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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR 2008 COHORT OF KINSHIP CONSERVATION FELLOWS Program to run June 25 – July 25, applications close January 31, 2008. CHICAGO, IL, November 5, 2007 -–/WORLD-WIRE/--Kinship Conservation Fellows has announced that applications are now available for its seventh cohort of Fellows. Eighteen applicants will be selected to participate in the program, to be held at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington from June 25th through July 25th, 2008. 
Kinship is looking for conservation leaders with at least five years work experience, a deep commitment to conservation values and an interest in learning about market approaches to environmental issues. Prospective Fellows should have some exposure to business and economic principles and work in an environment where these principles can be integrated with conservation work. As part of the application process, candidates are asked to propose a project related to their work that they will develop conceptually during the month-long fellowship.
"It is not possible to separate the human economy from the natural environment," notes Kinship Director, Jim Tolisano, "which makes the marketplace the foundation of any effective and enduring conservation strategy." Tolisano emphasizes that, "the leaders in the environmental movement worldwide have fully embraced this reality, and most conservation programs now have markets and commerce at the center of their work. Anyone hoping to work with conservation solutions needs to have a very clear understanding of how to use these tools and options." Kinship is specifically designed to provide the next generation of conservation leaders with these skills. Kinship’s intensive fellowship offers select career conservationists a unique opportunity for leadership development, one-on-one interaction with an elite faculty, applied project work and collaborative learning in a dynamic community. The program provides a mix of seminars, working groups, fieldtrips and independent research periods. During their 4 weeks living in the San Juan and North Cascades ecosystems, Kinship Fellows work directly with leaders responsible for the design, implementation and evaluation of conservation programs worldwide. Kinship’s active fieldwork component—combining market tools, collaborative planning and community driven programs—gives Fellows the opportunity to learn from and respond to complex conservation issues within a real-world context. Tolisano emphasizes that, "the working environment at Kinship produces a profoundly supportive group dynamic that seems to generate tremendous inspiration and collaboration. It is powerful to watch, and obviously even more powerful for the Fellows who experience it. The Fellows bring their talents and specific environmental challenges to Kinship, and then they leave with solutions they are immediately applying as part of a growing community of conservation leaders." Fellows receive a $4,500 stipend, as well as, lodging and meals for their participation in the month-long program. To learn more and apply online, visit www.KinshipFellows.org. The application deadline is January 31, 2008. ABOUT KINSHIP In 2006, Kinship Conservation Fellows became the new name for the groundbreaking program that launched in 2001 as the Kinship Conservation Institute. Kinship’s mission is to develop a community of leaders dedicated to applying market-based principles to environmental issues. For more information about Kinship Conservation Fellows contact Renee Michaels at (847) 714-1702, Renee.Michaels@kinshiptrustco.com, or visit www.KinshipFellows.org.
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