The Resources First Foundation to launch the Louisiana Conservation Connection

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The Resources First Foundation to launch the Louisiana Conservation Connection
With state and federal budget cuts potentially impacting conservation programs nationwide, Resources First Foundation (RFF), is preparing to launch the Conservation Connection in December to further bottomland hardwood conservation in the Delta and private stewardship initiatives throughout Louisiana.

RFF has compiled the most comprehensive national database of conservation information- the PrivateLandowner network.org to help farmers, ranchers, and foresters across the country. The Private Landowner Network is a unique online resource and marketplace with a wide array of conservation education tools and services, including links to service providers, energy tools, and in depth articles.

The Louisiana Conservation Connection will host information on: alternative energy and green building, forestry, conservation, family farms, federal and state conservation program, invasive and native species, natural heritage tourism and outdoor recreation, tax and estate planning services and water and wildlife resources. Landowners can find information on their local service providers such as foresters, biologists, equipment suppliers and tax consultants. They will find new ideas for boosting their income and innovative tools for a broad range of ranch, farm and forest best management practices and tax and estate legal advisory services.

Resources First Foundation (RFF) president, Amos Eno will address the Louisiana Landowners Association on Friday, March 15^th. Eno, who founded RFF after leading the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation believes that “conservation success will be determined by sustaining our farms, ranches and forests so that they do not disappear as development pressures rise”. Eno explains, “our ambition is to empower the landowners who are the most valuable stewards of the majority of our national landscape.”

Although RFF is a national portal for conservation information it is localizing states with more in depth regional information and services. The Arkansas Conservation Center was launched in 2012. Other state centers include California, Maine, Mississippi, Houston Metro along with RFF’s Conservation Tax Center .

Along with the Louisiana Conservation Center, Eno plans to add Texas, South Carolina, Pennsylvania to the mix over the next three years. “With every state conservation center, we improve our product for both private landowners and their suppliers,” this experienced conservationist explains. “Our new Louisiana site is being launched with a grant award from the Walton Family Foundation.”

Eno, who headed the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation before launching RFF as a 501(C)(3) nonprofit in 2000, explains that, “We’ve put all federal, state and private conservation resources at the disposal of landowners at the click of a mouse.” He calls this free online service “a timely and effective resource for land stewardship and clean energy development”.

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Boiler Plate
RFF, a national conservation non-profit, was founded in 2000 to support private sector conservation initiatives. With 71% of the land in the lower 48 states in private ownership, RFF recognizes private landowners as key stewards of our natural resources. RFF has created a unique internet platform- a national database of encyclopedic conservation information. The Private Landowner Network with 25,000 conservation resource listings is the largest of its kind in the U.S. and connects people to conservation by compiling a wide array of conservation educational tools and services, including links to service providers and energy tools.
RFF and its accompanying suite of sites including the Private Landowner Network, http://www.privatelandownernetwork.org/ has more than 500,000 page views monthly at an average visit time of 16 minutes. RFF has launched five state Conservation Center sites; Maine, Arkansas, California, Houston metro, Mississippi, and is currently developing Louisiana. RFF helps to accelerate conservation by encouraging and supporting private landowners in their conservation efforts, thus preventing the loss of farms, ranches, and forests to development.
Website: http://www.resourcesfirstfoundation.org/. Phone: (207) 221- 2753.
Twitter: www.twitter.com/resourcesfirst

Conservation Statistics
Private landowners hold 71% of the land in the lower 48 states.
More than half of America’s landowners are at or near retirement age.
Undeveloped lands filter our water and air, produce food, renewable energy, and forest products as well as important wildlife habitat.
52% of total U.S. land is used for agricultural purposes- USDA
3,000 acres of productive farmland is lost to development every day- EPA 2004
Every week approximately 330 family farmers leave their land- Farm Aid 2006
Between 2002 and 2007 almost 7.5 million acres of land were converted to developed uses- 2007 Natural Resources Inventory Report

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