NCTC

Date:

Location:

National Conservation Training Center, Shepherdstown, WV

Course Description:

This course is offered by the Army Corps of Engineers, US Environmental Protection Agency and US Fish & Wildlife Service, in partnership with The Conservation Fund. This comprehensive week-long training for federal and state regulators who serve on mitigation bank and in-lieu fee program Interagency Review Teams (IRTs) will:

• Provide IRT’s with a thorough grounding in the relevant federal policy guiding the review, establishment, and management of mitigation banks and in-lieu fee programs.
  
• Build IRT expertise at both the individual and team level. These skills will be developed through a combination of both presentations and exercises that rely upon existing federal policies, case studies of existing interagency review efforts, and hearing from experienced members of interagency review teams. IRT’s will leave with solid expertise on how to effectively and efficiently review and oversee the establishment and operation of mitigation banks and in-lieu fee programs.
  
• Develop the leadership skills necessary to be an effective member of an IRT.

Target Audience:

This training course will accommodate up to 40 participants. 14 slots will be reserved for Corps representatives, 7 for EPA, 7 for US FWS, 5 for NOAA representatives, and 7 for representatives from various state agencies. If interested in attending, please contact the point person from your agency. Note: your request will be considered alongside others from your agency, around the country. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance in April of 2012.

• ACE: David Olson (David.B.Olson@USACE.ARMY.MIL)
• FWS: Jason Miller (Jason_Miller@fws.gov)
• EPA: Palmer Hough (Hough.Palmer@epamail.epa.gov)
• NOAA: Susan Stedman (Susan.Stedman@noaa.gov)
• State Agencies: DOWNLOAD Application Form -- Application deadline is April 2, 2012.

Course Tuition:

Lodging and Meals Information:

Lodging and meals are available at the training center for $128/night (includes full meal plan). All participants (including those from US FWS) are responsible for this expense.

Contact Information:

For more information, contact:
Margarita Carey
The Conservation Fund
Phone: (304) 876-7924
mcarey@conservationfund.org

Other Information:

For additional information on compensatory mitigation, see 'Related Links' at right.

Date:

Location:

Ball State University Alumni Center in Muncie, Indiana, USA

Course Description:

This four-day course presented by The Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute will cover the fundamentals of design and management of water reuse systems. Staff from the Freshwater Institute (Shepherdstown, WV) will teach the course.

Registration Instructions:

Early Registration Deadline: May 1, 2012. After May 1st, tuition will increase to $950. CLICK HERE to download detailed registration instructions. Once you create a user account, click on "ADD TO CART" button at top right of screen.

Course Leaders:

• Steven T. Summerfelt, Ph.D., P.E., Director of Aquaculture Systems Research
  
• Brian J. Vinci, Ph.D., P.E., Director of Engineering Services
  
• Christopher M. Good, Ph.D., D.V.M., Director of Aquaculture Veterinary Research

Course Length:

4 days

Course Tuition:

Contact Information:

For more information, please contact Margarita Carey.

Date:

Location:

Held at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in Shepherdstown, WV.

Course Description:

Conservation banking is a tool to conserve species and their habitat, while simultaneously streamlining the mitigation process for regulatory agencies, bank sponsors, project permittees and credit buyers. This course is designed to foster collaboration among regulators, bankers and users ensuring that all entities have a thorough grounding in conservation banking policy in order to facilitate the establishment of banks and in-lieu fee programs on the ground. In addition to covering the core elements of conservation banking establishment and implementation, recovery crediting and other associated credit trading systems and concepts will be addressed.

Course Objectives:

• Provide a thorough grounding in the relevant federal policy and regulations guiding the review,
  establishment, and operation of conservation banks and in-lieu fee programs

• Enable participants to identify the need for and opportunities associated with conservation banking
  programs including economic benefits of third party compensatory offsets from both a bankers’ and
  users’ perspective

• Provide solid expertise and understanding in how conservation banks and in-lieu fee programs are
  effectively and efficiently reviewed and overseen in both their establishment and operation

Target Audience:

Slots are available to members of the following agencies/entities: US Fish & Wildlife Service, US Army, US Marine Corps, Federal Highway Administration, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the National Mitigation Banking Association. Each entity will identify and select their participants.

Course Tuition:

Contact Information:

For more information, please contact Kris Hoellen at 304-876-7462 or khoellen@conservationfund.org

Other Information:

The course is offered in partnership by The Conservation Fund, US Fish & Wildlife Service, US Army, US Marine Corps, Federal Highway Administration, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the National Mitigation Banking Association.

Date:

Location:

National Conservation Training Center (NCTC), Shepherdstown, WV

Course Description:

This introductory course provides participants with a strategic approach for prioritizing conservation opportunities and a planning framework for conservation and development – integrating the green and the grey. Through hands-on class projects, lectures, and numerous case studies, participants will experience firsthand how the green infrastructure approach can be used to connect environmental, social, and economic health across urban, suburban, and rural settings. Participants will also learn how green infrastructure planning can serve as a tool to inform land use decisions and build consensus among diverse interests.

Course Objectives

• Describe green infrastructure concepts and principles and explain its ecological and social benefits;

• Explore techniques for planning and designing green infrastructure networks at the statewide, regional, and local levels;

• Describe options for financing and implementing green infrastructure plans; and

• Compare and contrast successful approaches for integrating green infrastructure into conservation planning and land protection.

To Register:

Registration Deadline: Tuesday, February 21, 2012!

To download detailed registration instructions, please CLICK HERE. NOTE: For those from FWS, BLM or NPS, please go to DOI Learn and search for "Strategic Conservation Planning Using a Green Infrastructure Approach" then proceed through registration process.

Limited scholarships now available! For questions on the registration process and/or to request scholarship assistance, please contact Margarita Carey.

Professional Credits Now Available

The following organizations have approved this course for continuing education or similar professional development credits:

• American Society of Landscape Architects

• International Society of Arboriculture (up to 27.75 CEUs)

• The Wildlife Society (up to 33.5 contact hours)

• Association of State Floodplain Managers (6 parallel CECs)

For more information, please contact us.

Target Audience:

This course is designed to be a collaborative learning experience; as such it is applicable to individuals from a variety of disciplines, sectors, and scales (i.e., national, regional, statewide, local) who are engaged in land use planning and management.

Course Leaders:

• Kris Hoellen, The Conservation Fund
• Bill Jenkins, EPA Region 3
• CJ Lammers, Maryland--National Capital Park & Planning Commission, Prince George’s County

Course Length:

4.5 Days

Course Tuition:

Lodging and Meals Information:

$129/night on-site at NCTC (includes meals)

Contact Information:

For more information, contact Margarita Carey, (304) 876-7924 / mcarey@conservationfund.org

Other Information:

This course is offered by: The Conservation Fund, the US Fish and Wildlife Service / National Conservation Training Center and the USDA Forest Service.

Throughout 2011, the Conservation Leadership Network worked with a broad array of partners, bringing together professionals at national, state, regional, and local levels to achieve common ground, and most importantly, on- the-ground results that benefit our treasured natural resources, economic health, and overall quality of life. Select highlights are included in this Year in Review, along with important information on several of our key programs planned for next year—new courses, new projects, new partnerships, producing ever stronger results. We hope you enjoy the Year in Review!

Spurring Community Economic Development in 2011! The Conservation Leadership Network was invited this year to spur sustainable community economic development in three regions of the country, namely the Heart of the Continent Region spanning upper Minnesota and northwest Ontario, the Blue Ridge Parkway Region covering the states of Virginia and North Carolina, and in numerous communities throughout the Appalachian Mountain Region ranging from Delaware, New York to Muscle Shoals, Alabama! Read more »   Innovative Partnerships and Demonstration Projects! The Conservation Leadership Network (CLN) was established to bring diverse constituencies together to forge conservation solutions. This past year, CLN has played a central role in bringing together the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 3, the 8 mid-west states comprising the region, and the American Wind Energy Association and its member companies to forge a conservation solution – namely the commencement of a multi-species habitat conservation plan for wind energy development in the mid-west that facilitates safe, clean renewable energy, and ensures the protection of endangered species and their habitat. Watch for Periodic Updates in 2012! Read more » Important Dates for Next Year! The slate of national course offerings for 2012 on green infrastructure, community economic development and mitigation banking is set! Of note is the much-awaited advanced green infrastructure pilot course “GI 201”, scheduled for July 16-19, 2012 in Shepherdstown, WV. This course will be offered by the Conservation Fund and its partners and will focus on issues and challenges associated with successful implementation of green infrastructure in a variety of settings and applications. Read more » Save-the-Date: * Jan 31-Feb 1: Balancing Nature and Commerce course * March 5-9: Green Infrastructure Intro course * April 2-6: Conservation Banking course * June 25-29: Mitigation Banking course * July 16-19: Advanced Green Infrastructure pilot course * Sept 24-28: Green Infrastructure Intro course   Green Infrastructure Program Highlights in 2011! In February 2011, the Conservation Leadership Network hosted the inaugural National Green Infrastructure Conference! Close to 300 professionals from 36 states, 3 countries, and one territory gathered at this inaugural conference. The Conference far exceeded our expectations due to the high-caliber of both the speakers and attendees, coupled with the robust dialogue exchange producing lasting results! Following upon the success of the Conference, we launched a Green Infrastructure webinar series and a Peer Exchange Program! Read more »

From the staff of the Conservation Leadership Network, we thank you for your support this year, wish you a wonderful holiday season and look forward to seeing you in 2012!

Read past issues » To receive future news and course announcements from the Conservation Leadership Network, subscribe today »

At The Conservation Fund, we know that for conservation to last, it must make economic sense. Our work in Unicoi County, Tennessee, is a great example. Known as “The Valley Beautiful,” this rural Appalachian community is prime for development, but it is also home to great natural beauty—making decisions about land use difficult. While helping to conserve one popular destination, Rocky Fork, we provided training for more than 60 community leaders and residents to help them make informed decisions about this special place. Through efforts like this, our Conservation Leadership Network provides local leaders and public land managers the tools to forge partnerships and engage the community in creating and supporting a local economy based on the area’s natural assets.

Residents of Unicoi County live next door to a beautiful 10,000-acre property called Rocky Fork—a mountain haven of forests and streams with more than a mile of Appalachian Trail. Beginning in 2006, The Conservation Fund started working to conserve this popular recreation destination for residents and visitors to enjoy. Ultimately, the state of Tennessee and the U.S. Forest Service will own and manage the land.

We know that for conservation to succeed, it must make economic sense. Unicoi County leaders know this as well, and that’s why a small team from the region attended our Conservation Leadership Network’s national course, Balancing Nature and Commerce in Communities that Neighbor Public Lands. Inspired to make sustainable tourism a stronger part of the county’s economy, the team soon invited us to train more than 60 local leaders and residents.

In 2010, we did just that, holding a three-day workshop in Unicoi County to raise awareness of its natural assets, community character and quality of life, as well as increase the capacity of community business leaders to grow sustainable tourism. During the workshop, we highlighted world-class fishing, whitewater rafting adventures on the Nolichucky River, hiking along the Appalachian Trail—and less-recognized resources, like seasonal festivals, local artisans and the potential to seed new sustainable entrepreneurs.

As a result of our workshop, community leaders and residents are making fast progress in attracting visitors to Unicoi County—and improving their experience once they arrive.The community has opened a farmers market, artisans are awaiting the opening of a new center for selling local wares and a design board now reviews the plans of future businesses to ensure that the character of the community stays intact. And at Cherokee National Forest the Forest Service has completed a mountain overlook, improved access to recreational facilities and natural features and sponsored community events that include running and mountain bike races on public lands.

With this progress in play, Unicoi County recently was recognized as an “Appalachian Trail Community” and tourist destination by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy —the first such designation in Tennessee and one of only four along the Trail.

It all began with our Balancing Nature and Commerce course. Over the past 13 years, our Conservation Leadership Network has worked with hundreds of communities like Unicoi County, reaching more than 9,000 professionals. Our skill is bringing diverse groups and people together to forge conservation solutions on the ground. We provide collaborative learning, capacity building, technical assistance and innovative new projects that change communities for the better and protect our favorite places.

Would you like to help communities protect America's outdoors? Make a donation today.

Photos: Rocky Fork / Greg Hutson (top); A sign for a tourism based business in Unicoi County / Kendra Briechle, Senior Training Associate, Conservation Leadership Network

The Fund's Conservation Leadership Network offers more than 20 collaborative learning courses and workshops.

Courses are offered at locations around the U.S., including the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV,  the headquarters of the Network. The project profiles below illustrate the impact that CLN courses can have on the development of communities—communities with very different needs.

Poised for Success: Unicoi County, Tennessee

Known as “The Valley Beautiful,” this rural Appalachian community is prime for development but also home to great natural beauty – making decisions about land use difficult. CLN provided training for more than 60 community leaders and residents to help them make informed decisions about this special place. Our work has already inspired real changes on the ground.  Read the story >>

Gateway Community Initiative in Michigan

CLN brought its workshop to Michigan to help the communities bordering  Waterloo-Pinckney park lands develop a positive relationship with the public lands they border, one that encourages economic growth and community building.
Read the story >>   

Reaching the Summit: New River Gorge Region

As the new host of the Boy Scout Jamboree the New River Gorge region will enjoy an economic boon, but can the area develop the necessary infrastructure and benefit economically from the event while retaining its rural character and natural landscapes?
Read the story >>

Waterloo Recreation Area in Michigan is a little-known treasure. About an hour drive from Ann Arbor, this 20,000-acre park is the largest in the lower peninsula and shares a 36-mile hiking trail with Pinckney State Recreation Area. Yet there wasn’t much to entice visitors or local residents to explore this pristine wilderness and all of the recreational opportunities it offers. Only one exit from the highway leads to the park, and the local communities had virtually no relationship with the vast wilderness at their border.

One exception was in Chelsea where a painted wooden sign in the town center declares it is “The Gateway to the Waterloo-Pinckney Recreation Area” (right). Bob Pierce, a Chelsea community leader, knew most people wouldn’t think of his community as a gateway to these recreation areas. The challenge was how to make it one.

It was a chance encounter with Fund staff at a Racing for Wildlife event that led Bob and a few of his colleagues to attend The Conservation Leadership Network’s Balancing Commerce and Nature course at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The course, designed to bring community leaders and public land managers together, teaches communities to make the most of their proximity to public lands while also protecting the natural resources of the area and the character of the community.

Bob and his colleagues left the course inspired and with an action plan to create The Gateway Communities Initiative brought together leaders from the communities bordering the Waterloo Recreation Area and other local public lands including Manchester, Dexter, Pinckney, Stockbridge and Eastern Jackson County. Every month for one year community leaders, including the Fund’s Ann Arbor-based Ginny Trocchio, met to discuss how to develop a better infrastructure and identity opportunities that would enhance both the public lands and their communities.

The group invited The Conservation Leadership Network to Michigan to kick off the initiative with a three-day Balancing Commerce and Nature workshop tailored to the specific needs of the communities and the Waterloo-Pinckney recreation areas. Led by the Fund’s Kendra Briechle, the course provided information on the value of conservation, the benefits of and opportunities from fostering sustainable tourism, and the prospect of enhanced place-based education for the area’s young people.

The workshop also provided local leaders with an opportunity to develop action plans for making the most of the relationship between the communities and the neighboring recreation areas. The course has had a real impact in the area. Manchester is developing a historical tour as a model for other themed tours that Manchester and other communities can use, Dexter has proposed building an information center at the east entrance to the park, and Chelsea has pledged to create better signs to direct visitors to the park.

Another great result of the Gateway Communities Initiative is the appreciation residents of these towns now have for the surrounding public lands. There is greater community awareness that the public lands can be a source of economic development as well as community pride.

The Balancing Commerce and Nature course has sparked a true partnership between Chelsea and the other communities bordering the Waterloo-Pinckney park lands. They now have a positive relationship with the public lands they border, one that encourages economic growth and community building as they work to provide resources and recreational opportunities for visitors and residents. We have no doubt that these Michigan communities will be models of how to balance nature with development for other towns that border public lands in the state.

Photos (from top): Chelsea's downtown storefronts; Sign in downtown Chelsea declaring it the "gateway" to Waterloo-Pinckney Recreation Area; Kendra Briechle of The Conservation Fund leads a session at the Balancing Commerce and Nature workshop in Michigan (all photos by TCF).

Throughout 2010, the Conservation Leadership Network worked with a broad array of partners, bringing together professionals at national, state, regional, and local levels to achieve common ground, and most importantly, on-the-ground results that benefit our treasured natural resources, economic health, and overall quality of life. Select highlights are included in this Year in Review, along with important information on several of our key events planned for next year—new courses, new projects, new partnerships, producing ever stronger results. We hope you enjoy the Year in Review!

New Partnerships / New Courses Piloted in 2010!   In 2010, the Conservation Leadership Network developed and offered two new pilot courses designed to address pressing problems and to facilitate conservation on the ground: Conservation Banking, a course for regulators, users, and bankers; and a course entitled Planning for Climate Change Using a Green Infrastructure Approach. We engaged new partners with both of these courses! Additionally, we welcomed many other new partners this year including the European Union Commission! Read more »   Spurring Community Economic Development in 2010   The Conservation Leadership Network was invited this year to work with four areas of the country (Unicoi County in Tennessee, the South Mountain Region of Pennsylvania, Southeastern Michigan, and the New River Gorge in West Virginia) as they seek to develop regional strategies for generating economic development while safeguarding their community character and natural assets. Read more »   Mission of CLN!   The goal of the Conservation Leadership Network is to bring together diverse constituencies to forge conservation solutions on the ground! While the development and offering of training programs plays a major role in achieving on-the-ground results, CLN also meets its goals through sustainability consulting, technical assistance/capacity building, and the development of strategic innovative projects that prove to be ground-breaking and offer transferable strategies. We like to work at the nexus of the environment and economy, and look forward to expanding our partnership opportunities in 2011! Read more »   The Year Ahead – 2011!   Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in the inaugural national Green Infrastructure Conference slated for February 23 – 25, 2011! Registration deadline is January 21, 2011. For information on all of national and regional workshops, courses, and partnership opportunities scheduled for 2011, please consult our website and continue reading! Read more »

Have a safe and happy holidays, and a happy new year from the Conservation Leadership Network Team. See you in 2011!

Read past issues » To receive future news and course announcements from the Conservation Leadership Network, subscribe today »

GIC’11 – Registration Open until January 21, 2011!

The inaugural National Green Infrastructure Conference will take place February 23-25, 2011 at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in Shepherdstown, WV. Join us to hear nationally recognized speakers from across the country discuss key elements for success and vital lessons-learned. Be part of developing the strategy for the future of green infrastructure! Featured topics include green infrastructure and public health, social equity, transportation, economic development, and climate change – an amazing cast of national experts and innovative cases on the ground! Registration Deadline is January 21, 2011! Check the website (http://www.conservationfund.org/GIC2011) to see the most recent accreditations.

Courses and Workshops

Join us for the tenth anniversary of the national Green Infrastructure course! Two national offerings will occur in 2011 of the Strategic Conservation Planning Using a Green Infrastructure Approach course, April 11 – 15 (note the new date), and September 26-30. This highly acclaimed introductory course provides participants with a strategic approach for prioritizing conservation opportunities and a planning framework for both conservation and development – integrating the ‘green’ and the ‘grey’. In addition, the course is slated to travel to Pikes Peak Colorado in 2011. Moreover, the NOAA-TCF GIS Tools for Strategic Conservation Planning course is scheduled for May 3-6, 2011. This course enables GIS practitioners to apply GIS tools, methodologies, and analyses to strategic conservation planning using a ‘green infrastructure’ approach. This GIS course consistently receives excellent ratings from its students; students must be advanced GIS users to fully benefit. 2011 will be another big year for our Balancing Nature and Commerce in Communities that Neighbor Public Lands course! The national course offering is scheduled for April 18-20, 2011 and is open to teams from across the country – be it communities neighboring parks, forests, refuges or government owned reservoirs. Participating teams focus on community character – what it is and how to protect, maintain and enhance it; partnerships (between public land managers and communities); economic development that capitalizes sustainably on a community’s assets; and action planning (developing detailed action plans that are reflective of a team’s vision). In 2011, CLN has been invited to deliver place-based offerings in the Poconos Region of Pennsylvania and the Heart of the Continent Region, which spans the border between Minnesota in the US and Ontario in Canada. The Heart of the Continent is the largest public expanse of green space in the continent covering more than 5.5 million acres; this innovative partnership is comprised of the Superior National Forest, Voyageurs National Park, the Boundary Waters, Quetico Provincial Park, and Parks Canada, plus many more. Watch for more information on this trans-boundary project! The 2nd national offering of the Conservation Banking Course will be offered May 16-20, 2011 in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, the Federal Highway Administration, USDA Forest Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Mitigation Bankers Association. This unique course brings together regulators, users, and bankers to learn the fundamentals of conservation banking. A regional offering is also being planned in the Pacific Northwest! The 5th annual offering of a Training Course for Mitigation Banking and In-Lieu Fee Program Interagency Review Teams (IRTs) is scheduled for June 20-24, 2011. This course is offered in partnership with the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and is only open to interagency review team (IRT) members. The course, nicknamed “IRT Boot Camp,” provides IRT members with a thorough grounding in the relevant federal mitigation policy and guidance along with the leadership skills necessary to be an effective member of an IRT. A waiting list for the course is established each year, so register early! As always, continue to check our website for the latest information on course offerings!

ARC-NEA Gateway Communities Program

The Conservation Fund/Conservation Leadership Network staff and the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) are partnering again to offer an unprecedented third round of Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Gateway Communities Award Program grants. Specifically, with our partners at the NTHP, CLN will offer technical assistance to Appalachian communities in the form of tourism assessments and action planning workshops. For 2011, five communities were selected to receive these awards: The Town of Haysi in Virginia and the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area in Alabama -- as recipients of tourism assessments; Delaware County New York, Union County Tennessee, and Pickens County South Carolina – as recipients of Gateway Action Planning workshops predicated after the Fund’s Balancing Nature and Commerce program and the NTHP’s Share Your Heritage program.