An important part of the National Forest Foundation’s mission is to support communities and the Forest Service in their efforts to steward our National Forests & Grasslands. People with different perspectives are coming together in their local areas across the country to identify their common interests and find agreement, all with the objective of restoring and caring for public lands.

Our program, Conservation Connect: A Learning Network for Collaboration, is designed to support learning amongst these local, collaborative efforts. Through web-based “peer learning sessions,” in-person workshops, one-on-one mentoring and coaching, we connect local organizations and Forest Service collaborators to both learn from and teach each other.

Collaboration is not usually something learned in a classroom or from a manual; only through experience are the lessons of successful collaboration learned. Effective skills and tactics used by collaborative groups are on the cutting edge of the field and are often not documented. People naturally learn by working on current, real-world challenges and sharing ideas with each other along the way.

Despite the distance that frequently separates peers, the challenges and goals remain the same in local and often rural projects. One participant shares her experience ofConservation Connect:

The benefits of pairing practitioners across watersheds are immeasurable. We all need colleagues who challenge and support us, and this kind of program provides that help to community leaders. We all work in ‘one horse’ towns and we work in politically charged atmospheres, so it really helps to have a kindred spirit who comes from outside of that political sphere to be our sounding board and our friend. Thanks for pairing me with my peer mentor; even when we weren’t in close communication, I valued the knowledge that she was out there facing many of the same daunting challenges.

Through Conservation Connect, NFF staff also facilitate collaborative efforts at the forest, regional and state levels. Our experience working with the Forest Service and our birds-eye view of the ideas and practices developed by groups across the country give us good perspective on what works and what doesn’t. We are committed to the effective use of collaboration to restore our nation’s treasured landscapes.

For resources and practical tools to help your group collaborate, check out ourResource Center.

Be sure to check out this short video showcasing collaborative working being done by NFF partners in Colorado.