. 

laura travels the world capturing the sounds of vibrant ecosystems from the island of borneo, to the jungles of ecuador, chichibu national park in japan, and the shimmering dawn chorus of the olympic peninsula, among others. 

her skills and talents are used both in scientific endeavors aiding research and organizations like quiet parks international and bornean bird conservation, as well as to bring the peaceful, natural sounds of the world to the ears of weary listeners. 

we discuss the ways that acoustic ecology can be used in conservation and land management strategies, as well as the ways in which the act of listening can bring us some peace as well.

you can learn more about laura and listen to her beautiful field recordings, such as those featured in this audio piece, at ebbtidesound.com.

full transcript below:

chris zatarain  0:00  
what types of things can we learn when we listen to our environment? today i’m speaking with someone whose entire livelihood is based on recording and listening to natural sound.

laura gianonne  0:25  
my name is laura gianonne and i work as a sound engineer who specialized in field recording. and i also have a background in studying acoustic ecology. my college degree is from evergreen state in washington, and that’s where i lived for a long time enjoying the sounds of the forest there. i grew up in southern california and moved up to washington a little while after high school and then lived in a rural area worked on farms for a while and got involved in acoustic ecology community projects out on the olympic peninsula. currently, i mostly work as a sound editor and recording nature sounds but i also volunteer or do projects for quiet parks international and i’ve done work with forney and bird conservation as a student and i’m hoping to continue doing more field work with acoustic analysis and helping with the acoustic studies with that project again in the future.

chris zatarain  1:23  
great, so what is your favorite sound?

laura gianonne  1:26  
oh, that’s not fair. it would have to be waves. i grew up surfing. i don’t get to surf very much lately, but the sound of waves is really means a lot to me kind of cuts through to the soul for me.

chris zatarain  1:41  
all right, can you in general terms describe what acoustic ecology is and how it relates to your work as a field recordist and as an acoustic ecology technician?

laura gianonne  1:53  
sure, acoustic ecology is the field in which we study how beings relate to sound and their environment through sound. so i think maybe initially, the research was more focused on humans and the environment, and sound and how that you know, plays into how we feel in certain environments and things but there’s a lot of research about how animals and birds use sound to communicate and also how different kinds of sound affect their behavior. so like if there’s a new development that brings a lot more sound into a certain area. there are some studies and research on how that affects species in the area. so it’s, it’s a lot broader than just how it affects humans.

chris zatarain  2:42  
so as a field recordist what are some things that field recordings can tell us about the environment around us and the health of ecosystems?

laura gianonne  2:52  
a couple of studies that i’ve helped with setting up recording devices that basically can stay out on like a tree for days or weeks. in those cases, we were studying birds, so which birds are singing at which times a day and using acoustic data to see if certain species are actually present for one thing, especially if they’re threatened species or protected in some way? and then how often are they there? and so you can really get a lot of information about who’s there and when they’re there, basically, and what they’re doing from the acoustic data. and i think of field recordings in the same way. but for research you can glean a ton of information about which species are doing what at what times day, which is a great data set to analyze the ecosystem there. in the sonoran desert, when i was recording there, in the spring, i was hoping to record birdsong is migratory birds were coming through and it was a particularly dry spring. so because it was dry, there wasn’t as much food for the birds essentially, so not as many plants were blooming, fewer insects were present. and so i didn’t hear a big variety of migratory birds like i would have if there had been more rain and more water to produce, you know, food for the birds, essentially, birds being an indication of where people might enjoy being like, you can tell that it’s a dry period because, you know, there aren’t living things like passing through here in as much abundance as they would be if there was more precipitation. so in that way, it’s a sign that you’re not going to find as much water as you might other times of the year or after more rainfall. it’s an indicator of what’s happening. in the environment. so like that dry spring example, if the season is changing, or if there’s a lower more rainfall than usual that’ll affect the whole food chain and birds are really like striking and like, you know, audible, visible way to notice that you can notice plants flowering but if you notice that a certain bird that you normally see isn’t there regularly anymore, that can be a sign that something is shifted in the environment for that bird.

chris zatarain  5:18  
so in your knowledge and your experience, can you give a description of some ways that natural soundscapes are changing and what is driving some of those changes?

laura gianonne  5:28  
sure, there is a really cool study 2020 to 2021 in san francisco about white crown or white throated sparrows, and this study was about their vocalizations during that time. period, and showed that their songs became more complex during the time period when there was less traffic noise. so the city had experienced a significant shift in noise levels like a lot of cities had during that time. and birds were able to sing more complexly and be heard by other birds, i think is the assumption. so like, they won’t do it unless there’s a you know, purpose in it like if the other bird can’t hear them. it’s not working. so i think the idea is, basically there was fewer layers of noise to compete with and so the birds could revert to more complex song types, which was really interesting. so i think that was a really acute example of how the layers of noise that we create through various you know, industries and transportation can affect the soundscape by pretty pretty dramatically. i think that the massive amount of development all over the world really affects the acoustics of all of these natural spaces and our own spaces. so anytime we’re paving a road, it affects how species move through wilderness and also creates this noise corridor. so i’ve seen that everywhere, basically, just constant development, and then more and more air traffic a s well, that sound is very pervasive because of the altitude and the loudness of the jet. and i think that it’s mostly just that we continue to expand our development. basically, keep doing that everywhere. and in some cases, i think, you know, like, people need homes and, you know, industry and all these things. so i don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing, that we’re developing spaces, but i don’t think noise is always considered or at a top priority over other things, i think, especially with certain kinds of air traffic, it’s pretty tough to restrict that in terms of the noise that it’s causing.

chris zatarain  7:42  
can you tell us a little bit about how the data collected in acoustic ecology can be used to help in conservation efforts or land management efforts?

laura gianonne  7:54  
yeah, there’s one example of a project that i helped with on the olympic peninsula, there’s been an increase of jet traffic because of a specific navy project testing a certain a certain technique. so people have been trying to figure out or have been actually implementing different ways to monitor this for years now because of the huge impact it’s having on the community there. and so one study the researchers lauren keaney. and she basically just recorded different locations in the operation area for these flights, and then sorted through all of that data to identify which types of flights are happening and how loud they are. and that data has been used in the community discussion of the situation, but also in actual litigation. so she’s got this acoustic data set that she’s spent also a lot of time analyzing. and so it’s not just the data collection, but her work, doing statistics on it and and studying the data from that, that demonstrates what exactly is happening in terms of loudness and frequency of flights and then that can be used to make rules basically. and then quiet parks international is a similar concept. when we do surveys we’re looking at which types of noise is present and how long and how loud is it and that can be used to designate areas as quiet parks or quiet trails, or quiet urban parks. and so that data is used to basically highlight areas people can go to enjoy a place that’s pretty free from human caused noise, which is hard to find. so that’s being used in that way to help bring awareness of wilderness basically, but acoustic is really helpful in that way as well. it kind of adds to the thoroughness of detecting whether something’s there and then you can use that to say, okay, this threatened species exists here. so we’re going to have this thinning process happen that’s going to bring in machinery and whatnot. it could affect the species and then that’s kind of a powerful way to adjust what’s being done with the land. and then in other ways it to us to document if a species is present, and if it’s a threatened or endangered species, and there are certain mandated protections for that species. so if you have acoustic data that proves that an endangered species is in a forest, and you also have that forest is slated to be thinned or logged. then you have some information there to work with. like you can detect species by doing visual surveys and, you know, there’s different kinds of methods for that.

chris zatarain  10:40  
so why do you think it’s important to designate these specific quiet areas that people can go to and what are the benefits of being able to listen in these environments?

laura gianonne  10:54  
i think that people have an opportunity to be in a place that doesn’t have layers of noise, where they can spend time hearing what a bird or an insect sounds like or a mammal or something or the wind through branches without having to listen over all this other noise. it just becomes a lot more clear what’s happening in the natural environment around you because you’re not having to strain to hear it over all the other stuff that we normally are exposed to. so i hope people can find places to go where they can have that experience and it can be a little bit unsettling at first because i feel like i get all of this, you know, if i’m in an urban environment where there’s a lot of sound sources that are quite loud like i get all of this information like that, and then i go into a space or a forest or something away from that, that doesn’t have it. and suddenly you have this whole different sensory experience. it’s very dramatically different than that kind of typical listening environment that i think most people are in most of the time. and then i mean, there are like natural acoustic environments like in tropical forests are really loud during the day. so or like heavy rain, you know, or in the desert out and storms and stuff. and there’s plenty of natural experiences that are very loud so it’s not all just like one wren singing in the tree or something. but i think getting to hear that without all of the layers is a pretty special experience that people can have by moving away from those places that are more dense, but it’s sometimes hard to access it because it’s a long drive or flight or something.

chris zatarain  12:38  
yeah, i think that’s a really good point. and i think that that’s why things like field recordings can be so useful because they make natural sound a little more accessible. where can people find and listen to more of your work?

laura gianonne  12:51  
i have a website for my business called https://ebbtidesound.com/. and i also have a soundcloud channel. so all of that you can access through my website.

chris zatarain  13:02  
awesome. thank you so much, laura.

it is hard to believe there was a time when what was renamed as the c&o canal national historical park was unknown to me and not a part of my life. but once i reached it, there was simply no turning back. that very same place i had avoided because it seemed too far from home, now became a part of my life, requiring hours at a time for wandering the towpath, mountain trails, tunnels, across wetlands, and always taking field notes and pictures. having been a teacher meant that i was always wondering how to convey this sense of exploration and discovery to others, especially the coming generation that was losing its contact with the natural world.

when biodiversity took off

over the next three decades, separately, but soon to be interconnected, came a growing awareness of the world’s biota. in 1986, scientists dr. e.o. wilson and dr. thomas lovejoy led a national forum on biodiversity, which catapulted this subject into prominence. at this particular meeting, the national parks lacked a formal spokesperson regarding the biota within their boundaries.

one goal of this forum was to gain attention to the need for management and attention to our living, global species. as time passed, the concept and meaning of biodiversity grew from a novelty of the 1980s to the subject of global conventions and reports. reflecting on the interconnectedness of life, biodiversity came to stand for the study, discussion, and conservation of the various species that live on our planet. as this message reached out to the public, those crafting educational standards for science in grades k-12 also recognized the significance of biodiversity, albeit in a very truncated form. standards for such were instilled as part of the next generation science standards, a product of the national research council published in 2012.

eventually the national parks were recognized as another location where biodiversity could be found and studied. this recognition came as visitor’s interests were increasing and diversifying. thus, parks had to scale up efforts to meet both the new interests of visitors and programs for the protection and conservation of biodiversity. an early example of such came in 2004 with a report titled, “the potomac gorge conservation plan,” which marked the first set of biodiversity surveys in the c&o canal park. this was done cooperatively between the national park service and the nature conservancy. however, it was not until 2018 that a strategic plan emerged for conservation to enter park planning.

a more recent document, from our national academy of sciences is titled biodiversity at risk, which highlights extinction rates of 10 to 100 times those recorded before human domination. it also finds that at least 1 million species are further threatened with loss of life and concludes by recognizing how such losses cause decline in the world’s functioning ecosystems.

sadly, in late december 2021, these global losses were again brought to our attention, but this time marked by remembrances and obituaries telling of the deaths of two scientists, who, more than any others, pioneered our understanding of the significance of the earth’s green treasures, and whose thinking would come to influence the national parks as well.

first, lovejoy, 80, known as the person who produced the word biodiversity, passed away on saturday, dec. 25, followed just a day later by wilson, who died at age 92 on dec. 26. their lives’ work became synonymous with the practice of understanding the birth, death, and loss of species, and how this understanding would guide conservation.

lovejoy first ventured into the tropics in 1965 and continued to expand his research by opening an educational camp in the tropical forests of brazil. from his forested camp 41, award-winning research on fragmentation of forests was born. it became a place where those most interested in the workings of a rainforest could be housed and informed by lovejoy himself of the often-unseeable entities hiding among the towering canopies.

among things championed by wilson was the bioblitz, an event of citizen science at its best. one such event was held in 2016 to locate and identify species from the chesapeake and ohio canal national historical park.

responsibilities for biodiversity in the c&o canal park became part of its current strategic plan (2018 to 2023), to “maintain and protect wisely, to ensure towpath continuity, and protect and preserve cultural and natural resources.” it is this section that contains a strategic plan to develop and implement resource management by prioritizing critical natural areas and species of special concern. thus, while not yet embracing biodiversity by name, actions that lead to the conservation of species are now part of the park’s strategy.

a world canal conference

all reservoirs of biodiversity are a painting of inter-connectedness. this applies to the c&o canal park as well, along with the possibility to serve as a wildlife and conservation corridor. this suggestion was highlighted at the most recent world canals conference, held in august 2021 in hagerstown, maryland. in my presentation (“the capital’s corridor: from purveyor of goods to conservation corridor,” and two others), the emerging focus of biodiversity alongside the canals was discussed for the first time in this series of annual meetings, and participants could begin to consider this issue in relation to the more traditional history and interpretation and canal infrastructure discussions. a personal questionnaire was also distributed to seek guidance on how these issues should be managed by the c&o canal park.

in this talk, it was mentioned that the c&o canal park offers possibilities for exploring biodiversity and as a wildlife/conservation corridor. to do so, the corridor would take the same route as the canal and towpath, as if a passenger on a train. and as the canal stretches northward, so does the potential for a corridor, cutting through six geologic zones, climbing in altitude over 600 feet, each having different biota. as with all national parks, such diversity, remaining natural formations, historical and engineering artifacts, combined with our new and increasing understanding of biodiversity make the park more than the towpath and locks.

an alphabetized guide to the chesapeake and ohio canal national historical park

in fact, this park can open visitors up to life in nature, something that is getting harder to accomplish this close to major metropolitan areas. complete with great falls, and the kayak riders that dare the rapids, one finds a form of wilderness built of unique parts, sitting, waiting for others like justice douglas to ponder. with this thought in mind, a new guide to the canal park was begun with the intent to help readers rapidly locate those things of greatest interest. 

the question then became how to put this all together with old school and new school; a little bit fun, a little bit learning; a little bit art, a little bit science, and a hint of natural history and american history. it’s all for you, so put it to work. our response to this seemingly immense challenge is to provide excerpts from a book under production, titled, “an alphabetized guide to the chesapeake and ohio canal national historical park.” it is structured and illustrated to provide immergence for what is seen from the towpath and what the viewer knows already. it is like having a guide to ask, “but what is that and what does it do?”

however, while this book points one in the right direction, this national park and its exiting pools of biodiversity would benefit even more by modifying educational and research approaches conceived by lovejoy and wilson for establishing longer term programs. secondary students could undertake biodiversity studies that are consistent with educational standards from ngss (next generation science standards). in this time of restricted travel, financial pressures, and a virus complex still largely misunderstood, the opportunity to conduct work on populations, species, wetland, and fragmentation would go far in accelerating learning prior to graduate school or employment.

in summary, the book might best thought of as a guide to the constellations. so, think for a moment, how do we learn the constellations in the nighttime sky? at first, you see thousands of stars looking all the same, but as study their brightness and color, you suddenly see the major stars come forward in your eyes and voice in your ears, whispers, “that is the one, now look to your right and above, and there is another.” then slowly one star at a time, and following those clues whispered in your ears, the entire constellation appears in the sky, that very same sky where before there was nothing but he unknown twinkling of a thousand points of light.

except in our book, the night sky becomes an outstretching of green, blues and browns that slowly come into focus, completing a picture of a sycamore leaf swaying, waiting for the sun, and from there, we go inside the leaf, from cells to photosynthesis. you start with what you see or what’s on your mind, and next thing you know, like hearing voices in your ears of lovejoy, wilson, rachel carson, margaret mee, jane goodall, wangari maathai, fred urquhart, and on and on they come, a song that won’t stop and a melody that won’t let your feet stop dancing till the book is closed. you know that feeling, don’t you? so, take a walk on the towpath, any ol’ time of day and be surprised by what you see and learn.

conclusion: camp 41a, an education between the potomac river and the c&o canal

the canal was saved once, by the efforts of many who conceived of it as a national park rather than a parkway. thanks to their foresight, the canal was opened for a second time, only this time for nature not commerce. we hope that the book previewed and excerpted here will help bring together a place and its artifacts; its species and the science behind what is visible, the elements that bind its parts together, and help open eyes once again and fire up the engines of wilson and lovejoy to take us all place still unknown.

it is in lovejoy’s memory that “camp 41a” could be established for the canal where students could undertake much as lovejoy did, field studies on migration, fragmentation, speciation and the effects of corridors, thus enriching their education.

why be concerned about this park in particular? right now, it offers the potential to be the capital’s corridor, meaning that it becomes akin to a strip of “natural” habitat bringing together two or more other habitats, which then counters the effects of fragmentation, enriching the means by which organisms can move, encounter new genetic populations, and migrate. this could be the future of the biodiversity study in c&o canal park.

the exact amount of land currently protected varies depending on who you ask, but a 2018 report from the center for american progress estimates that only about 12% of the nation’s land and 26% of its waters are protected. the biden administration has a lot of work ahead of it if it’s going to increase these numbers, especially if they want to do so in a way that will actually benefit biodiversity, climate, and the myriad of other goals listed in the executive order.

blake alexander simmons, an ecologist with boston university, was the lead researcher on a recently released white paper that examined how the biden administration should go about delivering on his conservation commitments. the study created four maps of hypothetical protected area networks in the continental u.s. that could get the country to 30% protection, each with one of four different objectives in mind. the objectives were biodiversity preservation, climate change mitigation, connected landscape preservation, and ease of reaching the area goal by 2030.

together the maps revealed challenges for the biden administration going forward. for instance simmons noted how little land in the u.s. meets all the requirements listed by the administration: “even just with those four objectives let alone of all of the others that are in biden’s executive order it’s going to be really hard to find where we can get win, win, win, win; wins across the board. so tradeoffs are gonna come into play and that’s why it’s really important that we get clear very early on what objectives really matter.”

even the few regions that are highlighted in all four maps like northern maine, may be highlighted so often because of local ordinances mandating non-disclosure agreements for land sales, limiting the study’s data set and showing land prices as artificially low and attractive. the unfortunate challenge is that land that hosts biodiverse habitat does not necessarily hold a lot of carbon or sit upon property that can be cheaply bought and converted to conservation purposes.

for instance much of america’s unprotected biodiversity lies in the southeast where protected areas are rare and small. buying land to build new preserves could be prohibitively expensive due to the region’s high land costs, so other measures like conservation easements (agreements with landowners to manage their property for biodiversity) will be needed. it would be easy to just preserve large swaths of the west to reach the land goal but this would not deliver biodiversity or climate benefits.

jacob malcom, the director for the center of conservation innovation at defenders of wildlife, expressed hope that the biden administration was up to the task. his organization has been involved with the white house and numerous other stakeholders in the conservation community and beyond in developing the plan by which the 30% by 2030 will be reached. 

he said: “this is something that’s completely doable. we can do this and the fact that this is an all hands on deck — it’s everybody’s involved. it’s not a top down. it is the president setting a goal for the country, but it’s not a dictation of how this will be achieved. we can do this for nature, for climate, for people to be a part of these things.”

“kashia culture and identity is strongly rooted in the natural world. managing our natural resources and lands in a way that increases their resiliency and productivity ensures our traditional practices and cultural values are passed to future generations.”

—abby gomes, kashia band of pomo indians tribe member

before colonization, the kashia band of pomo indians lived along california’s vast sonoma county coast. by 1915 the kashia only owned .007% of their original territory on a reservation called stewarts point rancheria, or as the tribe calls it “su nu nu shinal” (meaning “huckleberry heights”). this drastic decrease in territory caused equally drastic changes for the kashia’s livelihood, diet, and culture forcing many tribe members to live off-reservation. today, with the help of numerous organizations, the kashia’s reservation and territories span around 1,230 acres, including the kashia coastal reserve. with this increase in territory, kashia land management and cultural practices also resurged.

i had the opportunity to learn about the reintroduction of such practices from kashia tribe members abby gomes, hannah banuelos, and otis parrish. kashia traditional practices teach invaluable lessons on living in harmony with the environment for ourselves and our local ecosystems.

sustainable land and resource management

the dense pine forests we see today did not exist prior to european settlement. in fact, many of the trees and shrubs that now litter the coast are invasive species which have taken over without indigenous land management. the kashia previously managed such species through burning the brush, maintaining the iconic california “golden hills” landscape. “periodic cultural burnings maintained these coastal grasslands and openings from encroachment by bishop pine forest and coastal scrub,” kashia member gomes said. the cultural burnings also encouraged seed germination of native plant species as well as the presence of large populations of deer and elk through maintaining their natural grazing areas. “the land and natural resources were managed in a way that ensured their continuance and productivity into the future.”

this cultural burning is being reintroduced to the area by the kashia to manage invasive species, reduce forest fires, encourage native species growth, and restore natural habitat.

beyond periodic burning, the kashia are also taking a traditional-turned-modern approach to maintaining their ecosystems through formally surveying and monitoring their reserve with their planned kashia coastal reserve tribal citizen science monitoring program.

according to gomes, the program “includes kashia values and is modeled after the greater farallones association’s beach watch program.” the kashia program plans to engage tribe members in monitoring human use activities and resources important to the tribe including marine mammals and bird species.

one large problem the tribe faces is the lack of marine resources upon which they depend. private land ownership of the tribe’s former territory, restrictions made by government, and overharvesting by those outside the tribe cause this scarcity.

maintaining the ability to gather these coastal resources ensures the continuance of cultural traditions and practices,” gomes said. “returning back to the coast, (the) kashia (tribe) now has an opportunity to reconnect its tribe membership with the ocean and revitalize its cultural traditions, practices, and land management values.”

despite hindrances that have developed post-colonization, the tribe manages its coastal reserve through these practices as a gateway for educating the public about kashia history and practices.

seasonal and native diet

kashia people were migratory in the sonoma region. in the summer they gathered food from the ocean focusing mainly on seaweed but also mussels, “abalone, fish, sea anemone and kelp” according to tribe member banuelos. during the spring, the tribe fished the river for salmon and trout. during the colder seasons, the tribe harvested indian potatoes, clovers, and acorns. however, according to fellow tribe member parrish, european settlement introduced non-native foods including “flour, coffee, pigs…sheep…melons, cabbage, carrots, and apples.”

as a result of adding non-native foods to their diets, and given the reduction in harvesting territory, tribe members have since suffered from assorted illnesses including diabetes.

but, banuelos says, “a lot of elders really rely on their traditional foods…it makes them feel better. they believe in it. it makes their body and their health a bit stronger.” that is to say, tribe members believe in maintaining their health and ecosystems through consuming native food.

there are specific traditions the tribe follows before, during, and after harvesting, processing, and preparing native food.

according to banuelos, “there’s preparation…they do a little ceremony…they pray with clapper sticks…sing songs for thanking the ocean for providing food for us. we only take what we need for our family.” this spiritual connection with indigenous food affirms how the kashia are grateful for their sustenance and take only what is needed — an important concept given the amount of food waste occurring throughout the united states.

continuing kashia practices

to perpetuate kashia sustainable practices through their culture, the tribe also emphasizes financial security for tribal members, and the importance of preserving kashia language.

it is difficult to keep tribe members engaged if they cannot afford to live on or near the reservation, especially with california’s rising housing prices. banuelos emphasizes “more homes on the land for our tribe would be good. (we) try to make sure our people are taken care of first… otherwise, i think our tribe is doing pretty good.”

according to parrish, the loss of language is the largest problem given it is a vehicle for passing on traditional practices. he highlights that when one learns their culture’s stories, “the story becomes a part of them.”

for banuelos and parrish, the key to ensuring financial security and preserving their culture is to focus on kashia youth. parrish said, “to our young people, get an education and come back to our people and do something constructive for everybody. that’s the message my generation has given to the next generation coming up.”

by improving financial security, teaching the kashia language, and focusing on the next generation, kashia could flourish and continue to be an example of a society living in harmony with the environment through sustainable land, resource, and food management practices.

—

in many ways, the sustainability story of the american farmer mirrors that of every other american. farmers genuinely care about doing their part to protect our planet, for all the same reasons as anyone else. they want to leave behind a world that’s just a little bit better than how they found it.

this is the refrain we hear again and again from the agricultural community at every meeting, conference, hearing and media appearance. while it’s a worthy sentiment, i believe it’s time to update our message to reflect the changing reality of our industry.

recently, i spoke at george washington university’s planet forward summit, an event focused on effective communication and compelling sustainability storytelling. i was pleased that the organizers included not only myself, but nebraska farmer roric paulman, to share sustainability stories from the agricultural perspective.

my message is simple: to move our planet forward, farmers must lead the charge. but they can’t do it alone.

coordinated action on sustainability across the food supply chain is the only way to achieve lasting progress. the rest of the food supply chain can and should do more to support farmers. and that starts with expanding how we talk about sustainability.

here’s why: more than any other person, organization, company or government agency, american farmers have daily and near-constant contact with the land. every day, american farmers make conservation decisions that impact 915 million u.s. acres – nearly half of the land in the continental united states.

we’ve all heard the statistic that we’ll need to feed 9 billion people by 2050, and that harsher drought, severe weather, and more pests will make this increasingly difficult. we sometimes fall into the trap of talking about these challenges as though they’re a generation away. but for farmers, they are happening right now.

that’s why it’s time to start thinking and talking about sustainability differently. in order to achieve lasting progress, we must connect big-ticket goals – the increasingly common company commitments to slashing emissions and saving kilowatt hours of energy – to the daily reality of what farmers face, acre-by-acre and field-by-field.

that’s why land o’lakes has made a major investment in this idea of farmer-owned and -driven sustainability – including, but not limited to, standing up our land o’lakes sustain business unit.

as a farmer-owned cooperative, we exist to add value for our member-owners. the thousands of farmers who own us recognize the value of sustainability and are invested in its future.

as a fortune 200 cpg company, we have the connections and the credibility to rally the energy and scale of the entire food supply chain around farmer-driven sustainability – including farmers, marketers, ag retailers, non-governmental organizations, food companies, government, and consumers.

our products are staples in grocery stores across america, and we do business in many other nations around the world. every move our farmer members make to improve sustainability on their farms has a positive ripple effect down the entire supply chain.

through our farmer-owned approach, we are unlocking the greatest potential from farm-to-fork, using our network to deliver precision conservation tools, data and services to farmers, and rooting it all in our expertise and 96-year heritage as a farmer-owned cooperative.

a great example of this is the work that we are doing with walmart. land o’lakes was one of the first suppliers to join project gigaton, walmart’s goal to remove 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases from its supply chain by 2030. as part of this effort, we have committed to assessing all of our milk supply for emissions and working with farmers across 20 million acres to improve fertilizer optimization, soil health and water management.

bringing together big-picture, company-level sustainability commitments and the acre-by-acre conservation efforts of farmers makes both more effective. it engages farmers in advancing conservation solutions across millions of acres of farmland in a more coordinated way. it allows us to collect and then translate data that not only helps farmers continuously improve their stewardship, but also helps consumers access clear information about how their food was produced.

coordinated action on sustainability across the food supply chain that puts farmers in the drivers’ seat is the only way to achieve lasting progress on the sustainability challenges we face as an industry and as a country. it is the best way to move our planet forward, together.

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this op-ed originally was published on agri-pulse. published with permission.