The Conservation Finance Network: Boot Camps & Beyond Leigh - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Conservation Finance Network: Boot Camps & Beyond

Leigh Whelpton

Harvard Kennedy School Webinar, June 19, 2013

Outline

• Conservation Finance “Boot Camp”
• Problem Workshop & Preliminary

Outcomes

• The Conservation Finance Network

Initiative

• Operating Plan
• Strategic Planning and Next Steps

Conservation Finance “Boot Camp”

• Intensive training and exchange
• Peer exchange and networking
• Carefully vetted presenters
• Dynamic syllabus

– Public, private, and philanthropic funding and financing – Innovative tools, strategies, programs, and partnerships – Based in case studies and experience

• Conservation project workshop and advising

Alumni Network

9 Camps 191 Attendees 113 Presenters (15 also attendees) 289 Total Participants

“Problem” Workshop

• Attendees bring a “problem”

from their work

• Five projects selected and work-

shopped

• Groups work through the week
• n strategies
• Strategies are presented with goal
• f implementation

Conserving the Nine Times Tract

Naturaland Trust

President Frank Holleman, 2012 Yale CFC camper, is turning his project into reality:

• Base of SC’s Blue Ridge Mountains - One of largest private intact forested tracts

(peregrine falcons & bears)

• $3.5M for 560 acres - Partnership: Upstate Forever & The Nature Conservancy
• Funding:
• USFS Community Forest Grant ($400,000)
• State Conservation Bank Grant
• Angel donor
• $500,000 - timbering & carbon credits
• Making progress on $$

Preliminary Outcomes

• “…created multiple organic farms and

interactive outdoor experiences for kids based upon conservation projects we were exposed to at last year’s camp.”

• “...new conservation initiatives/projects

with new financing methods”

• “Utilized a PRI to bridge a $1.6M

acquisition.”

• “Applied for FRPP grant.”
• “Developed a farm investment model.”
• “Started an LLC specifically for

conservation finance and land acquisition”

• “Led to community forest initiative.”
• “As a result, in process of creating …first

two conservation banks in Ohio for the Indiana Bat”

• “Changed my perspective of what I am

capable of doing for the Texas coast.”

• “…two grants 4.4M for 200 acres…”

From May 2013 Survey:

Boot Camps & Beyond…

• Need for integrative rather than ad hoc approach to

conservation finance

• Creating a coordinated national network to leverage

the growing body of thought leadership in this area

• Secure an organizational home and seek

professional staff to expand the training program and establish a networked community of practice

– Operate additional boot camps – Strategically plan and evaluate trainings around the country

The Conservation Finance Network at Island Press

• Delivering conservation finance tools and training

to people working to protect and steward natural resources

• Our goal is

– Help people increase natural resource conservation and stewardship through the use of innovative funding and financing strategies.

• How we plan to do this:

– build a community of practice that brings together thought leaders, practitioners, and partner

• rganizations and creates new training opportunities

Working Group

• Story Clark

– Founder of Conservation Consulting – Author of A Field Guide to Conservation Finance

• Brad Gentry

– Senior Lecturer and Research Scholar at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and – Co-Director of the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale

• Renee Kivikko

– Director of Education at the Land Trust Alliance

• Peter Stein

– Managing Director of Lyme Timber

• Denise Schlener

– VP for Strategic Advancement, Island Press Brad Gentry Peter Stein Story Clark Renee Kivikko Denise Schlener

• Why Island Press?

– To provide the best ideas and information to those seeking to understand and protect the environment and create solutions to its complex problems

Operating Plan

• Yale CFC (June 17-21, 2013)
• Featured Session at Land Trust Rally (Sept 19, 2013)
• Federal Partners CFC (October 2013)
• Western Rangelands CFC (February 2014)
• Borrowing Money CFC (2014)
• Stanford CFC (2014?)
• Yale CFC (2014?)
• Strategic Plan
• Webinars
• Website improvements
• Networking events
• Who knows??

Information Clearinghouse

Beta-version of eventual resource hub will allow usability testing

Strategic Direction & Adaptive Plan

• Creating an inclusive roadmap to guide the

program (Fall 2013)

– Conservation Finance Boot Camp Alumni Survey – “2013 Finance Survey: Borrowing Money For Conservation” in collaboration with TCF and LTA – One on one in-depth interviews – Scan of the field

CFC Alumni Survey - May 2013

• 71 respondents (attendees and presenters)
• Over 90% of attendees rated the experience as valuable, very valuable,
• r essential
• Majority of attendees (64%) and presenters (61%) sought advice from
• ther attendees or presenters on conservation deals following CFC
• 32% cited specific programs, deals, or projects that resulted or

benefitted from the course

• “Advice from peers and mentors” and “the boot camp courses” were

most important to utilizing CF strategies

Findings from Alumni Survey

Advisory Committee

• Tom Daniels – University of Pennsylvania
• Tom Duffus – The Conservation Fund
• Erin Heskett – The Land Trust Alliance
• Patrick Holmes – US Department of Agriculture
• Jim Levitt –Harvard Forest Program on Conservation Innovation
• Carl Palmer – Beartooth Capital
• Steve Rosenberg – The Scenic Hudson Land Trust
• Megan Shore – Sewall Foundation
• Buzz Thompson – Stanford Woods Institute
• Tom Trinley – Donnelly Foundation
• Julie Turrini – Resources Law Group, LLP
• Matt Zeiper – The Trust for Public Land

Next Steps

• Develop new training opportunities
• Create additional CF courses on specific topics,

geographies, and land-use contexts

• Build trainer capacity through workshops
• Build an interactive and dynamic online community and

support network

• Create and support alumni network

Join us as we grow the network!

www.conservationfinancenetwork.org

For more info or to join the listserv please contact:

lwhelpton@islandpress.org

Twitter: @ConsFinance

Many thanks to our partners and supporters, including a number individuals and private foundations