Join the Rights-of-Way as Habitat Working Group
Membership Levels
The Rights-of-Way as Habitat Working Group provides an inclusive and collaborative forum to advance innovative and credible solutions for creating and managing habitat on energy and transportation lands. To engage a wide and diverse representation of practitioners, specialists, and supporters, the Working Group offers several levels of membership.
For Individuals: For Organizations:
Individual Member Conservation Agreement Partner Sponsor Organization
The Working Group does not require membership fees for participation. Instead, we invite organizations to support the Working Group via conservation agreement participation and/or sponsorship. Doing so supports core Working Group activities and demonstrates your commitment to habitat conservation on energy and transportation lands.
More information about individual and organizational membership levels is given below.
Individual Member
Individual membership is free and available to anyone. Any individual wishing to become a member of the Working Group can do so by adhering to the Code of Conduct and doing at least one of the following:
- Subscribing to the Working Group’s email list on the website.
- Attending at least one Working Group event (webinar, virtual roundtable, in-person meeting) per calendar year.
- Responding to Working Group calls to action, such as a survey or data request.
- Participating on a Working Group committee or task force.
Individual Members benefit from keeping up-to-date on industry trends, best practices, and Working Group activities; engaging in industry peer exchange and collaboration; participating in trainings and roundtables; and having the opportunity to contribute to Working Group initiatives. Organizations that have Individual Members represented in the Working Group through the activities described above are considered Participating Organizations.
Conservation Agreement Partner
Organizations enrolled in either the Nationwide Monarch Butterfly Candidate Conservation Agreement for Energy and Transportation Lands (Monarch CCAA) and/or the Conservation Benefit Agreement for At-Risk Bumble Bees (Bumble Bee CBA) are considered Conservation Agreement Partners.
Conservation Agreement Partners benefit from:
- Participating in a formal conservation agreement that documents their conservation benefits;
- Ability to leverage participation and tracking for sustainability reporting;
- Reduced risk of disruption to business operations from Endangered Species Act listings for targeted species;
- Regulatory assurances resulting from participation in individual agreements, including take coverage specified in Section 10 Enhancement of Survival permits;
- Collaboration with industry peers contributing to conservation agreements;
- Use of the “Conservation Agreement Partner” logo.
For more information regarding specific benefits of enrollment into one or both agreements, please visit the respective webpages for each agreement linked above.
Sponsor Organization
Organizations may become Sponsor Organizations through direct funding or in-kind contributions that directly support Working Group administration and coordination, research and tool development, and/or planning and convening webinars, roundtables, and in-person meetings. Administrative fees for conservation agreement enrollment are not eligible as sponsorship contributions.
Direct funding support may include, but is not limited to, a restricted or unrestricted gift donation, grant award, or other type of corporate or organizational sponsorship. Funds directed towards specific projects or initiatives must be specified as such at the time of the contribution. The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Sustainable Landscapes program reserves the right to apply unrestricted gifts at their discretion to accomplish program priorities as needed.
In-kind contributions are eligible if they directly support Working Group administration and coordination, research and tool development, and/or convening webinars, roundtables, and in-person meetings. In-kind support may include, but is not limited to:
- Technical support, such as donating in-kind staff time to perform specific tasks or support for initiatives.
- Event planning or hosting, such as scheduling and providing meeting space, equipment, technology, supplies, and/or food and beverage.
See the accompanying sponsorship levels and corresponding benefits in the Sponsorship Levels summary. Benefits of Sponsor Organizations are based on the approximate value of the direct funding or in-kind contributions. In-kind contributions must be documented to receive the identified benefits. Benefits only apply for the program year for which the sponsorship is given.
To learn more about how you or your organization can contribute to the Working Group and UIC’s Sustainable Landscapes program, contact:
Dan Salas, Director, Sustainable Landscapes Program, or
Caroline Hernandez, Assistant Director, Sustainable Landscapes Program.
Thank you to our partners for their support of the Rights-of-Way as Habitat Working Group!