Conservation Leaders Network

Rural economies are changing across America. The role of extractive industries like logging and mining has diminished considerably and is being replaced in part by a nature-based economy. And an increasing number of rural communities are confirming that protecting wilderness is good for the environment and their economy.

The benefits that flow from protected wild lands are now the dominant economic drivers in many rural areas. Scenic vistas make communities attractive to businesses and employees seeking the highest quality of life. Wild lands in rural Western counties have led to income, employment, and population growth.¹ They also increase nearby property values for home owners and generate recreation and tourism dollars. Additionally, protected wild lands provide a number of vital natural services such as filtering our drinking water.

“Fishermen from all over the country come here to fish for salmon in the waters of the Elk River. This brings a vital economic boost during the lull in our tourism-driven economy. Restaurants, motels, R.V. parks, grocery stores, art galleries, advertisers and fishing guides benefit from this eco-based winter tourist industry. There is not a business in this community that does not receive a beneficial dollar during the hardest months of their economic year.”

Port Orford/North Curry County Chamber of Commerce, in supporting the Copper-Salmon Wilderness Act.

Businesses decide to locate and stay near protected landscapes for reasons such as scenic amenities, rural character of towns and proximity to wildlife-based recreation. These reasons far outrank labor costs and tax incentives.² Another study found that a majority of people, 53 percent, cited wilderness as an important reason they moved to their county of residence.³ The migration and retention of both businesses and their talented workforces foster regional economic development and provide a strong base for local economies.

If 100 retired households come to a community in a year, each with a retirement income of about $40,000, their impact is similar to that of a new business spending $4 million annually.⁴ This is because retirees increase the tax base and have stable investment income that increases employment and stimulates the economy when spent locally. Retirees are often attracted to natural amenities provided by public land and bring their non-labor income with them.

Economic studies have demonstrated that wilderness boosts residential property values.⁵ The per-acre price of residential land in towns that have some wilderness acreage is almost 19 percent higher than in towns that contain no wilderness. The higher property values, meanwhile, can contribute to lower tax rates because municipalities can generate the same amount of revenue from lower taxes.⁶

Per capita income in isolated rural counties with protected land grows faster than in isolated counties without any protected lands. One study found that from 1970 to 2000, per capita income in isolated rural counties with protected land grew more than 60 percent faster.⁷ Scenic rural counties exhibited higher employment and income growth from 1990-1995. Real per capita incomes grew 1.2 percent annually, compared with 0.4 percent for moderately scenic counties and 0.1 percent for other rural counties.⁸ Counties adjacent to urban areas have grown faster due to contact with an urban economy.

A study of 113 rural counties in the American West, 43% containing designated wilderness areas, showed that population, income, and employment growth increased with percent designated wilderness from 1970 -2000. Economic activities associated with wilderness included investment income and non farm self-employment income growth.⁹

The Outdoor Industry Association found that outdoor recreation contributes $730 billion to the American economy while supporting 6.5 million jobs.¹⁰ On average, each 10,000 acres of protected wilderness provides 18 new jobs in local communities.¹¹ A California study of just a single county found that wilderness generated $31.9 million in personal income, 50.2 million in sales revenue, and 882 jobs.¹² Outdoor recreation is good for hotels, restaurants, guides, grocery stores and more.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service reported that 87 million US residents 16 and older participated in wildlife-related recreation in 2006. $122 billion was spent on fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching.¹³

Americans visit their national forests for a wide variety of reasons, from hiking and backpacking to canoeing and mountain biking, to snowmobiling and driving for pleasure. Most of these activities are compatible with wilderness designation. Indeed, nearly two thirds (65.9 percent) of visits to national forests are primarily for the purpose of pursuing an activity that did or could occur in designated wilderness.¹⁴ Those visits mean business for owners and employees of the travel, lodging, dining, guiding and outfitting businesses, making wilderness an important part of the economic base of the communities nearby.

Wilderness provides – free of charge – a host of “ecosystem services,” including air and water filtration, climate regulation, pest control, and seed dispersal. Based on a recent study by The Wilderness Society and The Gund Institute for Ecological Economics, the ecosystem service output of all US federal conservation lands (including but not limited to wilderness), is worth between $260 billion and $3.9 trillion per year. One study of federally designated wilderness in the lower 48 states put the value of some of these services at between $2.0 billion and $3.5 billion per year.

Broken down a little further, another estimate puts the value of watershed protection, carbon storage, climate regulation, and waste treatment at $174 per acre per year. A rough estimate of the value of carbon stored in the wilderness forests is $2.4 billion annually.¹¹ The US Forest Service, meanwhile, estimated that one-fifth of America’s population get their water from sources with headwaters on national forests – a value worth $3.7 billion each year.¹⁴

“Wilderness and other protective designations have been shown to increase local tourism and to attract new residents who treasure the quality of life that preserved lands provide. This preservation is crucial for maintaining a healthy economy…As local Chambers of Commerce, we are dedicated to achieving business growth and prosperity while maintaining our unique quality of life. By attracting tourists and new residents, providing recreational opportunities for our communities, and protecting scenic vistas, this legislation aids us in achieving that mission.”

Yucca Valley Chamber of Commerce, in supporting the California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act.

1 Lorah, P.A.2000. Population Growth, Economic Security, and Cultural Change in Wilderness Counties in Wilderness Science in a Time of Change Conference, Volume2: Wilderness within the Context of Larger Systems, pp 230-237.ProceedingsRM RS-P-15-VOL2, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Ogden, UT.

2 Johnson, J.D.and R.Rasker.1995.The Role of Economic and Quality of Life Values in Rural Business Location. Journal of Rural Studies 11(4):405-416.

3 Rudzitis, G. and H. E. Johansen.1991.How important is wilderness? Results from a United States Survey. Environmental Management 15(2):227-233.

4 Crompton, J. L. 2007. The Competitiveness: Parks and Open Space as Factors Shaping a Location’s Success in Attracting Companies, Labor Supplies, and Retirees in The Economic Benefits of Land Conservation, pp 48-54.San Francisco, CA: Trust for Public Land.

5 Phillips, S. 2004. The economic benefits of wilderness: focus on property value enhancement. Science and Policy Brief (2). Washington, D.C;: The Wilderness Society.

7 Rasker, R., B. Alexander, J. van den Noort, and R.Carter.2004. Public Lands Conservation and Economic Well-Being. The Sonoran Institute, Tucson, AZ. Available from http://www.sonoran.org/programs/prosperity.html.

8 Henderson, J., and K. McDaniel. 1998. Do Scenic Amenities Foster Economic Growth in Rural Areas? Regional Economic Digest Q1:11-16.

9 Holmes, F. P. and W .E. Hecox. 2004. Does wilderness impoverish rural regions? Int’l. Journal of Wilderness 10(3):34-39. Page 3

10 Outdoor Industry Foundation .2006. The Active Outdoor Recreation Economy: A $730 Billion Contribution to the U.S. Economy. Boulder, CO: Outdoor Industry Foundation.

11 Loomis, J. B. and Richardson, R .2001. Economic values of the U.S. Wilderness system: Research evidence to date and questions for the future. Int’l. Journal of Wilderness 7(1):31-34.

12 Richardson, R. B. 2004. The Economic Benefits of California Desert Wildlands: 10 Years Since the California Desert Protection Act of 1994. Washington, D. C.: The Wilderness Society.

13 U.S. Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau.2006. 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Associated Recreation.

14 Seddell, J., M . Sharpe, D. D. Apple, M. Copenhagen, M. Furniss. 2000. Water & the Forest Service. USDA Forest Service.FS-660.

Witnessing a surge in climate protection activity among its members, NACo launched its Climate Protection Program last year to support counties as they work to develop emissions reduction targets and implement mitigation and adaptation plans.

Whether counties are motivated by global warming, air quality, national security, sustainability or financial savings, they are taking action to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Environmental risks and potential costs for inaction, meeting shrinking budgets and saving taxpayer dollars, moving the country toward energy independence — pick the goal you’d like, but the bottom line is counties are more aware today of emissions than ever before.

Climate change may be a global problem, but it’s certainly not a one-size-fits-all solution for local governments. The first step as a participant in NACo’s Climate Protection Program is to select a meaningful emissions reduction target, which many have recently done.

In total, at least 50 counties have passed a resolution on climate change — not all of them alike.

Some counties have opted to sign the Cool Counties Climate Stabilization Declaration, launched last summer by a coalition of counties including King County, Wash. and Fairfax County, Va., along with the Sierra Club. The goal is an 80 percent reduction in emissions by 2050.

Others, like Sarasota County, Fla. have made commitments to carbon-neutral buildings by 2030, while others have established their own targets such as Whatcom County, Wash.

The goals for Whatcom County, established last year, include a community emissions reduction target of 10 percent below 2001 levels by 2020. The county’s own goal is 25 percent below 2000 levels by 2012.

Incremental approaches are common in county emissions reduction targets. These short-term, mid-term and long-term ranges make what could otherwise be a daunting and overwhelming problem a more achievable, realistic and flexible solution.

In December, Montgomery County, Pa. became the first county in Pennsylvania to adopt a greenhouse gas emissions plan. The plan calls for a reduction in emissions below 2004 levels of 4 percent by 2012, 15 percent by 2017 and 32 percent by 2025.

A resolution passed in Teton County, Wyo. asks residents to educate themselves about global warming and take action. And, in San Juan County, Wash., their resolution details 26 ways the county will help reduce emissions, including providing more trails and bikeways and buying goods locally. The resolution also outlines 10 actions residents and businesses can take.

Chester County, Pa .formed a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Task Force comprising 64 members. Residents were invited to apply to serve, and all were accepted by the county. The task force will recommend actions the county can take as well as those actions that residents and municipalities may be encouraged to take.

Other counties that have launched sustainability or climate task forces recently include: Miami-Dade County, Fla.; Howard County, Md.; Queen Anne’s County, Md.; Henderson County, N.C.; Ulster County, N.Y.; Westchester County, N.Y.; and Montgomery County, Pa.

With the development of local climate action plans comes an opportunity for counties to think beyond mitigation techniques and start to plan for future social, environmental, and economic impacts — otherwise known as adaptation planning.

Unsure how your county may need to cope in the future? Melting icecaps are just the tip of the iceberg. Shifts in local food supplies, effects on tourism, an increasing number of droughts, a greater risk of forest fires, shifting crop patterns, a reduction in our snowpack, an increase in sea levels, more flooding and extreme temperature fluctuations are among other named consequences.

A Survey of Climate Change Adaptation Planning was recently produced from The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment. The survey can help counties navigate their way through 18 existing resources to help in adaptation planning. One particular such resource is Preparing for Climate Change: A Guidebook for Local, Regional and State Governments, created through a partnership between ICLEI, Climate Impacts Group and King County, Wash.

The guidebook provides a framework communities can use to prepare for and adapt to regional climate changes.

Henderson County Commissioner Chuck McGrady was recognized as the Outstanding County Commissioner at the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) banquet in 2009. The Outstanding County Commissioner Award is presented annually to a commissioner who has demonstrated special achievements and efforts, primarily during the past 12 months, on behalf of county government throughout the state and/or region, not just within his county.

“It is a pleasant surprise and an honor to receive this recognition from my peers - County Commissioners from across the state. I guess I’ll have to redouble my work on behalf of Henderson County to justify the faith my colleagues have expressed in me,” said McGrady.

Commissioner McGrady is active in both the NCACC and the National Association of Counties (NACo), including service as co-chair of the NCACC’s Environmental Steering Committee. He serves on the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund, and was a member of the 21st Century Transportation Committee - a blue ribbon panel which made recommendations last year to the Governor and the General Assembly on transportation reform and funding. McGrady is also active regionally. He chairs the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization, which does transportation planning, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Land-of-Sky Regional Council, which is composed of representatives of local governments in a four county region. He is also a member of the Conservation Leaders Network.

“The title of Outstanding County Commissioner is a top-notch award. Henderson County citizens should be very pleased that one of their commissioners is receiving such wonderful statewide recognition by the Association,” said County Manager Steve Wyatt.

The NCACC was established for the betterment of county government in North Carolina. The Association serves as the counties’ advocate before the executive, legislative and judicial branches of state government.

The economic downturn that I mentioned in our fall newsletter continues to affect the Conservation Leaders Network, as it does other non-profit groups. A few—such as those providing food to the destitute—are not suffering, but most—including environmental groups—are. Foundation funding is getting more and more difficult to obtain. I’ve heard of groups that have closed their doors and groups that have had to cut their budgets by 30%, which meant laying off almost a third of their staffs. The staff of the Conservation Leaders Network has a certain amount of flexibility; so far this year we have reduced hours but maintained our staff of three at part-time levels. I won’t be attending the National Association of Counties’ Legislative Conference in Washington DC this year, but I do hope to bring our “Conservation Makes $ense” booth to the Annual Conference in Reno NV in July. We just got word of our first booth co-sponsor, so we are on our way. And our members were very generous with year-end donations, which help support the organization as a whole.

Since our last newsletter, we have been working hard to compile a clean water report using stories from counties across the country, showing how they and their constituents are being impacted by polluted surface water and flooding. This report tells the local stories of water pollution and destruction and the resulting harm and expense to communities. These stories remind us that to protect our local water supplies, property, infrastructure, and economies, we must look upstream to the many miles of trickling headwater and intermittently flowing streams and acres of wetlands that do most of the real work of storing and cleansing our waters. As these stories show us, we disregard at our peril these “non-navigable” workhorses of our watersheds. Unless we restore our commitment to their protection, their pollution and destruction over time will leave us with very costly reparations – and in some cases irreversible harm to our water resources. The report should be available on our website in early March; look for it at www.conservationleaders.org.

This is our second edition of our new on-line newsletter. We’d like to know how you like it and we hope you can use the extra articles we are able to send your way that wouldn’t have been able to fit into our paper version. We also hope you are enjoying the color photos—so much more effective than the black-and-white ones we had to use before.

I’d like to encourage you to forward the newsletter to five people you don’t think are likely to see it otherwise. Not only will that help share the valuable information that is in each newsletter, but it can help expand our membership as others see what we offer and decide to be part of it.

In the midst of the recent economic downturn and passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act comes an opportunity to unite local environmental protection with economic opportunities. The terms ‘green jobs’ and ‘green economy’ are now mainstream terms used at the most local level up to the White House. What do these terms mean and how can your country help deliver these concepts in a tangible, meaningful way that benefits both your local economy and residents?

As your county works to capture the momentum toward a sustainable future and maximize use of federal government funding to ensure the vitality of your communities, what are the most effective approaches, tools and resources to assist them? There is no cookie-cutter solution, but there are tools and best practices to assist you in developing your county’s local green economy strategy. This guidebook will explore these resources in detail for both county staff and elected officials.

Contact the National Association of Counties to get your copy of the Guidebook. This notice was sent out in December 2009; as of the Networker’s deadline, the actual release had not yet been announced.

The announcement is reprinted with the permission of the National Association of Counties.

Valuing our Public Lands: Healthy Lands, Healthy Wildlife and Public Benefits

In terms of the animal and plant life on our federal public lands, the American people are the owners and stewards of an incredibly valuable natural asset. Our varied climate, topography and geology make the United States "the most ecologically diverse nation on earth." Nearly one-quarter of U.S. mammals are "national endemics"- species that occur only here. Much of the living diversity that the United States supports is found on the lands managed in the public interest by the federal government. These federal public lands include the national wildlife refuges managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the national parks managed by the National Park Service and the BLM lands, all administered by the Department of the Interior, and the national forests and grasslands managed by the U.S. Forest Service under the Department of Agriculture. These four federal systems cover more than 672 million acres of land-29 percent of the nation's land base. Together they form an integral part of America's natural environment.

The Forest Service and BLM lands, the two multiple-use-managed federal systems that are the focus of this report, incorporate 449 million of these acres, or 20 percent of the U.S. land area, and play an essential role in protecting the nation's wild plants and animals.

The Forest Service oversees 5 national forests and grasslands spread across 190 million acres-roughly 8 percent of the U.S. landscape. Most of these holdings are in the 11 western states and Alaska, but national forests and grasslands are also found in 31 other states and Puerto Rico. Seventy-three percent of America's major terrestrial and wetland habitats are represented on the national forests and grasslands. The Forest Service manages everything from alpine tundra to tropical rainforest, deciduous and evergreen forests, native grasslands, bogs, fens, marshes and other wetlands. Streams, lakes and rivers on Forest Service lands include significant headwaters and stream reaches critically important to aquatic life, such as the cutthroat trout and other fish, and to providing clean water to some 60 million Americans.

The diversity of habitats found on the national forests and grasslands supports much of the nation's wildlife, including thousands of invertebrate species and wide-ranging populations of grizzly bears, wolverines, elk and bighorn sheep that require large blocks of habitat. One in every five species on the U.S. federal threatened and endangered lists is found on the national forests. National forests also have more intact populations of rare species than any other federal land system and are home to approximately 3,400 sensitive species-animals and plants for which there is concern and evidence of decline.

Approaching 258 million acres, the BLM estate is even larger than that of the Forest Service, covering roughly 13 percent of America's total land surface and more than 40 percent of the land managed by the federal government. In addition to these surface holdings, the BLM is responsible for managing 700 million acres of subsurface mineral rights, placing the agency front and center in the current policy debate about energy development on federal public lands.

Like Forest Service lands, BLM tracts are located mostly in the western states and Alaska. The size and distribution of these lands mean they represent a wide variety of landscapes, habitats and life forms. BLM lands are home to a full range of terrain types, including grasslands, sagebrush steppes, high deserts, great basins, forests, arctic tundra and mountains.

These varied landscapes harbor more than 300 endangered and threatened plant and animal species and 1,500 sensitive species, and encompass 90 million acres of key habitat for big game such as antelope, bison, bighorn sheep and elk. The BLM also administers lands directly affecting 16 million acres of wetlands and 117,000 miles of fish-bearing streams, ranging from isolated desert-springs to large tributaries to the Columbia River.

At one time, high, arid BLM holdings were considered "the lands that nobody wanted," but don't count on any biologist, western governor or sportsman to tell you that now. In fact, BLM manages key tracts of low-elevation habitat, the precious and critical "winter range" that supports many wildlife species during the fierce winters of the intermountain west.

Forest Service and BLM lands also carry tremendous value for sportsmen. The Forest Service, for example, boasts more than half of the trout and salmon streams and more than 80 percent of the elk, mountain goat and bighorn sheep habitat in the lower 48 states.

Together, the Forest Service and BLM lands form a foundation for the conservation of American fish, wildlife and plant life, supporting an incredible wealth of biological diversity that translates directly into overall land health. Forest Service and BLM lands contain the right biological pieces, in the proper arrangement, to create a network of lands that will be productive and resilient for generations to come, if we—the American people and the agencies charged with the management of these lands—take our collective stewardship responsibility seriously. With the proper tools in place to maintain, manage and measure fish and wildlife populations, the two land systems could sustain the health of the land and provide myriad direct and indirect benefits to the American people for generations to come.

Much as a doctor assesses our health by taking our temperature, heart rate and blood pressure, a biologist gauges the health of our lands by measuring the condition of the native plant and animal populations that rely on those lands. Healthy lands have habitat of sufficient quantity and quality to support the stable and sustainable wildlife and plant populations that scientists describe as "viable populations."

Healthy lands that support viable populations of wildlife and plants are far more capable of providing present and future generations of Americans with tangible benefits than unhealthy lands with diminished habitat devoid of animals and plants. Healthy lands rich in habitat and wildlife serve as a buffer against a changing climate, provide us with clean water and air, wood fiber and energy products, and outdoor recreation such as hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing. The continued provision of these valuable products and services is contingent on maintaining the health of the land over time.

Outdoor recreation is a case in point. Outdoor pursuits contribute a whopping $730 billion annually to the U.S. economy and support 6.5 million jobs across the United States. More than ever, Americans are seeking out federal public lands for adventure, respite and relaxation. Forest Service and BLM lands offer the most, and best, opportunities for outdoor recreation. For example, national forests offer more than 133,000 miles of trails and 95 Wild and Scenic Rivers, and increasing numbers of people are diligently seeking out these opportunities (Table 1).

When you consider what makes an outdoor recreation experience so valued and valuable, solitude, adventure, exercise, beauty, spiritual renewal and other factors come to mind. Something even more fundamental becomes apparent when you think what the outdoor experience would be like without wildlife. Robust and diverse animal and plant populations are an indicator of land health and essential to the experience people are seeking when they choose to recreate on our federal public lands.

Degradation of wildlife habitat affects the quality of the outdoor recreation opportunities. It can have direct impacts such as sedimentation from a logging project fouling a trout stream or an oil drilling operation displacing a big-game herd from a sportsman's favorite valley. It can also have indirect impacts such as depriving us of an opportunity to be in the presence of wildlife or diminishing our enjoyment of the wilderness experience. Recreating on public lands in the absence of key fish and wildlife values is like visiting an art museum missing its masterpieces.

Source: U.S. Forest Service. Recreation Statistics; Update Report: Participation Rates for Outdoor Activities in 2004

The logical links between the condition of fish and wildlife populations, the health of the federal public lands and direct positive benefits to the American people is certainly evident in the case of fishing and hunting, much of which takes place on our public lands, including the federal lands that make up the majority of those lands. In New Mexico, 94 percent of hunters hunt on public lands, as do 88 percent of Idaho hunters, 86 percent of Montana hunters, 81 percent of Utah hunters and 74 percent of Wyoming hunters. These hunters count on the presence of robust fish and wildlife populations on these lands and in return bring substantial benefits to communities and to our national economy.

In 2006, sportsmen spent a total of $76.7 billion in pursuit of their passion. That same year, some 30 million U.S. residents reported enjoying fishing opportunities and spent $42.2 billion in the process. In Montana, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico alone, anglers spent nearly $1.7 billion in 2006 on fishing related expenditures. In addition, some 12.5 million people went hunting in 2006, and 10.7 million of them pursued big-game species such as deer, elk and bighorn sheep.

The figures on wildlife viewing and birding on federal public lands are also impressive. Like hunting and fishing, these activities rely directly on healthy fish, wildlife and plant populations. In 2006, some 70 million Americans spent more than $45.7 billion on wildlife watching. Over 30 million participated in wildlife photography, and close to 61 million people birded. In 2006, 80 percent of all people who took trips to watch wildlife visited public lands, including federal lands, which make up the majority of those lands. You don't have to be an economist to understand the direct impact on these values should the condition of fish and wildlife on federal public lands diminish. Indeed, the viability of outdoor-based industries relies on the careful stewardship of our federal public land system.

The trends and values associated with outdoor recreation are shifting the economies of the American West. Yesterday's resource-extraction-based economies are now being buoyed or supplanted by new economies driven by values directly and indirectly derived from healthy federal public lands. For example, more people are choosing to live near national forests and BLM lands to enjoy the higher quality of life that comes with having towering mountains, lush forests, clean water sources, blue-ribbon fisheries and huntable wildlife populations in their backyards.

Yet these and all of the benefits and values we derive from public lands are directly threatened if we continue to compromise the health of these precious places with regressive resource management like that practiced under the Bush administration.

The Conservation Leaders Network’s effectiveness is directly related to the support and involvement of many dedicated people and organizations across the country. Even with the economic downturn, the supporters of the Conservation Leaders Network helped keep our doors open and county commissioners working to protect America’s natural resources.

Thank you to our many in-kind donors who provided over $11,000 worth of goods and services!

Thanks to the many people who support our work with gifts of time, insight, experience and energy:

Commissioner Bracken Burns, Washington County PA
Bob Freimark (Secretary), The Wilderness Society, Seattle WA
Commissioner Barry Jacobs (Chair), Orange County NC

Suzanne Ankrum
Commissioner Janine Burns
Morgan Covington
Commissioner Robert Downing
Supervisor Chuck Erickson
Commissioner Carol Fordonski
Laura Greathead
Supervisor Brett Hulsey
Kay Jenson
Commissioner Howard Kessler
Commissioner Deborah Lieberman
Carole Moskovita
Commissioner Mike Murray
Commissioner Steve O’Neil
Commissioner Ben Pearlman
Commissioner Bob Rackleff
Elaine Smith

YES!

I want to join the Conservation Leaders Network, the only nonprofit organization in the country which focuses on working with county commissioners to protect America’s natural resources.

Individual and county memberships are now available.

Individual memberships start at $45/year; county memberships start at $250/yr. Counties with more than 5 commissioners may inquire about rates.

With my membership, I will get:

$$ for Counties, email notice of protection and restoration funding opportunities for counties.
priority access to the Conservation Leaders staff for information and support
“Networker,” the Conservation Leaders Network’s quarterly newsletter

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