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Collins Projects

Background:
In 2003, Patsy Bullitt Collins left The Nature Conservancy a generous bequest of $28.8 million dollars. The trust was divided into three equal sections: The World Conservation Fund, the US Conservation Fund and the Northwest Conservation Fund. A third of this donation established the Northwest Conservation Fund for conservation in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. The purpose of this fund is to promote excellence in stewardship by supporting innovative and high-profile activities that deliver on-the-ground results.

Funding Criteria:
The bequest of the Collins Unitrust to the Conservancy presents a unique opportunity to enhance appreciation and understanding for excellence in land conservation. Projects are funded based on the following criteria: Science-based stewardship on Conservancy-owned lands/lands of partner organizations, Engagement of partners, Exportable, Meaningful scale, Long-term in nature, and Excellence. Read More.


Collins Projects in Washington:


Strategies for Prairie Restoration
This project is testing a variety of combination strategies for prairie restoration, including mowing, herbiciding, burning, and sowing of native seeds with 11 sites across the Willamette Valley - Puget Trough - Georgia Basin ecoregion.

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Alternative Restoration Approaches on the Long-term Adaptability of Estuaries to Climate Change Impacts

This project is developing a broadly applicable toolkit for comparing the potential effect of alternative restoration approaches on the long-term adaptability of estuaries to climate change impacts. At estuaries in Washington and Oregon, staff will use field data and models to test for vulnerable points in the ecological processes that drive estuary function, evaluate different ways of increasing resilience to those vulnerabilities, and select the most effective actions for application.

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Identify the Best Management and Restoration Practices for Young-managed Forests
Based in Washington, the goal of this project is to identify the best management and restoration practices for young-managed forests. This study is also catalyzing the collaboration between managers and scientists at several restoration sites throughout the Pacific Northwest in order to speed the development of restoration knowledge.

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Integrate Groundwater Management into Conservation Actions
Goals of this project include production of a methods guide to integrate groundwater management into conservation actions, and to develop effective stewardship strategies to abate threats to groundwater. Based primarily in Oregon, with a significant component of the project being developed in eastern Washington.

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Regional Strategies for Wind Power
Goals of this project include producing a first iteration wind power siting blueprint for use by industry, agencies and other consumers that spatially integrates wind potential and risk to focal targets. The product will be designed to: 1) inform siting decisions for eastern Washington and eastern Montana; 2) serve as an indicator for potential cumulative impacts of individual wind power proposals, and 3) be adopted as a tool and approach for export throughout the country.

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