Land protection

Mount Ascutney rises 3,000 feet above the town of West Windsor, Vermont. For generations, the ski resort at its base was the community’s center of gravity—until warming winters and a vanishing snowpack drove the resort out of business in 2010. Without a steady stream of visitors, property values...

In the middle of the day, in the middle of Saguaro National Park, in the middle of June, not much moves on the land. Temperatures in the Sonoran Desert outside Tucson routinely climb above 100 degrees this time of year, so most people (and critters) spend daylight hours keeping cool.

But...

The Delaware River, the longest free-flowing waterway east of the Mississippi, meanders more than 300 miles from the Catskill Mountains in New York to Delaware Bay. Along the way, it serves as a major port, provides drinking water to 13 million people, and beckons hikers, kayakers, and birders....

Even if your favorite parks are closed to help slow the spread of COVID-19, you can still find nature in your neighborhood—and you can even help care for the planet from your own backyard or balcony.

How? Plant some milkweed. It’s a beautiful, hardy perennial, and it’s crucial for...