The Landscape Conservation Bulletin
A bi-monthly service of the Network for 
Landscape Conservation
May 2021
Dear Network Friends,

This edition of the Bulletin comes at a pivotal and encouraging time for advancing collaborative conservation at a landscape scale. On May 6th the Biden Administration released “Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful,” with recommendations for “a ten-year, locally led campaign to conserve and restore the lands and waters on which we all depend.”
 
This document asserts “a simple truth: that nature is essential to the health, well being and prosperity of every family and every community in America,” and it sets out eight principles for designing effective and equitable conservation programs. These principles—including pursuing a collaborative approach, ensuring that conservation benefits all Americans, recognizing the importance of privately owned working landscapes, and the use of science and traditional knowledge to guide decisions—are consistent with the values that the Network brings to landscape conservation. And, we believe that these principles can best be applied at the landscape scale in both urban and rural areas. 

The Landscape Conservation Bulletin aggregates ideas, innovations, successes, and resources for accelerating collaborative landscape conservation. As reports like "America the Beautiful" and ideas for the related efforts to conserve 30 percent of America land and water are brought forward, the Bulletin—and the Network—will continues to make them available to inform your conservation work in the landscapes that you call home. 
In This Issue
Landscape Conservation as Pathway from Vision to Action
Practicing Effective Collaboration
Perspectives: Indigenous Leadership
Additional Landscape Conservation News
Upcoming Events
Landscape Conservation Job Board
Webinars & Additional Resources
Bob Bendick
Director, Gulf of Mexico Program
The Nature Conservancy 
NLC Coordinating Committee
Cover photo: View toward San Francisco from Mount Tamalpais, Marin County, CA. Credit: Lieven Leroy, courtesy of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.
Featured News
As ambitious visions attract attention, landscape conservation is increasingly recognized as an essential pathway from vision to action
In many ways the current moment feels like an inflection point, with clarity around the scope of the conservation challenges we as a society face being met with ambitious visions for how to respond—see for instance the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, the High Ambition Coalition for People and Nature, and, here in the United States, the Administration’s “America the Beautiful” vision. As these visions have emerged, it’s become ever-clearer that landscape conservation—working collaboratively with landscapes and across boundaries—is essential for moving from vision to action.

Writing in The Hill, Lynn Scarlett and Mamie Parker make a compelling case that 21st Century conservation needs to be marked by collaboration at the landscape scale, and call for a durable national conservation framework to support such efforts. In a new report, Build Back a Better National Landscape Conservation Framework, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and the Alaska Conservation Foundation aim at just that—the report outlines recommendations to guide a framework to support and coordinate landscape conservation efforts across the country. As a community of landscape conservation practitioners, we all are part of this dialogue around a national framework; we look forward to hearing your insights and observations, seeing the innovations that you bring forward in your landscapes, and collaborating together with all of you to scale up our response to meet the 21st Century conservation challenges we face—in ways that strengthen our connection to place, to one another, and to the communities in which we live. 
Featured News
Series of articles in Parks Stewardship Forum digs deep into the practice of effective collaboration for landscape conservation and stewardship 
The most recent issue of Parks Stewardship Forum was released this month with a focus on “Collaborating Well for Large Landscape Stewardship.” This May issue of the Forum (prior to 2018 the publication was issued as the George Wright Forum) includes a series of articles that explores the practice of effective collaboration—and especially the what and how of effective collaborative leadership as it relates to landscape conservation and stewardship. 

The series opens with an article, “Together we’ll go further: The opportunity of collaborative leadership,” that explores why collaborative leadership is so critical to meeting landscape conservation and stewardship needs. The second article, “Practicing collaborative leadership: Demonstrating value through evidence of partnership impact,” highlights how to measure the impact of collaboration and offers a framework for doing so. The series’ final article, “Putting collaborative leadership into practice: The role of peer learning,” captures insights into how sharing knowledge and experience across peers can be a powerful vehicle for advancing collaborative leadership success. 

If landscape conservation is an opportunity to come together around literal common ground to build collective conversations about our future relationship to these places we call home, this set of articles provides critical insights into how we as practitioners can be most effective in approaching our work. 
Perspectives: Landscape Conservation in Action
Secretary Haaland's confirmation offers opportunity for renewed relationship with Planet Earth
In this month’s Perspectives piece, Terry Tatsey of the Blackfeet Nation and a Senior Advisor to the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, shares reflections on the significance of Secretary Deb Haaland’s confirmation to head the Department of Interior. Secretary Haaland is the first Indigenous United States cabinet secretary, and Terry reflects on what it means for the future of landscape conservation to have an Indigenous voice and perspective heading the Department. As Terry notes in the piece,

“Secretary Haaland comes from a traditional way of life—one constant across Tribal Nations—that emphasizes our responsibility to the gifts from our creator…We are all just caretakers for a very short time on Earth, so let us work together to maintain our natural systems for future generations.” 
Additional Landscape Conservation News
The summary report of a comprehensive assessment of the Southeast Climate Adaptation Strategy has been released, focusing on an in-depth exploration of how partnership governance can be structured to achieve landscape-scale conservation outcomes. 

Nature Canada releases a call for a Canada - U.S. agenda to support people and the planet, highlighting opportunities to protect and connect ecological corridors, support Indigenous rights and conservation, and advance nature-based climate solutions.

Audubon Magazine article highlights the crucial role that Tribes can play in efforts to protect 30 percent of the country's land and water.

Two articles highlight how the Yurok Tribe is using innovative approaches around carbon sequestration and financing to reclaim ownership of its ancestral territory in Northern California. 

A Washington Post article highlights the interconnectedness of the climate and biodiversity crises, highlighting the central role that natural climate solutions must play in our efforts to solve the climate crisis—but that such solutions are only going to available if we first solve the biodiversity crisis. 

In April, the National Park Service issued a new report, Planning for a Changing Planet, offering new guidance to park managers for managing parks under shifting climate patterns.

Department of Defense “Spotlights” the climate crisis, compiling articles and resources on how DoD is integrating climate considerations into policies, strategies and partner engagements—and highlights the work of the Middle Chesapeake Sentinel Landscape to showcase how military, environmental, and agricultural interests can align when working at the landscape-scale. 

The Trust for Public Land and partners have compiled a comprehensive nationwide map of all Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) investments.

In late May, Nevada became the first state in the country to pass legislation that commits to conserving 30% of lands by 2030. 

The Center for Western Priorities has produced on a new interactive report on how Western states are contributed to efforts to protect 30% of America by 2030. 

Article in The Revalator underscores the importance of private lands in efforts to significantly increase the amount of conserved lands.

In April, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the “Nature knows no borders” resolution, marking the first-ever General Assembly resolution on transboundary conservation. 

Wildlands Network blogpost highlights a new paper calling for the reintroduction of jaguars into the Southwestern United States—and elsewhere photos from University of Arizona researchers of a jaguar in southern Arizona suggests that habitat connectivity may remain between the Southwestern U.S. and the northernmost jaguar subpopulation more than 100 miles south of the border.

The Florida legislature unanimously passed the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act—and allocated $300 million in funding to support conservation in the corridor—to protect the state's interior greenways.

Opinion piece in The Narwhal offers insights on how Canada can protect 30 per cent of its lands and waters by 2030.

Who owns America’s wilderness? The Atlantic launches a new series on the nation’s natural spaces.

In mid-March, a new report assessing the early implementation of the U.S. Forest Service’s Shared Stewardship Strategy was released. 

Reflecting on its experiences navigating the past year of virtual collaboration, the National Forest Foundation shares reflections on how to maintain collaborative momentum in virtual spaces. 
 
In March, the Karuk Tribe issued the “Good Fire” report, analyzing current barriers to cultural burning and prescribed fire—and outlining recommendations for overcoming these barriers

Last month the Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition and partners released a new guide for implementing cross-boundary projects, providing a checklist of principles, considerations, and best practices for collaborative cross-boundary work. 

The Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS) is launching a new initiative to significantly increase salt marsh conservation as a means to protect human communities—and military facilities—from climate change impacts

In mid-April, the California Natural Resources Agency launched a new website, California Nature, to gather input from Californians on advancing effors to conserving 30 percent of the lands and coastal waters by 2030 and enlisting nature-based solutions to combat climate change.
Upcoming Conferences & Events

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Virtual Event

Virtual Event

September 3-11, 2021 — IUCN World Conservation Congress
Marseille, France

Denver, CO
Theme: challenges and opportunities related to the United States’ first ever national conservation goal, America the Beautiful.

Món Sant Benet, Spain

Landscape Conservation Job Board

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Landscape Program Assistant, Appalachian Trail Conservancy

Executive Director, Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation

Communications Specialist, Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition

Climate and Conservation Program Manager, Yaak Valley Forest Council

Senior Officer of Conservation and Financial Planning, the Global Project Finance for Permanence Initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts

Outreach & Communications Manager, Coalition of Delaware River Watershed

Program Associate for the Environment Program, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

The Scholars for Conservation Leadership Program, Land Trust Alliance
This program provides a virtual professional development experience and attendance at Rally for 10-20 students; undergraduate students are encouraged to apply by July 2, 2021.


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 practitioners. We welcome submissions: if your organization would like to widely distribute a posting please be in touch.

Webinars & Additional Resources

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The Climate Resilience Fund is currently accepting proposals for its Coordination and Collaboration in the Resilience Ecosystem grant program, with a submission deadline of June 18, 2021--more information and RFP available here.

In early May, The Narwhal hosted a webinar, The promise of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas in Canada--view the recording here.

Past recordings of the Network's virtual policy forum on the Future of Landscape Conservation can be found on the series webpage:
  • View the recording and summary report of the Network's March forum on Pathways to a Just and Equitable Future.
  • View the recording of the Network's May forum on Investments in Science and Networks for Biodiversity, Climate, and Cultural Conservation Goals.


A Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Webinar presented by the Department of Defense
June 2, 2021

An NPS Connected Conservation webinar
June 2, 2021

A Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition webinar
June 3, 2021

An NLC Landscape Conservation in Action webinar
June 9, 2021

A Land Trust Alliance online short course
June 9-30, 2021

A Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center webinar
June 10, 2021

An Appalachian Trail Conservancy broadcast
June 10, 2021

An NPS Connected Conservation webinar
June 16, 2021

An NLC Landscape Conservation in Action webinar
June 24, 2021

An NPS Connected Conservation webinar
July 7, 2021

An NPS Connected Conservation webinar
July 22, 2021

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.

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.

STAY CONNECTED
The Network for Landscape Conservation is the community of practice for practitioners advancing collaborative, cross-boundary conservation as an essential approach to protect nature, culture, and community in the 21st Century.



Contact Ernest Cook, Interim Network Director, for more information. 

Contributions of news, upcoming events, resources, and job postings for future Bulletins are welcomed. We also welcome inquires for potential future "Perspectives: Landscapes Conservation in Action" stories; please be in touch if you are interested in sharing stories and insights from your work.

The Network for Landscape Conservation is a fiscally sponsored project of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, P.O. Box 1587, Bozeman, MT 59771