January 2025

Dear Network Friends,

Landscape conservation & stewardship can be as simple as someone saying, ‘This is a place I care about’—and hearing back, from others: ‘Yes, I too care about this place.’ The space between individuals is where the potential of our work rests—space that is bridged in the shared acknowledgement that a place is meaningful, important, and cherished.

It is easy to get subsumed in the cacophony of national politics, and indeed, over the last 12 months, the election and the changing administrations has drawn outsized attention and energy. Deservedly. Yet, when I find myself feeling dismayed at the nature of the political discourse, the values being espoused from leadership spaces, and the Orwellian manipulation of truth in the pursuit of power, I remind myself of the hope to be found in that shared acknowledgement between people of their care for a place.

In these moments of divisiveness and starkly differing visions of where we are heading as a society, the work that you all are doing only grows in importance. Let us all continue to find hope, joy, and love in the work of seeking out that shared acknowledgement of care for place…knowing that in doing so, we will learn more about the places we care about—and about ourselves—as we strive to envision together what is possible for our future.

To me, what the Network for Landscape Conservation represents is a community. We have undoubtedly stepped into a new era; in times of upheaval, community is invaluable—a place to turn to for connection, support, inspiration, and learning. As we continue forward into the new year and beyond, we are so thankful that you are part of this community. Be well, take care of yourself, and stay in touch!



Funding Networks and Collaboratives

Indigenous-led Conservation gains Recognition

Perspectives: Landscape Conservation in Action

Jonathan Peterson

Director, Network for Landscape Conservation

Given the upheaval of the last two weeks, the National Council of Nonprofits is maintaining a living document tracking how Executive Orders may impact the nonprofit sector. If helpful, you may view the document here.

As part of our Landscape Conservation in Action webinar series, on February 20th we will be hosting a screening of the short film, In the Right Hands, to be followed by a panel discussion on trust-based practices in conservation and stewardship, with an emphasis on understanding the nature and impact of such practices and the ways in which flexible funding can support them. Register here.

Finally—we anticipate releasing the RFP for the 2025 Catalyst Fund grant cycle in March. More information will be available on our Catalyst Fund page then.

Banner photo: Frozen waterfall, Credit: Lydia Torrey, Unsplash

Multi-stakeholder networks or collaboratives are increasingly recognized as essential vehicles for tackling conservation and stewardship challenges that transcend boundaries and play out across our landscapes. Yet, so often we hear how networks are inadequately resourced and that securing funding that supports the managing of networks or collaboratives is rare. Funders may not be fully aware of the distinctive character of networks, the types of change they can achieve, or the timeframe it takes to achieve such change. Often times, funders may provide support to networks only to the extent that it compliments more traditional program and project implementation deliverables. 

In a recent article in Alliance, Kerstin Tebbe from Collective Mind offers reflections on this reality and outlines a new, more relevant operating model for funding networks. These reflections are drawn from in-depth research on the funding of networks, which reveals that current models devised for nonprofits funding fails to meet the complex needs of networks. Instead, as the article highlights, networks (compared to more conventional nonprofit organizations) are unique in three key areas—People (who’s involved), Structure (how is it organized), and Processes (what they are doing)—all of which impacts how to think about funding for networks. Elsewhere, Collective Mind recently partnered with the Institute for Nonprofit News to develop a Do-It-Yourself Guide to Collective Fundraising. While based in the nonprofit news sector, the insights are broadly applicable and relevant across sectors: Collective fundraising—fundraising undertaken together by multiple organizations—requires establishing appropriate systems, processes, and structures to raise and manage funds jointly, and this guide offers valuable insights on how to do so. As we increasingly turn to networks and collaboratives as critical structures that allow us to advance complex, interconnected solutions to the complex, interconnected, systems-level challenges that we are grappling with in the 21st Century, continued insight and innovation will be critical in understanding how to effective resource and support these structures. 

The recent years have brought a marked shift that is both powerful and inspiring, as Tribal and Indigenous-led conservation and stewardship has gained greater public recognition. Tribal sovereignty and the right of Indigenous communities to determine the future of their homelands is increasingly acknowledged—as is the degree to which the participation of Indigenous communities in stewardship of lands and water is critical to preserving biodiversity and addressing climate change.

This work is not new in any sense—it’s just that many of us are only now opening our eyes to it; Tribes have carried forward such work for generations. The Native American Fish & Wildlife Society has recently sought to spotlight some of this work, focusing on Tribal-led efforts that received funding through the America the Beautiful Challenge—for instance, this post highlights how the Rappahannock Tribe is advancing master planning for their Return to the River Initiative, while this post highlights efforts underway on the Wind River Indian Reservation to advance river restoration and buffalo conservation.  And while the change in administration brings uncertainty, a series of recent actions represents the extent to which the role of Tribes is increasingly acknowledged within procedure. For instance, earlier this month the Department of the Interior released a new handbook providing internal guidance on incorporating Indigenous Knowledge in Department actions. Elsewhere, in late November the Natural Resources Conservation Service within the Department of Agriculture released its Tribal Relations Strategy, recognizing the need to uphold its federal trust responsibilities to increase support for Tribal lands conservation on more than 119 million acres across the United States. Further, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a new resource, the Tribal Water and Natural Resources Conservation Guide, aiming to equip Tribes with information for accessing financial and technical assistance programs to develop and manage their own environmental protection programs.

Language for movement making: What does Landscape Stewardship mean to you?

At NLC we use “landscape conservation” in an encompassing sense, holding that is much more than simply large-scale land protection and rather fundamentally about the practice of bringing people together to build collective conversations around how we wish to shape our relationship to place/land into the future. Others have reflected on the limitations of language and gravitate towards differing language—for instance, our colleagues at the California Landscape Stewardship Network (CLSN) use “landscape stewardship” in an attempt to properly reflect the encompassing nature of this work. As Connor Jandreau, coordinator of the California Central Coast Joint Venture and a steering committee member of the CLSN, notes in this month’s Perspectives piece, words matter. Connor’s piece is adapted from framing remarks that he shared as an invitation into reflection and discussion during a session at CLSN’s annual convening this past November. In the piece, Connor explores the layers of meaning woven into the language of landscape stewardship; the question that Connor and colleagues brought forward in November—and that we invite you to continue to reflect on here—is what does stewardship mean to you? How is stewardship both a professional practice and fundamentally a way of moving through the world as a person? And in reflecting and considering such questions, what insights do we come away with in terms of how we talk about our work and how we build a broader landscape movement?

Additional Landscape Conservation & Stewardship News

In December, President Biden signed legislation formally designating Florida’s Pensacola and Perdido Bays  within the National Estuary Program–marking the 29th such designated estuary, and the first to be designated in 30 years 

Learn more or read the Act

The Nature of Cities compiles a roundtable that explores the potential for synergy between Nature-based Solutions and sustainability professionals, and cultural institutions such as museums and botanical gardens–and how rich transdisciplinary knowledge-building and community engagement across sectors can benefit both.  

Learn more

Article from NOAA highlights how the GulfCorps program is advancing critical Gulf Coast restoration work and providing young people from local communities with jobs and pathways to career and life success.

Learn more about the program

New report highlights 15 years of accomplishments for the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, outlining the impact of investing in and encouraging collaborative restoration approaches as well as the value of place-based, multi-year funding in achieving results on the ground and in communities.

Read the report

In an interview printed in From the Ground Up, Karen Grey of Wildlands Trust reflects on how we might reimagine the role of land trusts in environmental justice communities, arguing that land trusts need to be more creative and thoughtful in how and whom to serve.

Read more

Emergence Magazine interviews Robin Wall Kimmerer on her latest book, released in November, which introduces us to the serviceberry shrub as a living model for a gift economy and the many bounties of collaboration in nature. 

Explore the interview and read a book review

The Sentinel Landscape Partnership officially opened the 2026 designation cycle this month, with expression of interest forms due by April 9, 2025.

Learn more

In the closing days of his administration, President Biden signed the EXPLORE Act to drive investments in trails, parks, and green infrastructure to ensure the outdoors are open to everyone and can be critical spaces for fostering social connection and resilience.

Learn more here and here

Article from The Narwhal explores how the Blackfoot Confederacy is working toward free-roaming buffalo, revitalizing traditional hunts, and building a collective of Indigenous guardians unified by history and heritage. 

Read more

Article from the Pew Charitable Trusts highlights the growing momentum behind wildlife crossings, and the continued opportunity to accelerate such efforts to build transportation infrastructure that is safer for humans while also restoring and connecting wildlife populations. 

Read the article

Reflecting a growing global movement to grant legal rights to nature, voters in Everett, Washington in November granted the Snohomish River watershed the right to exist, regenerate, and flourish–while elsewhere, the Rappahannock Tribe became the first Tribal nation in the United States to recognize the rights of nature in their constitution, giving legal protection to the river they have lived alongside for thousands of years.

Learn more about the Snohomish River here and the Rappahannock efforts here

Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, founder of Emergence Magazine, offers reflections on how an embodied practice of spiritual ecology is a radical act amid a culture that has forgotten the sacred nature of our relationship with the Earth. 

Listen here

Earlier this month, President Biden announced protections for over 848,000 acres in California, designating Chuckwalla and Sáttítla as national monuments to safeguard wildlife corridors and Indigenous cultural sites–bringing the total amount of federal land protected under his administration to 674 million acres, more than any other president.

Read more

The Narwhal article reports on a new memorandum of understanding advancing efforts to designate a new Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area in Yukon. 

Learn more

What is a unit of nature? Article from Anthropocene Magazine explores the biodiversity credit market, and whether such credits deliver lasting conservation benefits.

Read more

The Nature Conservancy launches a new biodiversity protection fund in Vermont, focused on protecting 30 percent of the state by 2030 and 50 percent by 2050.

Read more

SEEKING INFORMATION: The Center for Large Landscape Conservation and the Pew Charitable Trusts are collaborating to develop a resource to help local governments and partners to integrate wildlife connectivity and wildlife crossing efforts into local policy and planning in counties, municipalities, and boroughs—and are seeking examples of local government planning policies, plans, and projects that directly include wildlife habitat connectivity in some form or fashion. Please email suggestions to Kylie Paul. We are familiar with some of the more widely known examples, including Ventura County CA; Teton County WY; Teton County ID; Eagle Mountain UT; Douglas County CO; La Plata County CO; Pima County AZ; Bolton VT – but please send any possible additional examples by February 14!



Upcoming Conferences & Events

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February 4 - 5, 2025 — National Practice Forum on Nature-Based Solutions

Virtual 

April 29 - May 1, 2025 — Collective Impact Action Summit

Virtual 

May 12 - 15, 2025 — Native American Fish and Wildlife Society Annual Conference

Riverton, WY

May 5-7, 2025 — The 6th Salazar Center International Symposium on Conservation Impact

Vancouver, British Columbia

Register by the end of January to take advantage of early-bird registration rates.

June 2-6, 2025 — Conservation Finance Boot Camp

New Haven, CT

July 15 - 18, 2025 — 9th American Forest Congress

Washington, D.C.

October 1 - 2, 2025 — Managing Wildlife in Large Landscapes: Reciprocal learnings for the world's most iconic ecosystems

Jackson Hole, WY

October 20 - 23, 2025 — George Wright Society ParkForum 2025: A Conservation Solutions Workshop

Missoula, MT

Session proposals for the ParkForum are now being accepting through April 1, 2025--see the call for proposals for more information.

Landscape Conservation & Stewardship Job Board

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Executive Director, InterTribal Buffalo Council

Learn More

Watershed Coordinator, Aravaipa Watershed Conservation Alliance

Learn More

Stewardship Manager, Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance

Learn More

Professor of Collaborative Practice in Natural Resources, University of Wyoming

Learn More

Vice President, Land & Habitat Conservation, Defenders of Wildlife

Learn More

Finance Manager, Northeast Wilderness Trust

Learn More

Conservation Connect Fellowship Program, National Forest Foundation

Learn More

This section of the Landscape Conservation Bulletin is intended to be a space to share job postings that will be specifically relevant to landscape conservation and stewardship practitioners. We welcome submissions: if your organization would like to widely distribute a posting please be in touch.

Webinars & Additional Resources

The Peregrine Accelerator for Conservation Impact is now accepting proposals from project teams who want to advance biodiversity, climate resilience, and community wellbeing in North Atlantic Canada and the U.S. Applications are due February 21.

The Climate Smart Communities Initiative is currently accepting applications for grants to advance community-based climate resilience efforts. Applications are due March 3.

The Cornell Lab’s Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative grant program will award land trusts around $260,000 to as many as 14 projects in 2025. The RFP opens the first week of January with applications due March 1, and funds dispersed in May. To learn more and apply for a grant, visit the Request for Proposals.

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Western Public Lands: The Growing Debate

A ConservAmerica webinar

February 6, 2025

Facilitating Collaborative Meetings

An online workshop hosted by the Collective Impact Forum

February 11, 2025

In the Right Hands: How trust-based funding practices can advance conservation & stewardship

An NLC Landscape Conservation in Action webinar

February 20, 2025

Collaboration Program in Natural Resources

Admissions Feb 1 - May 30

University of Wyoming

Facilitating Engaging Meetings

A three-part training hosted by the Institute for Conservation Leadership

February 2025

NatureConnect 

NatureConnect is a diverse suite of services, tools, and workshops offered by the Center for Large Landscape Conservation to help partners achieve connectivity and landscape conservation goals. 

Connectivity 101

A free, online course developed by the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and partners in the Wildlife Connect Initiative with technical support from UNDP Learning for Nature. Conservation professionals and other interested parties can now register for the course to learn about conserving and restoring ecological connectivity to support a healthy planet. 

Designing Nature's Half: The Landscape Conservation Podcast

Every two weeks, your hosts sit down with thought leaders, innovators, conservationists, and scientists to raise awareness, inspire dialogue, and encourage engagement in designing sustainable and resilient landscapes before it’s too late. Large landscape conservation is complex, but Designing Nature’s Half breaks the conversation into manageable pieces for novices and experts alike.

Conservation Finance Boot Camp Short Course

Following cancellation of the 2020 Conservation Finance Boot Camp, the Conservation Finance Network compiled a 4-part video short course, which is available via the above link.



America Adapts: The Climate Change Podcast

A weekly podcast that explores the challenges presented by adapting to climate change and the approaches the field's best minds believe are already working.

Recordings of past webinars of the Connected Conservation webinar series are available on the National Park Service Connected Conservation website.

Recordings of past NLC Landscape Conservation in Action webinars are available on the Network's Landscape Conservation in Action Webinar Series page.