In ecology, a keystone species is one whose impacts on its environment are larger and greater than would be expected from one species. Like the Coverts program before, the Keystone Project educates forest owners and community leaders who have a significant impact on their communities. Help us identify these important people who can make the conservation difference!
Keystone Cooperators can either own forestland, be involved in the care and stewardship of a property, or be an active community leader. The intent of the Keystone Project is to create a network of well educated opinion leaders who are able to work on conservation issues in their local communities and serve as a source of information to landowners, their organizations and towns.
This spring, the program will take place on: Thursday evening, April 24th through Sunday afternoon, April 27th, 2008 at the Harvard Forest in Petersham. The application deadline is: Monday, March 3rd, 2008. The Keystone Training will be held thanks to generous support from MA Fish and Wildlife and the Massachusetts Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.
The Keystone Project is an intensive 3-day training at the Harvard Forest which focuses on forest ecology and stewardship, wildlife management, and land conservation. The training consists of both indoor and field sessions, as well as informal time to learn from fellow participants. In addition, each participant is given resources to take home. Please see the enclosed program for more details. Participants are required to attend all parts of the program. We also suggest visiting the Keystone web site, which has other details, including a sample program.
In return for this valuable educational opportunity, participants agree to return to their communities as a local resource and volunteer at least 30-hours of time on a forest conservation project of their choosing with continued support from UMass Extension. Last year, active Keystone Cooperators from past programs collectively reported volunteering over 24,000 hours of time towards conservation!
This spring, the program will take place on: Thursday evening, April 23rd through Sunday afternoon, April 26th, 2009 at the Harvard Forest in Petersham. The application deadline is: Monday, March 2nd, 2009. The Keystone Training will be held thanks to generous support from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the MA Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, The Trustees of Reservations' Highland Communities Initiative, USDA Cooperative Extension, the MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and the Harvard Forest.
Applications can be found at the Keystone website. This application is an important step in helping us locate enthusiastic people to participate in the Keystone Project. The Keystone Project is a competitive program. Applications will be reviewed for applicant experience, connectedness within the community, special skills, and diversity. Space in the program is limited to 25.
Contact Paul Catanzaro if you have any questions.
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