Register for the Working Lands, Working Communities webinar series. The four part series will highlight strategies for improved cross-boundary land management, invasive grass management, the implementation of federal investments in forest management and the development of conservation markets in the West.
The first webinar in the series, 'Planning and Collaboration Tools,' took place on April 19. Panelists highlighted technical platforms that can help communities make informed decisions on mitigation and restoration priorities in pre- and post-wildfire scenarios.
Participants included: Lowell Ballard, Director of Geospatial Solutions at the Timmons Group; Jonas Feinstein, West Regional Conservation Forester at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; and Conrad Wright, President and Founder of Alchemy Analytics.
The second webinar, 'Conservation Markets in the West,' took place on April 21. The webinar evaluated opportunities to leverage conservation-oriented market incentives and alternative income streams on working agricultural, ranching and forest lands in the West. Panelists also discussed Conservation Incentive Contracts offered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, long-term stewardship support models and incentive structures that can help expand forest health treatments on public and private lands.
Participants included: Troy Timmons, Director of Federal Relations and Strategic Initiatives, Western Governors' Association (Moderator); RaeAnn Dubay, Assistant State Conservationist, USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service; Tom Fry, Director, Western Forest Conservation, American Forest Foundation; and Zach Bodhane, Policy Director, Western Landowners Alliance.
The third webinar, 'Implementing Forest Investments in the Infrastructure Bill,' took place on April 26. Panelists discussed the challenges that land managers and communities face in deploying funds within the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for wildfire management and ecosystem restoration on both federal and private lands in light of diminished forest management capacity.
Participants include: Lauren DeNinno, Senior Policy Advisor, WGA (Moderator); Craig Foss, State Forester, Idaho Department of Lands; Kacey KC, State Forester Firewarden, Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; Jason Kuiken, Deputy Team Leader, Wildfire Risk Reduction Infrastructure Team, U.S. Forest Service; and Nick Goulette, Executive Director, Watershed Research & Training Center.
The final webinar, ‘Invasive Annual Grasses Management,’ took place on April 28. Speakers examined management tools and strategies to effectively manage invasive annual grasses like cheatgrass, medusahead, and ventenata.
Participants include: Stas Burgiel, Executive Director, National Invasive Species Council; Matt Baur, Director, Western Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Center; Slade Franklin, Weed and Pest Coordinator, Wyoming Department of Agriculture; and Jeremy Maestas, Wildlife Biologist, USDA-NRCS.
