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June 29, 2000 Dear Dr. Koenings: Thank you for taking the time to meet with Peter Scholes, Terry Cook and me recently. It was clear from our discussion that there are several areas where our work is complementary. I am optimistic that the passage of the Conservation and Re-investment Act will only increase the opportunities for joint action. I have instructed my staff to keep their colleagues in the Department informed of any projects that seem to be of mutual interest, and to be alert to opportunities for partnership. I appreciate your willingness to do the same. As we discussed, one area where the Department and the Conservancy should be working together is ecoregional planning. Our planning teams are developing conservation blueprints for Washington State's diverse ecoregions. With the participation of your staff, we would incorporate these plans into a shared vision of how conservation should be accomplished in this state. The areas identified through the planning process could provide a focus not only for The Nature Conservancy and DFW, but also for the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the Department of Natural Resources, and other state and local players. Terry Cook, the Conservancy's Director of Science and Stewardship, is eager to discuss this opportunity for collaboration with your staff. He can be reached at XXX-XXX-XXXX or via e-mail at XXXXXXXXXXXXX. I am particularly looking forward to convening with you a meeting of state and federal agencies to discuss public land ownership and conservation. As you know, the Conservancy believes that preservation of existing high-quality habitat must be the cornerstone of any effort to conserve or restore biodiversity generally and salmonids in particular. Ownership of critical lands by public agencies is realistically the primary tool for ensuring these lands are preserved. I believe a gathering of the agencies involved in conservation efforts will provide us not only with a comprehensive view of habitat protected by public ownership, but also will give us a unique opportunity to coordinate and ensure our limited resources are used as effectively as possible. I will be in touch with you soon to begin planning such a meeting. I believe our organizations also can benefit through the cooperative exchange of information about our most threatened species and natural communities. As Terry mentioned in our meeting, the Association for Biodiversity Information (ABI), a network of natural heritage programs and conservation data centers, works to develop and maintain information critical to the conservation of the world's biological diversity. Finally, I hope that we can find other areas, particularly in the policy arena, where the Department and the Conservancy can work together. I would like to build on our history of forming strong partnerships with Department staff in the field, and work together at senior levels to develop overall strategies to make the best use of public funds. In particular, I believe there is a great deal we can do together to ensure that CARA funds are used wisely and efficiently, particularly those devoted to habitat acquisition. I, also, would like to invite your participation in the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition. Jennifer Belcher and Cleve Pinnix, as well as staff from the Governor's office have regularly provided advice and encouragement to the Coalition's efforts. There is widespread agreement that inWashington State there is a critical need for more funding to protect wildlife habitat and that, despite its successes, the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program needs much larger biennial appropriations. I say this even while acknowledging your view that some publicly held wildlife habitat is of low value. I look forward to working with you and building a strong relationship between The Nature Conservancy and the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Sincerely, Elliot Marks |
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