The Salazar Center is preparing to host its annual International Symposium on Conservation Impact next month (there’s still time to register!), and I have the unique perspective of being part of every symposia to date.
A lot has happened in the past five years—within the Center itself, with regard to climate change and biodiversity loss and inequity in North America, and in my own work as part of this team—so when I was asked to reflect on the history of this event, how it’s evolved, and what connections have sprung up across years and programs, I struggled at first. What could I say that captured five years’ worth of convenings that were shaped not only by our growth as an organization but also by a global pandemic and significant political and cultural upheaval across the continent?
Then I landed on a microcosm of this year’s event: the breakout sessions, and specifically the session focused on cities and urban environments. This session, which will take place on the second day of the symposium, connects a lot of the dots for me and represents not only the evolution of our convening, but the ways that the work happening in our network is evolving and growing.
In 2020, the symposium focused on innovative conservation, equity, and resilience efforts across North American’s urban areas. It also served as the launching pad for our Thriving Cities Challenge, which ultimately awarded more than half a million dollars to 15 grassroots project teams across the continent who were working to implement nature-based solutions and deliver community benefits at the intersection of climate resilience, equity, and urban green space.
It was also announced at the 2020 symposium that the Center would enter into an unprecedented partnership with Denver Parks and Recreation in order to support the city’s efforts to increase community resiliency, urban habitat, and equitable access to green space; this partnership has since resulted in pilot funding for a CSU-led research effort that will culminate next year.
The urban-focused breakout session this year will bring the topic of nature-based solutions in cities back into focus for the Center, which is a testament to the importance of this conversation in driving a sustainable and equitable future for North America, and the strength of the relationships that we cultivated in our earlier work.
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of reconnecting with colleagues at Groundwork USA and the Trust for Public Land when the Doris Duke Foundation (who’s also a sponsor of this year’s event) convened a small group of its previous grantees who’d run programs that re-granted monies for urban nature work, like our Thriving Cities Challenge. These colleagues, in turn, connected us with two of the experts who will help lead the urban breakout session, Jeremy Hoffman and Jessica Montoya.
With an eye toward making sure we have expert practitioners in the room for that breakout session, too, we’re bringing many of our Thriving Cities grantees to Denver for the event, creating a unique opportunity to these teams to meet in person after participating in a capacity-building program that was run entire virtually and to have a dedicated space to continue conversations that began in 2021.
Denver Parks and Recreation, another 2023 symposium sponsor, will also be sending some of their Green Corps members to the event so that they can participate in the urban breakout session.
This is one of the things about what we do at the Center that deeply energizes me and keeps me coming back day after day: we are all in this together, across sectors and years and geographical boundaries; you only have to tug lightly on one thread to see and feel that it’s deeply interwoven with an incredible community of partners and their work—and I can’t wait to see what new stitches will be sewn at our 2023 symposium and become part of this dynamic, inspiring tapestry in the years to come.
Learn more about the International Symposium on Conservation Impact and register to join experts from across sectors and the continent as we discuss a nature-positive future for North America.