LANDFIRE is a national program with partners, colleagues and resources spread across the United States. The Conservation Gateway is the central site for The Nature Conservancy's LANDFIRE Team. We are located coast to coast -- Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado, Oregon.

Left to right: Kori Blankenship, Jim Smith, Jeannie Patton, Sarah Hagen, Randy Swaty, Kim Hall. (Click on the names for email addresses)

In this short interview, Jim explains how TNC-LANDFIRE fits into The Nature Conservancy's conservation strategy for North America. 

Spatial Data Quality Six-part series blog. With a keen eye, Jim looks at spatial data and offers important insight and advice. Think wine, cross-country road trips, map disagreement and more.

Data and Models: Pay Attention to What's Behind the Curtain  Jim faces the Wizard of Oz and admonishes him to respect the data.

Ecological Expectations: Keep the Math Simple Jim suggests that computing Ecological Departure is like doing a performance review.

The Good Old Bad Old Days Jim presents a geezer's point of view regarding appropriate scale.

11 Commandments of Data Protocol Jim covers the "thou shalls" and "thou shalt nots" of appropriate data use.

Will Trade Computer for Drip Torch  Kori muses on being in the field vs. doing the important computer crunching.

How Flossing Relates to Modeling  Kori  offers herTop Ten Tips on how to run effective workshops and train experts.

No Place Else I'd Rather Be: Troubles and Triumphs of Prairie Restoration  Sarah reflects on working in the field, dealing with nature at its raw best (and sometimes worst), and the long-lasting rewards the prairie offers.

A Non-Scientist Takes a Nature Walk  Jeannie lives near little Coal Creek in Lafayette, Colorado. On a recent walk, she reverted to her under-10 self.

Storms, Shoveling and Snow Angels Who'd have thought that shoveling snow in a Denver neighborhood could initiate Jeannie into the joys of the natural world and send her off to the mountains for good?

Life, Work, Reality Revealed  Randy looked into a metaphorical mirror and saw that he'd let some professional warts develop. He shares four revelations that came of the self-examination.

Who? Me? A Modeler?  Randy says that you don't need to be a professional-expert to make good ecological models.

One Man's Oil Spill Randy meditates on preserving resources after an incident with an oil change gone awry.

The Beer and Coffee Manifesto for Successful Conservation  Randy offers guidance on how to build successful partnerships, establish friendships and get work done where everyone wins.

My LANDFIRE Decade  Randy tells the amazing story behind the development of this suite of critical tools designed to aid in the restoration of US landscapes.

Of Computers and Calculators  Randy and Jeannie examine what it's like to live off the grid.

Potatoes, Tomatoes and the Language of Science  Randy and Jeannie explore the gap between science and marketing communications

Is Nature in Trouble? The TNC-LANDFIRE team considers the seriousness of funding conservation efforts. The article upon which this report is based is available online at PLoS One.

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Department of the Interior

Environmental Achievement Award:

"Environmental Dream Team"

Annually, the Department of the Interior (DOI) presents Environmental Achievement Awards that recognize employees, teams, and partners who have attained exceptional environmental achievements that go above and beyond the person's or team's regular, expected duties. The DOI has presented the LANDFIRE Program  with its 2017 Environmental Dream Team award in recognition for being "environmental champions and agents of change who work across organizational boundaries to enhance environmental stewardship, create efficiencies, improve communication, avoid or address conflict at the lowest levels, or reduce environmental review times."  

"LANDFIRE is one of the Conservancy’s best-in-class partnerships. Our small but mighty TNC team have a 10-year plus track record of delivering stellar conservation results," says Joni Ward, Science and Strategy Director for TNC's North America Region. "We are so pleased that the exemplary work of the entire LANDFIRE team is being recognized – congratulations to all on this well-deserved award." 

Award details. 

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The LANDFIRE Program is led by the Department of the Interior and the USDA Forest Service, in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy. LANDFIRE is part of TNC's North America Region.