The New and Improved CREP for the Illinois River in Arkansas
How the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program in northwest Arkansas can beat the price of a cow/calf operation . . .

Renewable Energy: Preparing Us for the Era of Conservation
Bob Belick of Sustainable Strategies defines conservation far more broadly than you might think

REAP - the Perfect Program for Rural Renewables
The Renewable Energy for America Program would work better if it were easier to use and more widely available.

Beyond the Grid: Distributed Generation using Renewables
Helping Rural Residents to Make Alternative Energy Sources a Reality

Easements Help People Reconnect Parcels to the Family Farm
The Tecumseh Land Trust in Ohio relies on PLN to help educate landowners about conservation easements

Tecumseh Land Trust’s Proud “Tradition” of Saving Farmland
Effective Use of the NRCS Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program

New Training Opportunities Signal Potential New Job Opportunities at NRCS
Free training opportunities around the country for new CRP initiatives

CRP Readiness Initiative
Free nationwide trainings to support outsourcing of Conservation Reserve Program tech support

More Working Forest Easements
Northeastern companies are setting the pace for practicing responsible long-term forestry, guaranteed for generations to come

Roseburg - a Conservation Easement with Timber Rights
Excerpts from a recent speech to the Allegheny Society of American Foresters

Social Media for More Online Outreach
FB, "friend," Tw, and "tweets" join RFF, PLN, and CCC

Florida Land Steward - Another Web-based Model for Landowner Outreach
A new partnership in Florida has embraced the PLN model for landowner outreach.

Public Relations for Working Forests
Bob Williams, a forester with a mission, filmed "A Working Forest, Its Future with Fire, People & Wildlife" to begin a conversation . . .

Avoiding Extinction by Adapting, Rancher Style
David Bamberger advocates living on the land as the way to retain knowledge of natural forces and ecology.

Selah, the Texas Ranch that Brought Water from Stone
How David Bamberger's land ethic was born and transformed a "beat up" piece of Texas ground.

Turning the Texas Drought into Plenty
How One Texas Rancher Helped to Feed People While Saving his Ranch from the Drought.

Western Forest Wildfire Lessons from NASA's Earth Observatory
Fire and the Future of Yellowstone 1989 to 2011

Wood for Haiti Embodies the Spirit of Christmas
Great Idea, Great Need, Great Story, Great Time to Give

Beetle-killed Forest: Why Harvesting May be the Best Option
How Wood for Haiti proposes to improve western forests while aiding Haiti.

What if We Could Rebuild Haiti?
The serendipitous story of how Wood for Haiti was created

Wood for Haiti
How beetle-killed wood from Western forests may be the key to rebuilding Haiti.

A National Voice for Private Landowners
A Vision for How Landowners Can Take Greater Responsibility to Make a Difference

Landowners and Government: The Secret to a Successful Relationship
The Blackfoot Challenge in Montana brings together everyone under the "80-20 rule."

Thankful for “every cog and wheel” . . .
Can you recognize which Americans throughout our nation’s history have been thankful for these many forms of America’s bounty?

Partners for Conservation
Looking for a few good private landowners to make important things happen across the country.

Locally Grown: Creating Rural Jobs with America's Public Lands
Testimony before Congress by Jim Stone of Rolling Stone Ranch in Montana

Stepwise to a Grand Vision in Idaho
The many ways that ranchers in Idaho are contributing to the conservation of a great American landscape.

Thin Economics and High Quality Fat
How grass fed meat can support health while sustaining western ecosystems

Pronghorn: Spirit of the Grasslands
Using pronghorn antelope as a charismatic species to engage communities in maintaining and reconnecting rangelands

Co-existence with Wolves Through Research
How using nonlethal methods of wolf control has decreased sheep predation by more than 90%

Ranching Side-by-Side with Wolves
An Ecological Philosophy of Ranching

The Heroes are the Herders
The duty of all staff at Lava Lakes Ranch is to leave the landscape in better condition than they found it.

Getting Grazing Right
Using High Tech Tools to Manage the Flock and Follow the Grazing Prescription

Cowboys, Heroes and Family Roots
How a Childhood Working with Cattle Led an Investment Banker Back to a Working Ranch

Lamb, Lava Lake, and a Landscape
Making Working Wildlands Work for Conservation

The Landowner's Cash Contingency
Planning for your financial future - whether you intend to keep your property or not.

Land Rich, Cash Poor
Insights on how to value land wealth over the long term

Family Wealth Management for Landowners
Landowners have special needs for real property financial advice

A Bottom-Up Approach with Bottom-Line Benefits
How are we doing?

Save the Land By Saving the Rancher
What this Writer on Range thinks . . .

Living with Weapons Near the Bed in Arizona
Drug trafficking and illegal border crossings from the perspective of a rancher

Turnabout is Fair Play for a Rancher Who’s Fed Up
Lawsuits . . . they're not just for activists anymore

Ranching for an Endangered Species
Endangered Leopard Frogs Finding a Home in the “Stock Pond”

When an Endangered Species Isn’t
Tales of Sonora Chub, Lesser Long-nosed Bats, and the Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy Owl

Wildlife and Cattle Management on a Working Ranch
The proper type of grazing is also one of the best means of managing for wildlife

Rest Rotation Grazing
50,000 Acres of Ecological Success on the Chilton Ranch in Arizona

The Amazing Chilton Ranch in Southern Arizona
Ground Zero of Touchstone Issues in the American West

Married Into It - a New Book of Poetry from the American West
DFFHFCC9UED2 Two poems that illustrate the relationship between ranchers and their land and animals, from Patricia Frolander, a lauded and award-winning American poet.

How to Set Goals for Your Recreational Property
You won’t be growing longleaf pine in Massachusetts, but within ecological reason, the best way to be a steward of your property is to clarify your desires

How to Hire a Land Management Consultant
Tips from Rans Thomas, of Thomas Resources Wildlife and Land Enhancement, on how to get the most bang for your buck.

A Great Way to Purchase or Sell Recreational Property
In today’s market, there are many properties and almost as many “experts,” creating a “buyer beware” situation

Land Enhancement for Wildlife with Hunting Product Discounts
Rans Thomas has a new consulting business, Thomas Resources Wildlife and Land Enhancement, which can provide products and equipment at below retail prices.

Better Land, Big Bucks, Quail and More: the Rans Thomas Promise
Recreational property management with the landowner in mind is what the recently launched Thomas Resources Wildlife and Land Enhancement is all about.

Norfolk Southern Corporation, an Engine for Private Reforestation
Railway company will restore 10,000 acres of lower Mississippi Valley forest, benefiting landowners, ecosystems, and their bottom line

The Gulf of Maine Coastal Program
Building Community and Quality of Life through Habitat Protection and Restoration

Farm Equipment, Old and New
One Example of How Farmers Must Adjust, Recalibrate, and Innovate Their Operations to Stay in Business

Chicken Farm Turns Poultry Litter to Power
M. Marsh Farms in South Carolina will be among the first in the country to pursue energy independence by recycling animal waste into renewable energy

Partners for Fish and Wildlife in Oregon
How partnerships help landowners and declining wildlife species at the same time.

Fisheries and Habitat Conservation at the Top
The Views of Bryan Arroyo, Former Farmer and Shepherd, Career Biologist and Lifelong Conservationist

In Pennsylvania, Partnership is Creating a Win Win Win Win
How to make economic downturn and urban environmental problems turn into dynamic locally based action for change.

State Conservation Centers Developed by Resources First Foundation
One-Stop Shop Sites for Landowners in Individual States: the Value Added

Private Land and Public Power: Some Questions You Might Ask
An exploration of the importance of private lands and the implications of declining public funds and low public understanding.

Rivers of Life, Ribbons of Green
Whether in the West or the East, riparian habitat is where it’s at for wildlife, water conservation, flood control, and beauty.

Private Lands, the New Conservation Frontier
Private landowners on America’s working land - farm, ranch, or forest - are changing. They have new needs and we need a new approach to help them.

Online Outreach to Private Landowners and Resource Managers
Internet training is here and promises only to grow. The Texas Agrilife Extension Service sets an excellent example.

Restoring an Ecosystem, the Case for Longleaf Pine
The Rangewide Conservation Plan for Longleaf Pine, created by a public-private partnership, aims to restore long leaf pine on a landscape scale.

The Benefits of Longleaf Pine Restoration to Landowners
Direct from the National Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year: the advantages and aesthetics of long leaf pine

Longleaf, Hope for Landowners Who Grow Pine in the South
Restoration of longleaf pine ecosystems is the “secret ingredient” for success in managing wildlife, wildfire, habitat, and plants in the Deep South

Of Native Grasses, Wildflowers, and Heart-breaking Beauty
The Art and Science of Meadow Restoration on an Organic Farm

Growing Organic Food and Biodiversity at Sunnyside Farm
Nick Lapham’s Long-term Approach to Agriculture, Restoration and Life in Rappahannock County, Virginia

Conservation Easements: the Good, the Bad and the Paperwork
A true story of what went on behind the scenes over 8 years to execute easements on the Salisbury-O’Toole Ladder Ranch in Colorado and Wyoming

Saving the U.S. from Itself: Toward a Rational Energy Policy
Why does the pace of change in energy and transport seem to be zero when we know technology is racing ahead . . . all across our inventive land? -Ken Berlin

Prairie Plains Resource Institute’s Ranch Management in Nebraska
Envisioning a program to conserve high plains shortgrass prairie, generate ranch income, and educate the public about the Great Plains

Orri Vigfusson Shares Successful Conservation Partnership Secrets
The founder of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund explains how the rights of netsmen are like the rights of small landowners

North Atlantic Salmon Fund - Fair Compensation for Conservation
Orri Vigfusson, the world’s number one salmon conservationist, explains his idea of a “fair deal,” paying netsmen and long-liners for their fishing rights

Farmers, Foresters, Ranchers and Wall Street
Michael Van Patten’s Mission Markets Earth is a first-of-its-kind trading platform designed to help everyone, including private landowners, trade ecosystem credits

Forest Management, Education and Baseball at Georgia’s Big K Farm
Two Atlanta Braves Baseball Stars Pitch Forest Stewardship to Fellow Landowners, Teachers, Kids, and Legislators

Conservation Easement Tax Deduction Extension
An increased tax deduction for conservation not only increases protected land, but increases justice in society.

Best Working Lands Quotes of 2010
PLN’s “Keep Working Lands Working” blog takes a look back at some of the most thought provoking statements and events of 2010

What Would Christmas be Without a Live Tree?
It’s a family affair at the North Parish Christmas Tree Farm in central Maine.

Value-Added Forestry: Unleashing the Entrepreneurial Forester
In Central Minnesota, Greg Nolan seeks to spread “forestry with a small f” by incubating mom-and-pop businesses on a landscape scale.

Pacific NW Coached Stewardship Planning: Longterm Investments
In Oregon and Washington, coached Forest Stewardship Planning is an investment, not only in forests, but in the people who care for the land.

A Ranch, a Watershed, and Cattle in the 21st Century American West
Perspectives of a beginner in the western ranching business: Nikos Monoyios says ranches are important because ranchers provide land & water stewardship.

Forest Stewardship Program, Reinventing Private Forest Management
USFS State and Private Forestry is working smarter to meet demand and thinking strategically to conserve landscapes.

December Summit in NV on Renewable Energy to Save Sagebrush
Exciting new partnership using renewable energy to restore sagebrush has taken hold among rangeland managers, ranchers, and the biofuels industry in Nevada.

The Facebook Generation Tunes In to Conservation, Land Management
Locust Hill Farm in Fauquier County, Virginia is a Study in Youthful Stewardship and Wired Technology

Magalen Bryant, Extraordinary Supporter of Conservation and the Environment
Magalen Bryant is an effective leader, committed conservationist, and genuine philanthropist. But she’d rather you just call her Maggie.

The O’Toole Ladder Ranch
A sixth-generation ranch in Wyoming and Colorado meets the 21st century with innovation and family unity.

Beyond Rocks and Ice, More from Mike Scott
The first Great Depression and Dust Bowl resulted in great strides for conservation and stewardship. What about this time?

Mike Scott, Father of GAP Analysis
“The time to save species is when they are still common.”

The Certificate in Land Preservation at the University of Pennsylvania
Tom Daniels has designed the country’s only certificate program for land preservation, in operation for the past three years.

Conservation Easement Aggregation Projects in New England
Keith Ross is once again leading an innovative initiative to conserve large contiguous blocks of managed forests

Landscape Scale Conservation in the North Woods
Ten years ago a conservation easement on three-quarters of a million acres of land was unheard of. The Pingree Partnership changed all that.

California Rangeland Trust: A Booming Business, Where’s the Cash?
CRT and the Rangeland Coalition have broken the decades-long impasse between ranchers, conservationists, and “big government.” Now they just need cash.

California Land Trusts: Small is Beautiful
The Land Trust movement - and the future heritage of our country - is sustained by committed individuals and families with a long-term vision of the future.

Are Southern Forests Running Out of Time?
The Forest Service and Gary Myers are Worried About the Future of the World’s Most Diverse Temperate Forests

Private Lands in the #11 State for Biodiversity and Extinctions
The state that spawned the Sagebrush Rebellion is quietly fomenting a new revolution: collaboration in the name of conserving wildlife and water.

Might Green Energy Replace Development as #1 Threat to Habitat?
Connectivity, argues Ed Hastey, is the answer to a lot of our conservation problems on both public and private lands - but do energy companies realize that?

Eliminating the “White Space” from Conservation Planning
A decades-long state director for the Bureau of Land Management makes a case for private lands as critical conservation corridors.

Southern Ecosystems and Symbiotic Relationships
Our new Mississippi State Conservation Center highlights the Magnolia state’s wildlife, forests, and agriculture.

Plan for Succession, not Just Bequeathing, of Your Private Land
Creating a succession plan is not the same as estate planning; think of it as designing your family legacy.

Big News from Texas for Landowners and Little Birds
Private Landowner demand for services from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grows while federal support faces cutbacks

A Land Trust of Landowners for Landowners
The Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust: making best use of a tax credit and lottery funds.

Challenges at The Connecticut Forest and Park Association
Connecticut's Oldest Land Trust Faces America’s Latest Problems: Budget Woes and Property Turnover

Malpai Borderlands Group, Ranches of SE Arizona Face a New Threat
This post is a continuation from last week’s, about the Malpai Borderlands Group, or MBG, a group of ranchers working to protect their land and ranching heritage.

Malpai Borderlands Group - an Early Inspiration for PLN
Ranchers in southeast Arizona at the Mexican Border have learned - sometimes the hard way - that they are “attached to the rest of the world.”

People and Animals Put the Work, and Happiness, into Working Land
A new program in Wyoming links kids to ranching. This is the kind of innovative thinking that could spread like wildfire.

Big Sky and Tax Deductions: Motivators that Drive the Private Landowner Network
Wide open range land, narrow profit margins, big sky, high taxes, tall southern pines, growing debt: factors driving the Private Landowner Network or PLN.

3 reasons to Shift From a Public to Private Land Conservation Investment Portfolio
Take a look at my latest presentation on why the conservation community, both public and private, needs to consider a reorientation of their land conservation focus from public land acquisition to private land conservation initiatives.

Western Ranching Coalition: Ranchbook
This the transcript of the speech I gave at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Public Lands Council meeting on February 26, 2009

People, particularly forestry folks
I have been trying to ascertain for months whether the conservation easement deductions provided in the 2008 Farmbill apply to forest landowners.

PRIVATE LANDS IN THE WEST
A review of the current ranch-land conservation-scape

Conservation Tax Incentive Extension

Federal Conservation Programs at work
I just read that the USDA's nationwide Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) topped the 1 million acre mark last week with the addition of a 60 acre tract in Minnesota.

Private Conservation boasts record progress
More than 11,000 acres were protected in Massachusetts in 2007 through conserrvation  easements

Tax Benefits Result in More Acres Conserved
Now that the 2006 Pension Bill provisions are due to expire in just over a month it is becoming more and more imperative to persuade the senate and house

Maine State Conservation Center
RFF just posted its first state conservation website

New Senate tax incentives for land owners

Why I've been running
I have worked in conservation for over 35 years, and my career path, which might be more appropriately dubbed the “careening” path of a total maverick

Running Into The Wind Post #1
My name is Amos S. Eno and I am President of the Resources First Foundation (hereafter RFF), which I established in 2000.