Documentary on collaboration between defense, conservation, and agricultural communities will premiere at the D.C. Environmental Film Festival
An exciting new documentary that explores the benefits of the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership will premiere on Friday, March 13th at the 2020 D.C. Environmental Film Festival in Washington, D.C. Now in its 27th year, the Festival is considered the world’s premiere showcase of environmentally-themed films. Additional information about the 2020 Festival, including final showtimes and locations, will be released in the coming weeks (check the festival’s website for updates).
As practitioners continue to look to forge the partnerships and collaborations that can transform the future of our landscapes under increasing pressure from population growth and urbanization, the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership represents a critical innovation. Founded in 2013 by leaders within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, and Department of Interior working across boundaries to connect mission priorities at the landscape-scale, the Partnership is a diverse coalition of federal agencies, state and local governments, and non-governmental organizations that works with private landowners to advance sustainable land management practices around military installations and ranges. Farming, ranching, and forestry not only offer significant ecological and economic benefits, but also protect defense facilities from incompatible development that can constrain the military's ability to carry out important testing and training activities.
The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership accomplishes its mission by connecting private landowners with voluntary state and federal assistance programs that provide tax benefits, educational opportunities, technical aid, funding for conservation easements, and more. The Partnership currently has seven designated landscapes, and through fiscal year 2018 Sentinel Landscape partners have permanently protected over 240,000 acres of land and implemented sustainable management practices on an additional 1.6 million acres of land across these seven Sentinel Landscapes.