Press Release, U.S. Forest Service, Nov. 16, 2001
The Nature Conservancy and U.S. Forest Service today have signed
a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at enhancing
cooperative partnerships and projects to inventory, monitor, protect
and restore forest, grassland and aquatic habitat for fish, wildlife
and plant resources in the United States and abroad.
Dale Bosworth, Chief of the Forest Service, and Steve McCormick,
President of The Nature Conservancy signed the MOU at the Conservancy’s
worldwide office in Arlington, Virginia. Under the agreement,
the Forest Service and Conservancy will continue and expand cooperative
efforts between the two organizations to restore and maintain
healthy forest and grassland-based ecosystems; use prescribed
burning as a conservation tool to protect ecosystems, watersheds,
and communities; partner in efforts to combat the spread of harmful
aquatic and terrestrial invasive species, and work jointly to
protect habitat for migratory bird species.
“The Nature Conservancy has long enjoyed an outstanding working
relationship with our colleagues at the Forest Service, and I
am confident that this agreement will move our partnership to
a new level,” said McCormick. “I salute Forest Service
chief Dale Bosworth for his leadership and for his willingness
to work with partners like the Conservancy to achieve conservation
progress on landscape-wide scales.”
Forest Service Chief Bosworth said, “The Nature Conservancy
plays a critical role in facilitating the conservation of natural
resources not only in the United States, but also around the world.
Partnerships with conservation leaders like TNC are key to helping
the Forest Service fulfill its natural resource legacy by working
in a collaborative manner with all those who use and care about
these precious resources.”
Under the terms of the agreement, The Nature Conservancy and the
Forest Service agree to cooperate on the following:
Inventory, assessments, surveys, and data management for biological
diversity, wildlife, fish and plant resource information. Land-ownership
adjustments or consolidations including land acquisition, donations
and land exchanges. Terrestrial and aquatic habitat improvement,
restoration, maintenance, or conservation, including the habitats
of migratory birds.
Mitigation, restoration and rehabilitation activities. Assistance
to and partnerships with foreign, state and tribal governments,
private landowners, communities, and other non-governmental organizations.
Demonstration of innovative management practices, including those
that facilitate conservation of forests, parks, watersheds and
protected
areas; prevention and control of invasive species, use of prescribed
fire, sustainable forestry, grazing, recreation use, and eco-tourism.
Community-based outreach, training, education and partnerships.
McCormick said that the wide scope of the agreement fits well
with Conservation By Design, The Nature Conservancy’s systematic,
science-based approach to identifying sites and landscapes for
conservation action.
“We’ve learned that in order to really preserve the
plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity
of life on Earth, you can’t just manage a number of nature
preserves,” McCormick said. “You have to reach out and
partner with organizations like the Forest Service that share
your interest in achieving ecosystem wide conservation progress.
And you must do so in a way that respects people on the ground
and their livelihoods.”
McCormick said, “The Forest Service has similarly embraced
a balanced approach of ‘caring for the land and serving people.’
Because of these shared values, the partnership between The Nature
Conservancy’s oak leaf symbol and the Forest Service’s
pine tree shield has tremendous potential in the years ahead.”
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