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Section 1: Introduction
Bradford S. Gentry
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Tremendous gains in conserving land have occurred over the past few decades across urban,
suburban, working and wilderness areas. At the same time, rural economies in the U.S. have
continued to evolve, with large areas depopulating as a result of shifts in production and
accompanying economic decline, others experiencing intensive resource development and
production, and still others attracting tourists and second-home owners. Where does the
conservation of land fit into this evolution? How has it added to or detracted from a healthy
future for rural areas and their residents? How might conservation resources best be used to
help strengthen and sustain healthy, resilient rural economies in the future?
The purpose of the 2012 Berkley Workshop is to explore these and related questions
as part of an on-going effort to inform and make even more effective the strategies used by
conservation organizations in the U.S. An integrated, cross-regional and cross-sectoral approach will be taken, both to reflect the variations in landscapes, economies and conservation
efforts across the U.S., as well as to distill out common themes and identify opportunities
for sharing information and resources more effectively. As shown in the matrix below, the
workshop will draw upon participants’ experiences, success stories, lessons learned and ideas
for moving forward.
Forestry
Northeast
Southeast
Midwest
Interior West
Agriculture
Tourism
Energy
Environmental
Markets
Cross-regional and cross-sectoral sharing of:
• Successful case studies
• Individuals, organizations and networks doing great work
• Opportunities for conservation organizations to become better partners
in efforts to build healthy rural economies across the U.S.
Pacific
Northwest
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what do healthy rural economies look like in the u.s., and how might
conservation organizations help support them?
Up to 30 workshop participants will be drawn from a range of backgrounds across
these regions and sectors, including conservation leaders and leaders from businesses,
governments, economic development entities, academic and research institutes and other
interested organizations. Background materials will be developed by Yale graduate researchers in collaboration with participants. The results of the workshop will be published by the
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies as part of the on-going Berkley Workshop
series at http://environment.yale.edu/publication-series/land_use_and_environmental_planning/.
Participants’ costs to attend will be covered by Yale thanks to the generous support of donors
to the Berkley Program on Strategies for the Future of Conservation.
Berkley Workshop Participants
•Avery Anderson, Acting Executive Director 2012, The Quivira Coalition, NM
•Judy Anderson, Principal, Community Consultants, NY
•Dana Beach, Executive Director, Coastal Conservation League, SC
•Fletcher Beaudoin, Sustainability Partnerships Director, Portland State University, OR
•Forrest Berkley, Board Member, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, ME
•Story Clark, Author, Conservation Finance, WY
•Bobby Cochran, Executive Director, Willamette Partnership, OR
•Dee Davis, President, Center for Rural Strategies, KY
•Michael Dowling, Former Chair, Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission; Current
Chair, Land Trust Alliance, CO
•Kim Elliman, CEO, Open Space Institute, NY
•Jay Espy, Executive Director, Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, ME
•Brad Gentry, Professor in Practice, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, CT
•Neil Hamilton, Director, The Agricultural Law Center, IA
•Roberto Jimenez, Executive Director, Farmworker Housing Development Corporation, OR
•Drew Lanham, Professor, Clemson University, SC
•Gil Livingston, President, Vermont Land Trust, VT
•Roel Lopez, Professor, Texas A&M University, TX
•Deborah Markley, Director, RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, NC
•Luke McKay, Masters Student, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, CT
•Fred Monroe, Executive Director, Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board, NY
•Danyelle O’Hara, Consultant, OK
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•Mikki Sager, Resourceful Communities Program Director, The Conservation Fund, NC
•Mary Sexton, Director, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, MT
•Joe Short, Program and Policy Director, Northern Forest Center, NH
•Marc Smiley, Partner, Solid Ground Consulting, OR
•Peter Stein, Managing Director, Lyme Timber Company, NH
•Eileen Swan, Former Executive Director, New Jersey Highlands Council, NJ
•Dave Tobias, Deputy Chief, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, NY
•Kristin Tracz, Associate, Mountain Association for Community Economic Development, KY
•Laurie Wayburn, President, Pacific Forest Trust, CA
•Jim Welch, Vice Chairman, Brown-Forman Corporation, KY
•Rand Wentworth, President, Land Trust Alliance, DC
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