Blog

Pictured above: 2017 Salmon Falls Success Safari, photo courtesy of Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative

Article by Kristen Thompson, Highstead Conservation Intern Fall 2019

Despite challenges with the current lack of funding and heavy turnover in the past six to seven years, the Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative (SFW) is “the little engine that could.” Their secret to success? A forward-looking attitude and focus on achievements through projects such as their Success Safari.

The SFW Collaborati

The Highlands Conservation Act Competitive Grant Round #2 is now available at grants.gov (search for "F19AS00365" or "Highlands”).

The deadline is December 2, 2019.

Up to $5,497,000 are available for eligible land conservation projects in the Highlands Conservation Act region of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut.

The Highlands Conservation Act (HCA) (H.R. 1964, 2004; 16 U.S.C. 3901) is designed to assist Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania in conserving land and

On November 7-8 in Westborough, MA, natural resource professionals who work within and manage water supply forests are invited to a workshop to consider the impacts of climate change on forested watersheds with particular emphasis on water supply management. This event will provide opportunities to learn more about current and anticipated effects of climate change on forested watersheds in the Northeast; and to explore relevant climate tools and case studies from ongoing forest adaptation effort

I am pleased to be able to share with you news that registration for the 2019 RCP Network Gathering is officially open! 

This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Gathering and the first time we are squarely addressing climate change--our theme is Natural Climate Solutions for All, and we'll have 24 workshops (six more than last year) presented by over 70 faculty in eight thematic tracks covering topics such as climate resilience, regional land use issues, conservation finance, collaborative l

NRCS recently announced that up to $300 million in funding would be made available for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

Background on RCPP:
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/financial/rcpp/

The deadline for applications is December 3, 2019. NRCS will be hosting a webinar Thursday, September 26 at 3pm to provide information about the application process. (Webinar logistics are being finalized and will be posted on the website.)

For more informat

The US Forest Service is now requesting applications for the Fiscal Year 2020 Landscape Scale Restoration (LSR) Grant Program. The purpose of this competitive grant program is to encourage collaborative, science-based restoration of priority forest landscapes, leverage public and private resources, and support priorities identified in State Forest Action Plans (Connecticut’s Forest Action Plan). 

Timeline:  The FY 2020 LSR Guidance and Project Narrative Form and other agency-specific forms and

The Long Island Sound Regional Conservation Partnership Program  (LISW-RCPP)

2019 Agricultural Conservation Easement Program - Agricultural Land Easement Grant Round

​for Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island Only

Enrollment Period: July 22, 2019, to Sept. 20, 2019

The purpose of the LISW-RCPP - Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) - Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) grant round is to assist landowners, on a voluntary basis, in helping to restore, enhance and protect forestla

Starting in January 2018, the Maine West initiative embarked on an innovative mapping project to prioritize land conservation in western Maine. Unlike most of the Regional Conservation Partnerships (RCPs), Maine West’s membership draws organizations with community development, education, and health foci into their conservation efforts. It is only fitting that Maine West’s mapping efforts reflect a similarly integrative approach.

Maine West is an RCP centered on community development, having evol

(The following text is an excerpt from the January Bulletin of the Network for Landscape Conservation Jan. 2019) 

This spring, thanks to generous funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Network for Landscape Conservation (NLC) is launching a major five-year national grant program to accelerate the pace and practice of collaborative conservation at the landscape scale. Through a competitive grant program, the Catalyst Fund will distribut

The Thames River Basin Partnership and the Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative may span different geographic regions, but they have similar ideas and missions. The Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative focuses on the Salmon Falls Watershed in Southeastern Maine and Northeastern New Hampshire. The Thames River Basin Partnership operates in the Thames River Watershed that spans Southern Worcester county, Massachusetts, and Eastern Connecticut. Both groups approach natural resource protection throu

Cold Hollow to Canada (CHC) declared it to be a vulnerable time for forests in their Fall 2018 newsletter, citing an intergenerational shift in land ownership and negative impacts associated with climate change. In their programming, initiatives, and research, Cold Hollow to Canada is gearing up to address these ownership and climate changes in creative ways.

Using their deep ties to the local community, Cold Hollow to Canada partners are engaging private landowners through citizen science, educa

Are All Acres Created Equal?

Enlightening Report Released at Convergence 2018 Highlights the Distributional Challenges related to the Economic Benefits of Conservation in Downeast Maine

            Conserved land can generate many economic benefits for human communities. But how
exactly do acres conserved translate into tangible economic benefits? And how are these benefits distributed within regions and communities? Answers to these questions are not straightforward; yet it seems land conservati

The High Peaks Initiative (HPI) seeks to protect important natural resources, secure public access, and support healthy human and natural communities in the most mountainous region of Maine. With the help of Academics for Land Protection in New England (ALPINE), HPI has developed a mutually beneficial relationship with nearby Colby College to enhance these goals. A guiding principle of the High Peaks Initiative is that the work of the partnership should be driven by community values. HPI had ane

This year's RCP Network Gathering is right around the corner!

Have you signed up yet? And have you thought about how you might be able to share this great opportunity with fellow conservationists?

By tapping into your social media savvy, you can help us rev up the conversation about the Gathering, bringing more people in to engage in valuable conversations, share information, and collaborate to advance conservation in our region.

We're using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram (new this yea

I am writing to share a new report just released by the Network for Landscape Conservation—Pathways Forward: Progress and Priorities in Landscape Conservation.

The purpose of Pathways Forward is two-fold: to capture the current state of landscape conservation practice; and to suggest what we can do together to successfully conserve our irreplaceable cultural and natural landscapes.

The report explores recent innovations, on-the-ground examples, and action-oriented strategies that are advancing l

Two key characteristics of successful efforts to conserve land in New England and eastern New York are generosity and innovation in conservation funding. A new finance tool, in this case to protect water quality and conserve rare species habitat in the Long Island Sound watershed, exemplifies those characteristics. RCP member land trusts throughout the watershed, which spans six states, have donated the value of select conservation easements as “match” to release $2.8 million in federal funding