March 25, 2019| By Peg Kohring
Having practical farming knowledge and skills increases the opportunities for formerly incarcerated people to find stable jobs and economic success upon reintegration. There are a variety of ways in which The Conservation Fund assists beginning farmers, and Peg shares with us the details on initiatives designed to protect the land while building healthier food systems and offering productive jobs in West Virginia.
March 11, 2019| By Steve Schewel and David Proper
The conversion of an unused railroad corridor into an urban greenspace, with a bicycle and pedestrian trail, has been envisioned in Durham, North Carolina for more than 20 years. With help from The Conservation Fund, the City of Durham recently purchased the Durham Belt Line property and is currently designing this new public space. David Proper, Urban Program Director for The Conservation Fund , sat down with the Mayor of Durham, Steve Schewel, to talk about the challenges already faced, what lies ahead, and what the completed project will mean for the City of the Durham.
March 1, 2019| By Jena Thompson Meredith
There is no better place to celebrate Ocelot Conservation Day than Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in South Texas. Home to one of only two ocelot populations in the country, Laguna Atascosa NWR is at the center of conservation and recovery efforts for this amazing wild cat. With the help of our partners at Walmart and Dell, thousands of trees are being planted thanks to Dell's Plant a Forest initiative to restore wildlife habitat and give the ocelot a chance at a comeback.
February 14, 2019| By Bill Crouch
Best known as a conductor of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman was also a Civil War army scout and spy, a political activist and suffragist. Much of her brave life and acts unfolded in Dorchester County, Maryland. The Conservation Fund has done extensive work in and around the Chesapeake Bay, including protecting over 115,000 acres in Dorchester County. In 2018, the State of Maryland asked the Fund to establish and sponsor the Harriet Tubman Rural Legacy Area. Find out how this project grew from 17 to 28,300 acres, and how its impact is honoring the legacy of its brave namesake.
January 28, 2019| By Robin Murphy
In December 2018, the Aquaculture Innovation Workshop , convened by The Freshwater Institute , gathered together 250 people from around the world to present findings and discuss major scientific, economic, environmental, and technological trends and advances in aquaculture, specifically land-based farming techniques such as Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). Read our five key takeaways from the conference about the future of land-based fish farming and sustainable aquaculture.
January 14, 2019| By Emily Korest
Emily Korest was The Conservation Fund’s 2018 Charles Jordan intern. She revisited some of the Fund’s most interesting projects—all of which have helped shape the organization—to capture their stories and find out “where are they now?” In this third post of her series, she tells the story of The Conservation Fund’s partnership with McIntosh SEED to create a community forest benefiting low-income community members and people of color in Georgia.
December 31, 2018| By Kathleen Sandt
Kathleen Sandt is a Public Affairs Specialist for the National Park Service, where she handles public communication and media outreach for the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Kathleen helped spread the news that Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area was growing by 1,054 acres thanks to the acquisition of a property known as Camp Hidden Falls—a place she was already familiar with and fond of. Find out more about her personal and professional connection to this land of waterfalls, forests, and memories.
December 21, 2018| By Paul Trianosky
Part three of our climate series illustrates how we engage our business partners to achieve their sustainability goals. Paul Trianosky is Chief Conservation Officer at the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) . With 35 years of experience in forestry, non-profit management, forest certification, collaborative partnerships, and landscape-scale conservation, Paul works in partnership with conservation organizations to advance conservation outcomes from sustainably managed forests. Find out how SFI is demonstrating good forest stewardship by offsetting carbon emissions and protecting and restoring forests.
December 19, 2018| By Kevin Harnish
In part two of our climate series, we explore how The Conservation Fund and its donors are delivering benefits for climate, community, and biodiversity by planting trees. Kevin Harnish , Forestry Analyst for The Conservation Fund’s Working Forest Fund® , recently visited Kansas to check on the status of trees in the forest restoration project at Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge. Find out why the work of forest restoration doesn’t end the day the seedlings are planted, and how the Fund is working to ensure success of the climate projects you support.
December 17, 2018| By Alterra Hetzel
As 2018 comes to a close, we are pleased to present a three-part series that highlights our work to protect and restore forests and the role they play in addressing climate change. In this first installment, Alterra Hetzel draws from her expertise in climate and carbon to illustrate the role that forests play in advancing both environmental and economic goals. Alterra is manager of the Fund’s business partnerships, where she works with businesses to achieve results that are good for land, water, wildlife, people and the bottom line.
December 10, 2018| By Joe Klementovich
The Value Chain Initiative , focused in Coos County, New Hampshire, and the Eastern Townships of Quebec, is a tool The Conservation Fund developed with our local partners to build wealth in communities by strengthening existing assets (eg, trails, small businesses, marketing initiatives, technical assistance programs and collaboratives) and designing strategies to address gaps (eg, accessible online trail map data). When all of these pieces work together it leads to a thriving environment and local economy. Resident and professional photographer, Joe Klementovich, helped us capture the heart of this work—on the trails, in the breweries and gear shops, and along the rivers—that make this region a spectacular area to live, work and play.
November 26, 2018| By Alisa Borland
Six years ago, a few charities in New York joined together to launch a day of giving back. It would take place the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and was named “Giving Tuesday.” They asked if The Conservation Fund would like to be included and we agreed—what better way to kick off the holiday gift-giving season! Find out how your gift to The Conservation Fund can be doubled starting on Giving Tuesday 2018 and go twice as far to bring nature to cities, protect rural landscapes, and preserve working lands to benefit local economies.
November 14, 2018| By Emily Korest
Emily Korest was The Conservation Fund’s 2018 Charles Jordan intern. She revisited some of the Fund’s most interesting projects—all of which have helped shape the organization—to capture their stories and find out “where are they now?” In this second post of her series, Emily shares the story of the Fund’s foray into sustainable ranching. Under the stewardship of the Grand Canyon Trust, the North Rim Ranches are now managed as an important ecological link tying together three national monuments, two national recreation areas, eight wilderness areas, and one of our nation’s crown jewels—Grand Canyon National Park.
November 5, 2018| By Stacia Turner
Exploring nature and finding refuge in urban parks is a fundamental part of Stacia Turner’s personal environmentalism. Visiting urban greenspaces nationally and abroad taught her that connecting with the environment happens readily in cities with natural areas. Stacia works in The Conservation Fund’s Parks with Purpose program as an Urban Conservation Associate, and she recently helped lead a peer exchange event that brought participants from six cities to Atlanta, Georgia to share information, tools, and tactics for building stronger communities through parks.
October 29, 2018| By Christine Quinlan
October 22, 2018| By Katie Valentine
Katie Valentine was the former Media Relations Associate for The Conservation Fund. As an avid birder, she was captivated by the comeback story of the Kirtland’s Warbler—a small songbird currently on the endangered species list. She shares how habitat conservation has contributed to this species rebounding from record low numbers, and how the Fund’s work in Michigan and Wisconsin forests will continue to help this species thrive.
October 15, 2018| By Greg Yankee
In this third and final installment of the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network (WIN) 20th anniversary series, Greg Yankee, Executive Director of The Little Forks Conservancy, shares his story of how WIN helped make the 74-acre Averill Preserve a place where people connect with the natural world. Greg describes WIN’s comprehensive, holistic process that puts nature, community development, and economic prosperity at the forefront of decision making.
October 11, 2018| By Larry Selzer
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network (WIN), we asked three leaders to reflect on the strategic thinking, community engagement and robust partnerships that have contributed to this successful endeavor. In this second installment we hear from Larry Selzer , President and CEO of The Conservation Fund, who shares how WIN has become a template for other corporations who want to support community programs that focus on sustainability while simultaneously achieving business success.
