Elevating America's Grasslands

retreat focus

How might we raise awareness, inspire new perspectives, develop critical relationships, and unlock potential for transformative action related to the grasslands in this country?  In addition, how can we build on the progress on the national grasslands map and national grasslands communication plan that we embarked on as a result of our last retreat.  And what new ideas can we develop that will accelerate action around elevating the profile of America’s grasslands?

Grassland loss is a major contributor to the global climate crisis and grassland restoration can be a vital solution to mitigating climate change while addressing our biodiversity crisis. We believe that by bringing together a mix of dynamic backgrounds, perspectives, and problem-solving skills, we can unlock innovative approaches to mitigating the impact of grassland loss on the climate crisis, biodiversity collapse, and loss of key ecosystem services across both public and private landscapes.

This November 2024 meeting is the second retreat sponsored by Volgenau Climate Initiative (VCI) focusing on America’s grasslands and their importance to climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation. We look forward to building on the progress we’ve made since that first meeting while generating even more new and bold ideas to forward this important work.  We know that this time away from your work and personal lives is an opportunity for our movement that also comes at a cost to you and those around you.  Although we are excited to roll up our sleeves and accomplish great work at the retreat, we are also committed to providing space for personal restoration, professional inspiration, and an opportunity for deepening relationships with colleagues you know and building them with those you will be meeting for the first time. We count on you to co-create this experience and remain open, adaptable, and fully engaged so that your unique perspective will add to a collective experience that is rich and adds value to our shared leadership, personal lives, and the absolutely critical work of conserving and restoring our nation’s grasslands.