Topic: Regional Conservation Partnership Network

The Southern New England Heritage Forest Partnership was formed to bring additional funding to the 1.49 million-acre unfragmented forest corridor stretching along the Connecticut and Rhode Island border to the Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts, as the SNEHF has 76% forest cover and offers one of the last viable wildlife corridors from southern to northern New England.

The Staying Connected Initiative (SCI) seeks to conserve, restore, and enhance landscape connectivity across the Northern Appalachian/Acadian region of the U.S. and Canada for the benefit of nature and people. Sustaining connectivity safeguards native wildlife and plants from the impacts of habitat fragmentation and climate change, and supports human activities and values that are tied to the forested landscape.

The Taylor Valley Conservation Project works to preserve the working forest and farmland in the region of Vershire, Chelsea, Tunbridge, and Strafford towns, which have significantly less development and more ecological richness than most of the surrounding land.

The Thames River Basin Partnership, located in Connecticut and Massachusetts, protects 1)the region's agricultural and natural areas being threatened by land use changes, 2)ground and surface water quantity and quality being threatened and degraded by contamination, 3)the region's biodiversity, and works to improve the coastal zone resource conditions.

The Mass-Conn Sustainable Forest Partnership works to connect individuals and organizations with appropriate resources and develops new, collaborative solutions to advance forest conservation at the regional scale within Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The Saco Watershed Collaborative is a dedicated group of professionals, community members, and scientists working to protect the irreplaceable water resources and benefits that come from the Saco Watershed in Maine and New Hampshire.

The Massachusetts Coastal Pine Barrens Partnership mission is to bring about broad recognition of the unique qualities and intrinsic value of the Massachusetts Coastal Pine Barrens; to ensure the protection of its most endearing cultural and environmental attributes and its amazing diversity of plants and animals; and to continually celebrate the Pine Barrens’ important contributions to our quality of life, to the landscape’s resiliency, and to the Barrens’ enduring appeal to residents and visitors alike.

The Merrimack Conservation Partnership formed to protect the southern portion of the greater Merrimack River watershed in New Hampshire and Massachusetts through accelerated land and water protection, advocacy, restoration, outreach, and education. The Partnership supports and fosters collaboration, coordination, and innovation among partner organizations to strengthen our individual and collective efforts toward achieving the shared goal of a clean, healthy Merrimack River.