June 25, 2009 -- Federal Court Rules on Challenge Against U.S. Government
On June 23, 2009, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Jones issued a ruling for the defense in a long-running challenge by the Washington Forest Law Center (WFLC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) against the U.S. Government. Judge Jones ruled that WFLC/FSC had no legal standing nor credible claims that they had suffered injury in the U.S. Trade Representative/Softwood Lumber Agreement (SLA) decision to grant funds to the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, Inc. (Endowment) and American Forest Foundation for delivery of "meritorious initiatives" under the SLA. The Court's clear and unequivocal ruling appears to lay to rest this unfortunate diversion from the important work that the Endowment and its peer seek to advance. To read the full text of the Court's ruling click here: "U.S. Court Rules on Case."
June 3, 2009 -- Endowment Board Approves Clean Audit for 2008
At its most recent meeting of the Board of Directors held in New Orleans May 19-20, 2009, the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (the Endowment) heard a report from its Audit Committee as well as its independent auditor, Dixon Hughes PLLC. “On behalf of the Audit Committee, I’m pleased to present to the Board for its consideration one of the cleanest audits I’ve ever had the privilege of reviewing” said Peggy Clark, Chair of the Audit Committee. The audit for fiscal/calendar Year 2008 is the third independent audit of the Endowment’s finances since its inception in late 2006.
June 1, 2009 – Christensen joins Endowment as 2009 Intern
Michelle Christensen, a May 2009 graduate of Portland State University, joined the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities’ team as the 2009 Intern. With a degree in Geography and a minor in Sustainable Community Development, Christensen has a strong interest in natural resource and conservation issues. After two years as a Wildland Firefighter for the USDA Forest Service, she is looking forward to learning more about private- and community-based forestry. A Pacific Northwest native, she plans to return home to Washington State, after her time with the Endowment and obtaining a graduate degree in Environmental and Resource Policy.
April 22, 2009 – Earth Day 39 at the U.S. Endowment
For nearly 40 years, April 22nd has been celebrated as “Earth Day” in the United States. At the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (the Endowment) every day is Earth Day as the staff and Board go about the mission of promoting sustainable forestry – forestry that achieves the triple objective of meeting economic needs in an environmentally sound and socially acceptable way. “Earth Day is core to who we are and what we are about,” said Endowment President Carlton Owen. “This year we wanted to do something symbolic and yet tangible in our home town in the spirit of the day.” The Endowment provided funding to the Greenville Tree Foundation in Greenville, South Carolina, to plant two trees in parks and public open spaces – one in honor of the Endowment’s Board of Directors; the other to thank the scores of citizens who volunteer their time in land trusts and other efforts to make the area a better place for future generations.
April 17, 2009 – Endowment Releases Report on Business Clustering
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (the Endowment) today announced the release of a report and series of documents on the status of and opportunities for business clustering within the forest products sector in the U.S. (view publications). The research was led by the Forest and Wildlife Research Center of Mississippi State University, the Franklin Furniture Institute of Mississippi State University, Dovetail Partners, and the Department of Forestry of the University of Missouri. The project identified business cluster models adopted in the forest sector, explored partnerships among cluster entities, and examined policies, strategies and support mechanisms that could facilitate successful business. Information collected during the summer and fall of 2008 was also used to develop a template for a national registry of forest business clusters. The project constituted a comprehensive research effort comprised of the following components: a literature review, a nation-wide online survey, geospatial and econometric analyses, phone interviews with stakeholders knowledgeable of forest business clusters in the public and private sectors, and a website featuring a registry of forest business clusters in the U.S. (www.fwrc.msstate.edu/cluster/cluster_search.asp)
April 16, 2009 -- Endowment Releases Latest “Plain Language Stewardship Statement"
The Endowment today posted what it terms its “plain language stewardship statement” for the first quarter of 2009(view statement). “We’ve developed these one-page summaries of financial status and programmatic investments in non-accounting language as part of our commitment to openness and transparency in all that we do,” said Endowment President Carlton Owen. The Endowment’s Board of Directors has adopted Stewardship Principles and Values documents that serve to guide all of the organization’s affairs. These pledges are founded on accessibility to all who are interested. In a related happening, the Endowment also posted its latest Blog – this one entitled, "Thoughts on Overhead Costs versus Programmatic Investment."
|
|