Implementing Large Landscape Conservation: Crafting and Launching Pennsylvania's Conservation Landscape Program

Pennsylvania’s nearly decade old Conservation Landscape Program is based on a vision that strategic investment around conservation, community revitalization and recreational projects within a landscape can profoundly affect local communities and help protect important natural assets. Simply put: working to save special regions of the state can save the lifestyles they offer to their citizens and benefits they offer to their visitors. The Conservation Landscape program is driven by a partnership approach to getting work done at the regional level. By getting community leaders, other state agencies, local governments, philanthropies and nonprofits all engaged around common goals – motivated by a sense of place – it is much easier to tackle effective land use planning and conservation, investment, citizen involvement and revitalization. In this presentation we will highlight the history of the program and focus on:

• The philosophy behind the collaborative model which is uniquely non-prescriptive. 

• The challenges of sustaining these efforts over the long term - particularly in the context of changing local and state priorities. 

• Tips and tools for maintaining and growing landscape scale programs.

• The pros and cons of a state agency focusing resources on particular regions.