Definitions
Conservation is defined as the protection of the air, land and water upon which all living organisms depend.
Leadership is defined as the galvanizing of people to address significant issues. It includes an ability to:
- understand and define a critical challenge;
- mobilize people to engage in that challenge; and
- achieve meaningful solutions.
Building political capital means creating goodwill from a cross-section of stakeholders. It relates to two of our goals: to strengthen our base of support and improve conservation policies.
A conservation ethic is collective behavior fusing knowledge of conservation with targeted citizen engagement and action. It is about communities embracing and "owning" environmental values, thus leaving a strong and durable conservation legacy for future generations. Credibility is a broad construct with multiple dimensions, such as competence, trustworthiness, and integrity. These characteristics are an essential prerequisite to securing influence and clout.
Significant issues are those that have substantial impact in the protection of land, air and water for our region. The mission of the Brainerd Foundation is to protect the environment of the Northwest and to build broad citizen support for conservation.