The Landscape Conservation Bulletin |
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A bi-monthly service of the Network for
Landscape Conservation
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Dear Network Friends,
In the face of escalating social and environmental challenges, too often we continue to reach for unilateral responses to complex problems. Yet, we are seeing a shift, as ambitious federal and state goals—and new federal, state, and private investments in collaborative approaches—are increasingly enabling land managers to collaborate at a landscape scale.
I’ve tracked this evolution up-close: My recent master’s research explored the potential durability and effectiveness of a new national landscape conservation framework, one that centers collaboration and co-stewardship at multiple scales. What emerged most clearly: there is a huge desire amongst public and private land managers across scales for such a framework—and that to achieve this vision we need critical capacity investments to allow partners to work effectively together.
The value of capacity investments for implementing collective, inclusive, equitable, and scalable landscape-scale impacts is increasingly evident—for instance, California’s Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program, Colorado’s Forest Restoration & Wildfire Risk Mitigation Grant Program, or the Network’s Catalyst Fund. Even as we increasingly recognize how collaborative capacity is essential for all kinds of partnerships, groups, and networks to effectively work together, it is clear that we need to better articulate the elements and value of such investments.
That’s why I’m especially excited to highlight a new white paper that explores collaborative capacity and the essential role it plays in achieving social and ecological goals. A resource like this emerges out of conversation within the field, and I’m so energized at the thought of continuing to deepen and expand such conversations as we all work towards positive futures for the places and peoples that we care so deeply about!
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Collaborative Capacity White Paper |
Landscapes as Integrators |
Additional Landscape Conservation News |
Landscape Conservation Job Board |
Webinars & Additional Resources |
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Jaimie Baxter
Collaborative Capacity Program Manager, National Forest Foundation, and former Research Fellow with the California Landscape Stewardship Network;
Member of the NLC Collaborative Practice Working Group
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Cover photo: Late fall turns to winter in Silverthorne, Colorado. Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash.
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Featured News
New white paper explores prevailing perspectives on the relationship between collaborative capacity and landscape outcomes
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A persistent challenge within the landscape field of practice is a “collaboration disconnect”—that is, even as it has become nearly axiomatic that we need to collaborate to work effectively at the landscape scale, there is very little funding available to support the collaborative process. A Catalyst Fund grantee gave voice to this disconnect especially clearly: “Grantors are just interested in the project. It’s like they think that the part that makes the project happen, the collaborative structure that allows us to do this work—all of that just happens on its own and doesn’t take any resources or investment.”
The reality of course is that it takes a tremendous amount of time, energy, and effort to bring people together into collaboration—and to sustain that collaboration over time in pursuit of landscape outcomes. A new white paper and research brief paper from our colleagues at the California Landscape Stewardship Network offers an important new contribution to the growing body of literature emerging around this concept of “collaborative capacity.” Drawing upon in-depth interviews and focus groups with practitioners, leaders, and funders across the United States, this study synthesizes perspectives on what collaborative capacity is and how it leads to improved landscape outcomes. We are thrilled that study authors Jaimie Baxter and Seamus Land will be joining us for a webinar in late January to explore more deeply their findings, plus implications and recommendations for practitioners, funders, and researchers that aim to encourage greater coordination and alignment around collaborative capacity. The webinar will also include an opportunity for participants to provide feedback and engage in discussion amongst one another--we hope you will join us!
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Featured News
Landscapes as integrators: There is increasing attention to the intersection of the biophysical and sociocultural realities within landscapes, and what this means for the future of our work
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Landscapes are powerful integrators, and in this realization resides much potential for the future of our work, our landscapes, and our communities. The challenges that we are grappling with—the biodiversity crisis, the climate crisis, the environmental injustice crisis—are systems-level in nature, and emerge at the intersection of biophysical and sociocultural systems. A powerful example of this emerged in a recent article in the New York Times highlighting research that shows that birds and other wildlife are found in greater concentrations in wealthier neighborhoods within urban areas, as a result of redlining and structural racism in urban planning. In the face of such complexity, landscapes offer us an entry point into exploring intersections, and are our best chance for finding success and reimagining a more just, equitable, and sustainable future. Excitingly, this notion of integration is increasingly being explored within our community of practice.
Here in New England, Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities has launched a new online quarterly publication, From the Ground Up: Conversations about Conservation, Climate, and Community in New England. In the inaugural issue, Brian Donahue writes powerfully about what it means to consider an integrated approach to New England conservation and community. Elsewhere, a Trust for Public Land blogpost offers reflections on the importance of community-first conservation as a natural climate solution, highlighting examples from across the country of how community-led conservation efforts within local landscapes is contributing to efforts to prevent climate change. Similarly, a recent article in Land Lines Magazine, the quarterly publication of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, explores the increasingly recognition that stewarding our landscapes—and the wildlife therein—must be an essential component of our climate strategy. And finally, an interview with landscape architect Kate Orff in Yale E360 digs more granularly to ask, how might a tool like landscape architecture, when premised from a larger-scale systemic perspective, create powerful opportunities to weave together larger-scale resilience plans out of piecemeal, isolated local projects? These are just some of the conversations bubbling up in this space of intersection and integration; and our hope is that these themes continue to exert a gravitational pull on our collective reflections and thinking around what it means to work at the landscape scale.
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We are thrilled to announce that we are hiring a new position to support the core operations of the Network! The new Program Associate position will provide critical day-to-day support in the execution of core Network activities including the Catalyst Fund, providing support to and working closely with the Network Director and Network leadership to ensure the effective and efficient operation of the Network. We seek applicants that enjoy being part of a small, nimble staff team and that find energy in the emergent aspects of networks. Indeed, networked spaces are fast-paced, dynamic environments; we seek applicants that can enter into such a space with curiosity and compassion, and that can navigate with grace, humility, and good humor. We will begin application review in early December.
Who are we looking for? In a word, interstitionaries. Jennifer Brandel—in a RadioLab episode and in a companion Orion Magazine piece—gives us this beautiful new metaphor, one found in the discovery of a “new” human organ: The interstitium, that fractal, honeycombed subdermal network that connects our entire bodies and provides the foundation of interconnection, dependent relationship, and movement. In Jennifer’s poetic language, interstitionaries are those who gravitate to working in networks and to working on “all things in between”—focusing on the connections and relationships between parts rather than focusing solely on discrete parts within a system. If job titles are nouns, Jennifer suggests that interstitionaries are verbs…If this sounds like you, we hope you will be in touch!
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Additional Landscape Conservation News |
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Earlier this month, Penobscot Nation and Trust for Public Land announced an innovative land-back project that centers Indigenous self-determination and land care to restore some 30,000 acres to the Penobscot Nation—with a Washington Post opinion piece arguing that this project suggests that our most promising shot at future success is to reach for Indigenous conservation strategies from the past.
The National Fish & Wildlife Foundation announces more than $140 million in 2023 America the Beautiful Challenge grants to support landscape-scale conservation projects across 46 States, three U.S. Territories, and 21 Tribal and Native Nations.
The Midwest Landscape Initiative releases its Conservation Blueprint, drawing upon more than 20 social and environmental values that emerge from thriving landscapes to develop a basemap of priority lands and waters for conservation in the Midwest.
The Land Trust Alliance releases a new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion toolkit to help land trusts organize learning and grow DEI capacities.
Collaboration as a forever commitment: A featured story from the US Forest Service highlights the success that has emerged in collaborating and finding common ground within the Rio Chama Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program landscape.
Reflection piece from the Environmental Policy Innovation Center highlights just how critically important—and yet still often overlooked—deep collaboration and relationship-building is to achieving conservation and restoration successes across our landscapes.
Native Americans in Philanthropy releases a new language and learning guide for non-Indigenous people to support non-profit organizations, funders, and other philanthropic professionals in a longer educational journey for engaging with Indigenous communities or organizations.
Earlier this year, the River Network compiled case studies of collaboratives that are leveraging federal funding to tackle complex watershed challenges.
Blogpost from the Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition highlights resources to support forest collaboratives in engaging in Forest Service project planning and implementation.
The Language of Conservation: The Nature Conservancy and partners release a 2023 update to its conservation communication guidelines, continuing to build on a body of nearly twenty years of public opinion research.
Land Trust Alliance launches Gaining Ground Campaign to build a new base of advocates for private land conservation.
New assessment from the Department of Commerce reveals that outdoor recreation now contributes more than $1 trillion to the US economy.
A new working paper from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy offers a guide to assessing land for climate resilience using the The Nature Conservancy’s resilient and connected network.
Partners celebrate completion of the South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative Plan, and launch new website
Institute for Conservation Leadership blogpost underscores the importance of creating space for meaningful connection within meeting agendas—and offers ideas and examples for how to do so effectively.
Blogpost from the Northern Forest Center captures the capacity challenges that rural community leaders regularly face, highlighting the importance of thinking about bringing capacity rather than just building capacity through skills training.
Post from Nonprofit AF spotlights the vital yet often overlooked role that intermediary organizations or networks play—and argues for a paradigm shift in how philanthropy thinks about resourcing such entities.
A new post from Collective Mind synthesizes a series of co-creation workshops to offer insights on how to improve funding for networks.
Blogpost from the University of Utah Environmental Dispute Resolution Program highlights “conflict competence” and identifies core competencies that allow you to effectively navigate conflict.
The Center for Western Priorities releases a new report offering a comprehensive guide to the many tools available to protect America’s land, water, and biodiversity.
AFWA released a report synthesizing findings from its 2022 biennial survey of U.S. state and Canadian provincial and territorial fish and wildlife agencies to assess perspectives, needs, gaps, challenges, and opportunities for climate change adaptation in fish and wildlife management.
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Upcoming Conferences & Events
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A virtual forum
February 20-22, 2024 — Conservation without Conflict Summit
Washington, DC
More information coming
East Lansing, Michigan
Grand Junction, Colorado
Coeur D’Alene, Idaho
Tucson, Arizona
Estes Park, Colorado
Anchorage, AK
October 16-18, 2024 — Global Congress of the International Land Conservation Network: Relationships for a Resilient World
Quebec, Canada
More information coming
ILCN is accepting session proposals through January 15, 2024--see here for more information, including for the five conference focal area tracks, one of which is “Large Landscape Conservation.”
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Landscape Conservation Job Board
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Program Associate, Network for Landscape Conservation
Program Manager, Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition.
Coordinator, Upper Arkansas Watershed Partnership
Senior Tribal Liaison, Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians
Program Associate, Community Heart & Soul
Climate Resilient Communities Urban Forestry Director, River Network
Tribal Partnership & Resource Stewardship Manager, Sustainable Northwest
Co-Director, New England Grassroots Environment Fund, Inc
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.
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Webinars & Additional Resources
A three-part workshop from the Institute for Conservation Leadership
November 30 through December 12, 2023
A Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center webinar
December 13, 2023
A Live Oak Consulting Training
January 23, 2024
An NLC Landscape Conservation in Action webinar
January 31, 2024
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.
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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.
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.
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The Network for Landscape Conservation is a fiscally sponsored project of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, P.O. Box 1587, Bozeman, MT 59771
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