CWSF Newsletter
Organizational Highlights
Registration Closing Soon - CWSF/WFLC Fall Meeting
The Council of Western State Foresters (CWSF) and Western Forestry Leadership Coalition (WFLC) 2019 Fall Meeting will take place November 19-21 at the Bahia Resort in San Diego, CA. Please see the CWSF event page and the WFLC event page for agendas and more information

Registration is open here .
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Healthy Trees, Healthy Lives - New Mexico Feature
In coordination with the Western Urban & Community Forestry (WUCF) Network, guest blog posts are featured on the WFLC website that highlight stories tying together human and tree health. The blog posts are written by members of the WUCF network and are shared on social media with the hashtag #HealthyTreesHealthyLives.

Are New Mexico’s Community Forests… Haunted? w as authored by New Mexico State Forestry and is available on the WFLC website. Read New Mexico’s #HealthyTreesHealthyLives blog post .
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2019-2020 CWSF Executive Committee and WFLC Executive Board
The WFLC Executive Board transition occurred following the National Association of State Foresters' Annual Meeting. The new WFLC Executive Board includes Leanne Marten as USDA Forest Service Co-Lead, Dave Schmid as Incoming Co-Lead, Monica Lear as Research Station Director Member, and Cliff Dils as S&PF Director Member.

The WFLC Executive Board also includes the members of the CWSF Executive Committee. The CWSF Executive Committee includes Chair Brian Cottam, Incoming Chair Kacey KC, Secretary/Treasurer Sonya Germann, and Immediate Past Chair Mike Lester.

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Member Updates
North Dakota Forest Service: Tom Claeys, Interim State Forester, has been named permanently to the position of State Forester. He replaces Larry Kotchman following his retirement.

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Frank Ada has assumed the position of Acting Point of Contact regarding Forestry under the Director of the Division of Agriculture.
Meet a Forester
This month, we are pleased to feature Thom Porter, CAL FIRE Director and California State Forester.

Policy Update
The release of changes to Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulations has begun a battle of both pro and anti-revision efforts. After a long history of litigation, proposed Alaska-specific rules exempting the Tongass National Forest (Tongass) from the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule ( Roadless Rule) were released for public comment this month. The USDA Forest Service (Forest Service) halted their historical practice of outspending their firefighting budget for fiscal year (FY) 2019. Congress is working on passing FY 2020 appropriations bills, including the fire funding fix, before the end of the Continuing Resolution on November 21.
News and Notes from our Members and Partners
Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Advisory Panel
The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Advisory Panel (Panel) was renewed on September 16, 2019, to evaluate and provide recommendations on the selection of collaborative forest landscape restoration proposals to the Secretary of Agriculture. The Secretary is now seeking nominations to fill vacancies on the Panel which must be received on or before November 14, 2019. Please see the federal register for more information.
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Regional Conservation Partnership Program
The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is currently accepting applications through December 3, 2019 through the RCPP Partner Portal . RCPP aims to have partners and NRCS co-invest and collaborate on natural resource conservation activities, with states among those eligible partners for up to $300 million total available funding. RCPP projects must be a minimum of $250,000 and a maximum of $10 million. Please view the ‘ How to Apply ’ and the Announcement for Program Funding for more information.
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Wildfire Mitigation Awards
The Wildfire Mitigation Awards are the highest national honor awarded for outstanding work and significant program impact in wildfire preparedness and mitigation. The three award categories are: 

  • National Wildfire Mitigation Award 
  • National Mitigation Hero Award 
  • Wildfire Mitigation Legacy Award 

These awards are designed to recognize outstanding service in wildfire preparedness and safety across a broad spectrum of activities and among a variety of individuals and organizations. By honoring these achievements, the award sponsors also seek to increase public recognition and awareness of the value of wildfire mitigation efforts. 

The International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Association of State Foresters, National Fire Protection Association, and USDA Forest Service are now accepting nominations until November 15, 2019. To learn more and submit a nomination, see here .
Job Blog
Find your next position in western forestry on our job blog! If you would like to submit a job to be listed, please send Kelsey Cruickshank a web link to the job announcement.

What's Happening in Western Forestry?
Each month, we share member news and announcements. We do this by gathering information from newsletters, news releases, and updates in a monthly blog post on the CWSF and WFLC websites. Share news from your state and/or region by emailing CWSF/WFLC’s Associate Communications and Operations Director, Kelsey Cruickshank .