When people ask me, “So, what do you do?,” my answer is never a simple one. As the Director for The Conservation Fund’s Conservation Leadership Network^®, I’m proud to say that I make conservation work for America… but that response usually leads to a few more questions.

Our program is unique at The Conservation Fund, and our team of experts act as catalysts, creating the sparks that ignite action. (Do you still have more questions? I thought so.) Our focus is on how to balance nature with commerce. At the Fund, we have a fundamental belief that environmental protection can and does support a healthy, viable economy. That’s why we help community, government, and corporate partners plan for the future with this equilibrium at the forefront. The Conservation Leadership Network creates the space for partners to work collaboratively with a deeper understanding about how conservation is a viable option for economic vitality. We bring awareness, education, collaboration, and problem solving to achieve conservation solutions in a variety of ways—our national Balancing Nature and Commerce in Rural Communities and Landscapes workshop is just one example.

Participants attend the Balancing Nature and Commerce workshop here, at our National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Perhaps the best way to explain what the Conservation Leadership Network is all about is to tell you about one of our recent projects. In 2008, a timber company put a piece of property up for sale in Unicoi County, Tennessee and The Conservation Fund, along with the U.S. Forest Service, set out to save the largest unprotected tract of land in the Southern Appalachians. This approximately 9,800-acre property of scenic wilderness, known as Rocky Fork, became the largest commercially available tract of land nestled within the Cherokee National Forest in the Southern Appalachians. The five-year, $40 million project first started in December 2008 when the Fund purchased 7,577 acres and the U.S. Forest Service simultaneously acquired another 2,237 acres. Over the following years, the Forest Service began acquiring additional acreage from the Fund’s portion of Rocky Fork as funding became available, and as of September 2012 they had control of all but roughly 2,000 acres of the Rocky Fork tract.

Views of Rocky Fork. Photo by David Ramsey.

Along the way, the Conservation Leadership Network worked with leaders from across Unicoi County to highlight how Rocky Fork’s natural assets could be emphasized to further establish the region as a top nature-based recreation and tourism destination. The community was divided over what would be an economically viable use of this land in a county where more than 50% of the land was already permanently protected. This community was looking to generate revenue and jobs, as well as support its residents.

We worked with leaders from across Unicoi County to highlight how, if protected, Rocky Fork would serve their community as a natural asset that could be emphasized to grow sustainable tourism and contribute to a thriving local economy and high quality of life. These local leaders attended both our national workshop and a subsequent regional workshop, which was tailored for their unique situation and designed to involve the public. Equipped with the Fund’s workshop training and additional technical assistance, Unicoi’s community leaders and residents made deliberate progress in attracting visitors to Unicoi County—and improving their experiences once they arrived. Their early successes include the creation of a farmers’ market and artisan center.

Throughout, The Conservation Fund introduced and cultivated a relationship between the community and Cherokee National Forest, recognizing the critical stake each had in seeing thriving success in the community and at the forest. As a result, at Cherokee National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service has taken action to support the community’s endeavors by completing the revitalization of a popular mountain overlook, improving access to recreational facilities and natural features, and sponsoring community events that include running and mountain bike races on public lands.

As a result of our work as a catalyst, and to the cheers of the county residents and leaders, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslem and Senator Lamar Alexander announced in October 2012 that the final 2,036 acres of the Rocky Fork property would be purchased from the Fund to become Tennessee’s newest State Park, forever protecting this tract of land for generations to come.



Autumn splendor on display at Rocky Fork. Photo by David Ramsey.

So when someone asks me what I do for a living, I’m always excited to explain how our team of experts at the Conservation Leadership Network can provide that spark that transforms how our partners work and think about economic sustainability, and how can we be the catalyst for redefining conservation. I invite you to contact the Conservation Leadership Network to achieve your own conservation solutions.

Make sure to check back on Thursday when we will feature a blog post by Mayor Greg Lynch about how their partnership with the Fund has helped Unicoi County.