Special thanks to Kasey Russell for her contributions.

This newsletter is also posted at the TreeLink website. In an effort to improve communications and make sure that everyone has every opportunity to get information, we will continue to distribute the newsletter to your email address in addition to the TreeLink posting. If you'd prefer to retrieve it on TreeLink exclusively (i.e. you don't want to receive it via email) contact Paula Rosenthal at (406) 542-4284.

House Republicans and Democrats joined hands this past week to cosponsor a bill that has been hailed as the most far-reaching conservation funding legislation ever brought before Congress. The bipartisan legislation, known as the Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999 (CARA, HR 701), was officially reported out of the House Resources Committee yesterday with a final list of 294 cosponsors, more than two-thirds of the House. This is the first major piece of conservation legislation to gain such broad bipartisan support in over five years.

"This overwhelming show of support is a mandate for Congress to pass this critical conservation funding bill in 2000," said R. Max Peterson, executive vice president of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (IAFWA), "We encourage the House leadership to schedule a vote as soon as possible. This legislation is truly a win-win for everyone!"

The landmark legislation would provide conservation with the largest infusion of federal funds in history, $44 billion over the next 15 years ($3 billion annually), most of which will go to various state and local conservation programs, including state-level wildlife conservation and related education and recreation.

HR 701 has gained the support of the majority of our nation's governors, county commissioners and mayors along with a broad-based coalition of wildlife conservation, environmental, athletic and historic preservation groups and private businesses

Last November, the bill was voted out of the House Resources Committee by a significant margin of 37-12. It was the product of several months of negotiations between Chairman Don Young and Ranking Democrat George Miller (D-CA).

HR 701 would reinvest $3 billion annually in federal Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas revenue back into natural resources conservation through the following programs:

$1 billion State Coastal Impact Assistance and Conservation (Title I)

$900 million Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) (state formula & fed) (Title II)

$350 million State-Level Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Fund (Title III)

$125 million Urban Park and Recreation Recovery (UPARR) (state grants) (Title IV)

$100 million Historic Preservation Fund (state grants and federal) (Title V)

$200 million Federal and Indian Lands Restoration (Title VI)

$150 million Conservation Easements & Species Recovery (federal) (Title VII)

$200 million Payment In-Lieu of Taxes (PILT) and Refuge Revenue Sharing

For additional information on HR 701 including a state-by-state breakdown of funding available under the legislation's eight program areas, visit www.teaming.com or www.house.gov/resources/ocs

Marc Imhoff, a researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and colleagues used a computer to calculate the ability of the landscape over the entire continental United States to carry out photosynthesis, plants' conversion of sunlight energy and carbon dioxide into food. They found that in the most intensely urbanized areas, photosynthesis has been reduced by as much 20 days -the equivalent of reducing the productivity of a growth season of Atlanta to close to that of Wilmington, Del.

Imhoff said urban area's warmer temperatures may actually make for a longer growing season yet reduce overall productivity. "Vegetation may green up earlier in the spring and wilt later in the fall, but it has lower peak season productivity than similar nearby areas that are not urbanized,'' he said.

In a few areas, like semi-arid to desert areas, cities and suburbs tend to increase biological productivity by replacing scrub lands with watered lawns and deciduous trees, Imhoff said, "but the overall effect is to curb productivity, which worsens the heat is and effects and has implications for climate change."If the capacity of the landscape to carry out photosynthesis is substantially reduced, then the ability of the planet to support human life must also be diminished.''

The Co-Directors of the Joint Center for Sustainable Communities met on February 14. A SmartGrowth Symposium is being planned for July 13, in Charlotte, NC, immediately prior to the National Association of Counties annual meeting. The U.S. Conference of Mayors has a new committee on Regionalism and SmartGrowth. Representatives from the county commissioners and/or mayors may participate in developing a Green Infrastructure training program. The Joint Center agreed to provide information about Green Infrastructure at the Fall 2000 Rural Community Assistance Partnership Conference and other events.

"Green Infrastructure is a network of open space, airsheds, watersheds, woodlands, wildlife habitat, parks, and other natural areas, which provide many vital services that sustain life and enrich quality of life." - Chapter Four, Metropolitan and Rural Strategies, President's Council on Sustainable Development Report 1999.

The Forest Service is a partner with the Joint Center for Sustainable Communities. The U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Association of Counties are some of the organizations that comprise the Joint Center. Contact: Peggy Harwood at (202) 205-0877 or pharwood@fs.fed.us.

2/14 - President Clinton announced today $18.6 million in Forest Legacy grants for 29 projects encompassing nearly 250,000 acres in 19 states and territories. The participating States submitted these projects to the Forest Service. The list of projects is available at the White House website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/library/PressReleases.cgi.

State's interested in receiving trees should contact American Forests for an order packet. The person in charge of Millenium Groves is Susan Corbett at American Forests. Her number is 904 320-8733, ext.104. Two new opportunities with this effort -- The American Society of Landscape Architects has offered to provide pro-bono design work for the groves (one per state). Further, the America the Beautiful Fund has offered "American Spirit" flower seed packets.

You can still participate in the final phase of the Forum by visiting the Forum's Virtual Conference Center and giving us feedback on the various outcome scenarios. The outcome scenarios will be posted in the conference center through March. The upcoming Feature Speaker opportunities are Ed Macie and Lisa Burban - March 14 from 1-3 CST; Gwen Hallsmith with the Institute for Sustainable Communities - April 18 from 1-3 CST; and Brenda Richardson with Women Like Us - May 16 from 1-3 CST. Please join us for exciting dialogue. The direct link to the Virtual Conference Center is http://12.4.79.42/scripts/Fac.dll/AccessMain?forum+forum.

The Forest Service has developed an innovative outreach program called "The Conservation Connection." The program is designed to educate Americans about National Forest Conservation issues, programs, and activities through a series of fascinating and substantive radio stories, which will be broadcast on public and commercial radio. This program will be managed by the Forest Service and co-funded with support from the Forest Service and foundation challenge grants. It will effectively reach mass audiences in both rural and urban communities nationwide. The purpose of the program is to heighten national public awareness and knowledge of the value of natural resources conservation and cultural preservation on public lands. The Forest Service national radio team expects to begin airing stories on 670 stations reaching nearly all of the top 260 rated radio markets in the country starting in May 2000. If you have a special conservation story that deserves national recognition, please call 303.275.5355.

"Crossroads, Hamlet, Village, Town: Design Characteristics of Traditional Neighborhoods, Old and New" -- Randall Arendt, vice president of conservation planning at the Natural Lands Trust. This new, comprehensive publication addresses the relationship of neighborhood residential and mixed-use site design to the layout of open space, parks, squares, greenways, and greenbelts, filling in the niche between the existing literature on macro concerns (e.g., zoning) and that on micro issues (i.e., architectural design) in such developments. Mixes ideas of sensible landscape architecture with those of the classical town design. This is a publication of the American Planning Association and can be obtained from Randall Arendt, 43 Prospect Avenue, Narragansett, RI (USA) 02882.

Also by Randall Arendt, Growing Greener: Putting Conservation into Local Plans and Ordinance, visit the website for more information, http://www.islandpress.org/books/bookdata/growgreen.html.

North American Fund for Environmental Cooperation-The North American Fund for Environmental Cooperation (NAFEC) will accept proposals for review during one grant cycle in 2000. Proposals may be submitted until 31 March 2000. See http://www.cec.org/english/nafec/propos.cfm?format=2 for complete description.

Captain Planet Foundation-These grants ($250-2,500) are given to promote understanding of environmental issues, focus on hands-on involvement and involve children and young adults 6-18. For more information, contact Sona Chambers at 404.827.4130 or Rachel MacNabb at 404.827.2083 or visit http://www.turner.com/cpf. These grants are reviewed on the last day of March, June, and September.

EPA Region III's Green Communities Workshop will be March 29-30, 2000 at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III Office, 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029. Learn about the nationally renowned Green Communities Program, which empowers communities to work towards a healthy environment, a strong economy, and a high quality of life. Explore community-based tools from the Green Communities Assistance Kit (www.epa.gov/region3/greenkit). Contact: Nancy Grundahl -- e-mail: GRUNDAHL.NANCY@epamail.epa.gov.

- To join the Eco-Compass listserve, which will send all kind of information to you from issues about sprawl, to takings, to watershed management, send an email message to islandpress-I-subsrcibe@iga.topica.com.

- Virginia's Stewardship Site - http://www.sustainableuse.org/va

- Growing Greener: Designing Sustainable Communities - check out lots of new publications and links on the Island Press website: http://www.islandpress.org/community/planning/greener.html.

Planning for the this coming April is proceeding right along. Check out the updated website at www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/notice.html

Topics include data management, quality assurance project plans, data presentation, volunteers and TMDLs, measuring bacterial contamination, monitoring wetlands, state agency use of volunteer data, measuring water clarity, and much more.

A series of one-day workshops in seven locations around the country are being offered by Natural Path Forestry Consultants. The workshops focus on hazard tree policy development. This workshop is intended for City Foresters, Park Managers, Golf Course Managers, Arborists, and Consultants. The primary outcome is to assist participants to devise a hazard tree risk management program that is achievable, defensible and proactive. The second outcome is a strategy to defend the policy if litigation occurs. Participants will go through eight excercises and one take one assignment. 7.25 ISA CEU's. The Spring series will be held in the following metro areas:

St Paul/Minneapolis 3/20

Chicago 3/24

Denver 3/27

Los Angeles 3/30

San Fransisco 3/31

Philadelphia 4/4

Washington DC 4/5

Six workshops are planned for the Fall in Canada and the Southeast. For more information, contact 406-721-3263 or natpath@naturalpath.com

MARCH 2000

6 Mid-West Volunteer Coordinators Conference Call (1-2:30 p.m. CST)

10 Trees & Streams Summit - a look at Urban and Community Forestry for Salmon Recovery. Portland, Oregon. For registration and other information, check out http://www.westernforestry.org/TreesAndStreams.htm or call 888.722.9416.

14 Lisa Burban and Ed Macie - Feature Speakers for the Community Future Forum. Online, live from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. EST. Direct Link: http://12.4.79.42/scripts/FAC.dll/AccessMain?forum+forum.

13-15 Building With Trees National Conference, Lied Conference Center, Nebraska City, NE. For more information, contact the National Arbor Day Foundation at (402) 474-5655.

14-16 Land Stewardship in the 21st Century: The Contributions of Watershed Management, Tucson, AZ. For more information contact Peter Ffolliott at ffolpete@ag.arizona.edu.

14-15 Iowa Shade Tree Short Course, Ames, IA. For more information, contact Dennis Haugen.

14-15 The Michigan and Ohio Eco-Industrial Development Conference and Roundtable; Detroit, Michigan. For more information, visit http://www.sustainableusa.org.

25 The 5th International Wildlife Law Conference, Washington, DC. For more information visit http://www.sustainableuse.org.

26 Sustainable Development and Eco-Innovation: New Pathways to Business Growth; Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore, MD. For more information, visit http://www.sustainableuse.org.

26-29 GIS-T 2000 Conference: Forging Partnerships for the New Millenium; Radisson South, Minneapolis. Check the website for information - www.gis-t.org.

28-29 Minnesota Shade Tree Short Course, Bethel College, Arden Hills, MN. For more information, contact Tracey Benson at (612) 624-3708.

29 WI Tree City USA Banquet. Contact Lisa Burban for more information.

30 Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee Meeting. For more information see Lisa Burban.

APRIL 2000

9-11 "Pace 2000: Foundations for the Future." East Windsor, New Jersey. 13th annual conference on purchase of agricultural easements. For more information, contact Lynn Johnson, American Farmland Trust at 413.586.9330 or ljohnson@farmland.org.

13-14 "Nature in Fragments: The Legacy of Urban Sprawl" at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. For more information, go to http://research.amnh.org/biodiversity/Sprawl/Symposium2k.html

15-19 The American Planning Association's National Conference; New York City. For more information contact APA at www.planning.org.

18 Gwen Hallsmith, Institute for Sustainable Communities, is the Community Future Forum's Feature Speaker. She will be online, live from 2-4 p.m. EST. The direct link is http://12.4.79.42/scripts/FAC.dll/AccessMain?forum+forum.

17-19 National Watershed Outreach conference; Catamaran Hotel in San Diego, CA. For more information contact Stacie Craddock at craddock.stacie@epa.gov.

25-27 International Conference and Exhibition on LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA): Tools for Sustainability" LCA is an international conference and exhibition on Life Cycle Assessment, which will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia. For information visit http://www.epa.gov/ttbnrmrl/inlca.htm.

26 "Where we Live" - a daylong conference on urban sprawl in Chicago. For more information, see http://www.sprawlconference.org/.

25-27 Monitoring for the Millennium, National Water Quality Monitoring Council National Monitoring Conference; Austin, Texas. For more information, call (405) 516-4972.

National Hispanic Environmental Council's Annual Conference. Denver, CO. For more information, contact Roger Rivera at 703.922.3429.

MAY 2000

4-5 Wood Waste Utilization National Conference, Nebraska City, NE. For more information, contact the National Arbor Day Foundation at 402.474.5655.

9-11 Buffers: Commonsense Conservation for Urbanizing Landscapes. Arbor Day Farm, Lied Conference Center, Nebraska City, NE. For more information, call 402.474.5655 or 888.448.7337.

16 Brenda Richardson, with Women Like Us, is the Community Future Forum's Feature Speaker. She will be online, live from 2-4 p.m. EST. The direct link is http://12.4.79.42/scripts/FAC.dll/AccessMain?forum+forum. 16-18 NA State Urban Forestry Coordinators' Meeting, Lisle, Illinois

JUNE 2000

11-13 The Ecology of Urban Soils; St. Paul, MN. For more information, contact Cindy Ash, cash@scisoc.org or 651.454.7250 or visit the website - www.scisoc.org/opae/shortcourse.

17-22 Eighth International Symposium on Society and Resource Management; Bellingham, WA. For more information, see http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~natresco/

22-24 National Urban and Community Forestry Council meeting, Salt Lake City,UT

UPCOMING EVENTS - MORE DETAILS TO COME!

Jul 12-14 - Small Community Forestry Conference, Dickinson, ND

July 28-29 - Land Conservation Sumit 2000: Advancing the Debate in the New Millenium. University of Minnesota.

Aug 3-4 - Vegetation Management Assocation of Minnesota Annual Conference

Aug 6-9 - ISA National Conference, Baltimore, MD

Sep 9-12 - National Grassroots Summit, Nebraska City, NE

Sep 18-20 - Fragmentation 2000: A Conference on Sustaining Private Forests in the 21st Century

Sep 28-30, Tree City USA National Conference, Nebraska City, NE

Oct - Midwest Environmental Education Conference, Iowa

Oct 1-4 - Society of Municipal Arborist Year 2000 Conference. For more information, contact Ann Ashby at ashby.ann@acd.net.

Oct 27-31 - 2000 American Society of Landscape Architects Annual Meeting and EXPO; St. Louis, MO.