Endowment’s 5th Anniversary Offers Opportunity for Input, Collaboration
“We are notorious ‘borrowers’ of great ideas,” says U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities President Carlton Owen. “One of the things that has made our young organization successful is our willingness to ask others for their input and to look to other sectors for great ideas that could be applied in new ways.” Perhaps there is no better example than the Endowment initiative that led to the first-ever national commodity check-off for forest products – an idea “borrowed” from the agriculture industry where USDA “research and promotion programs” have been used for decades to grow markets for products ranging from beef to blueberries.
With the Endowment’s 5th Anniversary – highlighted in the release of the fifth Annual Report — the organization is once again very intentionally seeking input not only about the current range of programmatic investments but also opportunities that should be considered going forward. While the Endowment staff has been speaking at a number of gatherings around the country and using each venue to share the Endowment’s story, it is now your opportunity to add your voice.
In marking its fifth year of work to ensure that, “America’s forests are sustainably managed to meet broad societal objectives such as marketable products, c lean waters, wildlife habitats and other ecological services, while ensuring healthy and vibrant forest-reliant communities,” the Endowment has developed a brief instrument to gain input from any with interest to aid in determining the path forward. Please take just a few moments to share your views by using this link. All input received before April 15, 2012, will be used to aid the Endowment’s Board and staff in completing a broad program review.
