Partnerscapes and the USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program convened the third of three partnership forums in this first round of meetings at the end of April 2024. Over 80 landowners, USFWS Partners biologists, and partners from other agencies and organizations gathered in Des Moines, Iowa for the forum. Sessions focused on the skills and keys to success in the delivery of conservation programs and partnerships, identifying gaps and opportunities in partnership development, and generating ideas for more efficient networking among practitioners and landowners engaged in voluntary conservation partnerships.
The highly participatory event was well received by attendees who provided high quality input and ideas to further support collaborative conservation. A summary report from the Des Moines session can be found here.
Information and input generated during three of these sessions (West, East, Midwest) were similar in many ways. Partnerscapes is in the process of developing a report that summarizes the similarities and differences in the information and ideas generated in the forums collectively which will be included in a future newsletter. One outlet for improved networking of individuals engaged in voluntary conservation partnerships has already been implemented in the form of the Partnerscapes Conservation Network Facebook Group where participants are able to share experiences and interact with others involved in this partnership-based conservation work across the country. Look for other opportunities to connect and share around voluntary conservation partnerships in future newsletters!
