REPI Georgia/Florida Pilot Program Application Available

The application form for the 2012 Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative (REPI) Challenge: A New Model to Accelerate and Expand Base Buffering Outcomes – Georgia/Florida Pilot Program is now available on the U.S. Endowment’s web page. Interested applicants may download the fillable pdf here or via email by contacting cameron@usendowment.org.  The deadline for proposals is April 13, 2012.

“The purpose of this pilot program is to encourage projects that conserve land at a greater scale and test promising ways to finance land protection that will help the REPI program meet its ambitious goals with limited funding,” notes Peter Stangel, Senior Vice President at the U.S. Endowment. The U.S. Endowment is working closely with staff from the Open Space Institute to assist the REPI program with this exciting opportunity.

“In the Southern U.S., private, working forests are often a predominant feature of the landscape near military bases,” Stangel said. “This REPI pilot project offers willing landowners the opportunity to permanently protect their forests through conservation easements or similar arrangements. It’s a “win” for everyone: private forest land owners may receive much-needed income, working forests remain working, wildlife habitat is protected, and most importantly, the military is able to reduce encroachment around their bases, enabling them to continue their critical training missions.”