(202) 205-8333

In August 2004 President George W. Bush signed an Executive Order that directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, and Defense to implement laws relating to the environment and natural resources in a manner that promotes cooperative conservation. The Executive Order emphasizes the inclusion of local participation in Federal decision-making and collaborative activity among Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, private for-profit and nonprofit institutions, other nongovernmental entities, and individuals.

In signing Executive Order 13352, President Bush charged the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, James Connaughton, to convene a White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation. On August 29, 30, and 31, 2005, representatives from the public and private sectors convened in St. Louis, Missouri to discuss how to facilitate and advance cooperative conservation. Co-hosted by EPA and the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, and Defense, the conference invited participants to consider how to:

• Broaden cooperative conservation;
• Enhance and integrate public and private land stewardship;
• Bring together key stakeholders and decision makers;
• Identify ideas for future conservation and environmental policies and initiatives;
• Facilitate the exchange of information and advice for successful partnerships; and
• Institutionalize cooperative conservation to enhance on-the-ground conservation results and progress.

You can learn more about the conference at conservation.ceq.gov.

Helpful Links
_____________________________________________________

Executive Order 13352