Conservation Efforts Counter Pressures Across American Landscapes

Communities are turning to trees and native vegetation as practical symbols and tools for environmental resilience. In Las Vegas, two seedlings descended from New York City’s 9/11 Survivor Tree have taken root as memorials to both the terrorist attacks and the 2017 Route 91 shooting, despite the challenges of adapting to a desert climate. Entomologist Doug Tallamy’s Pennsylvania property illustrates how removing invasive plants and restoring native species can dramatically increase biodiversity, supporting hundreds of moth, bird and other wildlife species. Along Michigan’s high-water-damaged lakeshores, native plants are being used to stabilize soil, slow runoff and reduce the risk of invasive species returning, though severe erosion may require additional measures. Meanwhile, Santa Catalina Island faces the opposite challenge: mass tourism is placing intense pressure on limited water, infrastructure and fragile ecosystems, prompting conservation efforts such as visitor permits, invasive-species removal and water restrictions.