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The Landscape Conservation Bulletin
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A bi-monthly publication of the Network
for
Landscape Conservation
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Dear Network Friends and Partners,
Every time we publish a Bulletin, I am awed by the remarkable energy, innovation, and progress happening in landscape conservation. This issue is no exception. Once again we have a major poll confirming broad bipartisan support for land conservation and funding. We have more research and case studies that document the central value of landscape conservation for migratory species and ecological health, climate change resiliency, watershed protection, urban community health, local community sustainability, cultural heritage conservation, and more.
And - importantly - we have a growing number of innovative tools to help us harness sound science and meaningful cross-sector collaboration to achieve conservation at the landscape scale across the private-public land continuum.
Enjoy this issue of the Bulletin, your summer hours out and about in your own local landscapes, and please be in touch as we all move forward.
Emily M. Bateson
Network Coordinator
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Featured News
National hunter and angler poll shows support for conservation crosses party lines
L
ate last month the results of a new national poll were released that demonstrated strong bipartisan support for conservation in America. With major conservation policy decisions on the table in Washington, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership commissioned the poll to capture the perspectives of the more than 40 million hunters and anglers in America, and found consensus regardless of political party identification. Namely, the poll showed:
- 97% agree that protecting and conserving public lands for future generations is important
- 95% agree it is important to maintain public lands infrastructure, like roads, trails, campgrounds, and historic sites
- 87% want no cuts to conservation in the federal budget
- 82% support the BLM's plans to conserve the greater sage grouse
- 4 in 5 support Clean Water Act protections for headwater streams and wetlands
- 77% of Republicans and 80% of Democrats support keeping the number and size of existing national monuments that offer hunting and fishing
This survey is another data point demonstrating the common ground that exists around conserving and sustaining the landscapes upon which we depend. And the collaborative, cross-boundary landscape conservation approach has tremendous potential to build upon this common ground to advance efforts at all scales, federal to local, and across the public-private land continuum.
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Featured News
Wildlife corridors and wildlife crossings in the news
Wildlife migration corridors and wildlife road crossings - topics long understood as critically important by the scientific and conservation community - have been increasingly evident in the popular news. An article in The Guardian focuses on the importance of sustaining wildlife migration corridors in addition to more traditional efforts to protect core habitat. A new book, Yellowstone Migrations, to be released in September, combines stunning photography and reflections from conservationists and scientists on the iconic wildlife migrations of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem - take a sneak peek at the book. In increasingly fragmented landscapes, such corridors are increasingly threatened. A Wall Street Journal article highlights the importance of wildlife crossings to sustain wildlife migrations and movements across highways and roads, and underscores the landscape perspective as critical in thinking about wildlife conservation. A Vox video expanded on the wildlife crossings concept, exploring the efficacy of these structures and options for increasing the rate at which they are installed. In short, these articles serve to underscore how the landscape conservation approach has come to critically inform wildlife conservation thinking and action within North America.
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Perspectives: Landscape Conservation in Action
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Holistic landscape conservation not new to the Blackfeet Nation
In northern Montana and southern Alberta, the Blackfeet Confederacy has long viewed the integration of natural and human systems as central to the tribe's physical and spiritual well-being. In the face of environmental, social, and political change, the Blackfeet continue to embrace holistic, landscape-level approaches to planning and land management with the goal of sustaining the ecological health of the lands that are vital to their cultural and traditional practices. The
Center for Large Landscape Conservation has been working with the Blackfeet for nearly a decade, and highlight how the
Iinnii Initiative, an effort to reintroduce wild buffalo, is ensuring that the unique natural and cultural heritage of the Blackfeet Nation won't be lost -- and demonstrating lessons for the broader landscape conservation community.
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Additional Landscape Conservation News
Article highlights the "Monarch Highway," a plan to utilize transportation infrastructure to restore butterfly habitat along migration pathways
The North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative and partners from 13 northeastern states have launched
Nature's Network, a suite of decision support tools to inform conservation work throughout the Northeast
Read the
article
or explore the
website
"Finding shared solutions at the landscape level" infographic highlights the power of the landscape approach to provide a platform for all stakeholders
WCS Climate Adaptation Fund releases new report, "14 Solutions to Problems of Climate Change Poses for Conservation"
New research highlights the importance of incorporating climate projections into connectivity planning to protect species on the move
The Appalachian Landscape Conservation Cooperative is integrating cultural values into its overarching landscape conservation approach to achieve sustainable landscapes
Wildness in an urban setting: article explores the ecological and social roles of wildness in urban ecosystems
Climate Risk Management paper underscores the necessity of including social vulnerability in a more integrated social-ecological approach in considering climate change adaptation
New research around the efficacy of landscape restoration projects has resulted in a decision support table aimed at improving the climate resilience of such projects
Read the overview article and explore the research
The Atlanta Beltline, a citywide vision for repurposing dilapidated rail infrastructure for a multi-use trail network, is sparking economic, cultural, and environmental renewal
Article highlights the increasing use of satellite imagery in conservation science
Read the article
Potentially suitable jaguar habitat - and landscape connectivity - mapped at a resolution relevant to transportation planning in the Sky Islands borderlands region of northern Sonora and southern Arizona
Coyote Valley Landscape Linkage initiative launched to establish a clear vision of a functional land connection for wildlife and protected water resources in Silicon Valley
Innovative partnership between Orange County (CA) Transportation Authority and federal, state, and local agencies and conservation organizations celebrates success: 1300 acres of open space protected via transportation infrastructure sales tax measure
Article highlights the role of land trusts in bringing landscape-scale resources and thinking to local communities
New York Times article on 'rewilding' a century-old cranberry bog explores the restoration potential of functional landscapes and "natural" infrastructure in a changing climate
Study demonstrates the positive impact of marine reserves on oceans and people in the face of a changing climate
A reflection on the divisiveness of society: an opportunity - and need - for leadership to bring people together in collaboration to address shared challenges in a manner that allow our communities and society to thrive
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Upcoming Conferences & Opportunities
Please look for the Network for Landscape Conservation at the Environmental Grantmakers Association Fall Retreat in September, where we will be moderating a panel on urban landscape conservation, and also at the Land Trust Alliance Rally in October, where we will be hosting both a workshop and a landscape conservation breakfast.
Denver, CO
EGA members only
Seattle, WA
Bangor, ME
Quebec City, Canada
Denver, CO
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Webinars & Additional Resources
A National Park Service "Scaling Up" webinar
August 15, 2017
A National Park Service "Scaling Up" webinar
August 23, 2017
A Conservation Biology Institute webinar
August 24, 2017
A National Park Service "Scaling Up" webinar
September 11, 2017
A National Park Service "Scaling Up" webinar
September 20, 2017
A Conservation Biology Institute webinar
September 21, 2017
A National Park Service "Scaling Up" webinar
October 18, 2017
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, community, and culture in the 21st Century.
Contact Emily Bateson, Network Coordinator, for more information.
Contributions of news, upcoming events, and resources for future Bulletins are welcomed.
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