Local communities are on the front line making key land use decisions in regards to climate change.

 

This is apparent across the U.S., and significantly so in rural forested communities where water, forest, climate and economic risks intersect. These same rural forested communities, more often than not, also have the lowest financial and organizational capacity to plan for, and address, these key factors.

 

Climate Solutions University: Forest and Water Strategies (CSU) may present one piece of the solution. Climate Solutions University (CSU) is the flagship program of the Model Forest Policy Program (MFPP), a national nonprofit organization that advocates for forest policies and practices that restore and sustain healthy productive forests, clean and abundant water supplies, and economically thriving climate-resilient communities.

 

Established in collaboration with the Cumberland River Compact, CSU

helps communities design and implement climate adaptation plans to protect local forest and water resources and support viable rural economies. Through a community based peer learning network that links underserved rural communities across the U.S., CSU provides training, expertise, and support to communities engaged in climate adaptation planning. CSU strengthens local leadership and public engagement and works towards the following outcomes: protection of forest acres, stream miles, and human and ecological health; preservation of natural resource based economies; and broad public support for climate adaptation leadership among private landowners and local government.

 

Over the last two years, Climate Solutions University has worked with 14 rural forested communities across the nation, across many different governance models, forest types and a diverse variety of watersheds, to assist these rural forested communities in building the local capacity needed to move adaptation planning efforts forward.

 

Climate Solutions University is now accepting applications for 2012 Session. Qualifying communities will participate in a step by step process that breaks the challenge of climate planning into manageable pieces. Working with a local stakeholder team, communities will create a locally designed and locally driven plan to adapt to a changing climate, protect their economies, and reduce the impacts from natural disasters.

 

2010 Climate Solutions communities have taken impressive steps to protect forest cover, stabilize water resources, preserve habitat, and reduce public risk:

 

• Moab, Utah is building its first regional watershed plan;

 

• Sumner County and Cookeville, Tennessee added climate change provisions to its County

Comprehensive Plan;

 

• Bonner County, Idaho protected over a 1,000 miles of streams with riparian buffers in its land use

codes;

 

• Keene, New Hampshire improved state forest policy.

 

CSU welcomes applications from rural forested communities within the United States. Funding and program eligibility are limited to US local or regional non-profit 501(c) (3) organizations, local county or municipal governments, or coalitions of the above. National organizations and state or federal agencies may participate in partnership with a local organization or local agency where appropriate. However, the primary applicant and project leadership will be based in a local group.

 

The application deadline is 5:00 PM Pacific Standard Time on Monday, September 19th, 2011.

 

Interested parties should go to www.mfpp.org and register to download a complete application. You may also register to join their Climate Planners Newsletter.

 

For additional information regarding the Model Forest Policy Program or Climate Solutions University:

Forest and Water Strategies please contact:

Jeff Morris, Director of Communications

(530) 355 – 9880

jeff@mfpp.org.