(6) Objectives 
About the Project: (6) Objectives
Logistical objectives
Since the ideals and goals of this project are extremely ambitious, it is fitting that the short-term logistical objectives should be, in pleasing contrast, modestly bite-sized.
For discussion purposes the leadership of this project at its inception in October 2007 offers the following arbitrary and hypothetical logistical objectives for year one and years 2-5, with the understanding that our objectives will be continuously redefined as new opportunities or obstacles present themselves.
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Category
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1-year objective
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5-year objective
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| Incorporation | Recruit a board of directors and initiate incorporation as a non-profit; until nonprofit status is achieved, operate under the non-profit umbrella of the Association for the Tree of Life | |
| Web website development | Create an “Earth Restoration Website” on the world-wide web; immediately initiate a blogging capability | Continuously add tools and functionality including interactive databases for information collection & organization (“knowledge- bases”), sophisticated search and interactive collaboration tools, survey instruments, grassroots organizing tools, and a flexible and powerful communications capability; integrate a geographical/cartographical browser into the emerging knowledge-bases to allow searching and organizing of data by geographic region, and articulation of environmental issues as to their relationship to location, terrain, and global environmental (such as climate) systems |
| Fundraising | Write a fundraising plan covering the next 5 years and initiate those fundraising activities indicated in it for year 1 | Pursue fundraising activities outlined in the fundraising plan, plus additional activities as dictated by circumstance and opportunity. |
| Membership services | Set-up a web-based subscription membership service; recruit 500-1,000 members in year one | Recruit 10,000 members |
| Staff development | Hire a part-time or full-time managing editor for the Earth Restoration Website, a part-time or full time executive director for the Earth Restoration Website. | Hire a development director, web membership director (if needed) and other additional staff as needed programmatically and as opportunity allows. |
| Alternative Media Services infrastructure build-out | Recruit a stable of one or two dozen authors and content providers, primarily on a volunteer basis. Produce a continuous stream of reportage on the activities of the Earth Restoration Project. Hire a full-time managing editor as funding allows | Create a robust and high-quality platform for the recruitment of a stable of volunteer freelance journalists both for reporting on events and for in-depth analysis and interpretation; expand news reporting and analysis into web-based radio and television media. As funding allows, begin to build formats and a reportorial staff starting with producers of streaming video and web radio news, analysis, commentary, and entertainment programming. Eventually develop paid reportorial staff positions and/or a system of compensation to freelance investigative writers, reporters, and photojournalists; while encouraging maximum contributions from members and the general public, through a moderated blog-type interactive web interface… |
| Pilot Restoration Project #1, local/sub regional scale--Jordan River Corridor and Delta Restoration Master plan | In cooperation or in parallel with existing environmental advocacy groups (Great Salt Lake Keepers, Utah Rivers Council) develop a proposal and plan, including a fundraising plan, for the production of a Jordan River corridor and delta ecosystem restoration plan. | Deliver a fully articulated 50-year plan for restoration of the Jordan River and Jordan River delta, with specific recommendations for the use of $100 million in funding for flood control/water quality and wetlands preservation, potentially available from Salt Lake County. Once such a plan has been published, work cooperatively with NGO partners and local government to begin building grassroots, pubic, media, and institutional support for the implementation of such a plan. |
| Restoration Pilot Project #2, Regional Scale—Colorado Plateau Ecosystem Heritage Preservation Master plan | Support the lead organization, Association for the Tree of Life, in marketing the concept, obtaining funding and completing the background scientific ecosystem assessment and reserve design modeling for the Colorado Plateau ecoregion by [July 1, 2008?], with the goal of submitting a comprehensive preservation master plan for the Colorado Plateau as template both for legislation in the 2008 Congress and for land use planning and public land management decision-making throughout the next several decades. | Congress that will establish a comprehensive ecosystem preservation system encompassing all wildlands and ecologically significant natural areas on the Colorado Plateau. Although such legislation may or may not be feasible, establishing a comprehensive, science-based preservation master plan, with detailed rationale and coherent socioeconomic justifications for the proposed action, will serve both now and for many decades into the future, as a much-needed blueprint for future legislative, administrative, and individual action to protect ecosystem values and resources. |
| Restoration Pilot Project #3—Spine of the Continent “megalink” implementation | Establish an appropriate relationship between the Earth Restoration Project and the leadership of the “SPINE” project, and explore the potential for the ERP to serve as the web platform for the presentation and marketing of the SPINE plan to the public. | In support of this restoration/preservation initiative led by the Wildlands Project and regional ecosystem preservation groups across Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Central America, monitor, report on, and provide an interactive web platform for the design-development of an interconnected system of reserves encompassing the entire Rocky Mountain Cordillera from Canada through Mexico. Primarily this project’s role will be one of observation, facilitation, and reportage. |
| Restoration Pilot Project #4, Global/International scale—Carbon Sequestration/Carbon Credit, Darien Region, Panama | Explore the potential for establishing, funding and staffing a project to use carbon credit funding to ensure the long-term preservation of rainforest habitat in the Darien region of Panama, by preparing an investigative report on the current stakeholders in this political and economic arena, the cultural resources and context, and the potential for the ERP to play a significant coordination/facilitation role in the development of such a market and in the development of a master plan for the preservation of primary rainforest and the embedded indigenous cultures throughout the Darien region. | Contingent upon the political and economic context and upon the potential for congruous and harmonious relationships with any preexisting NGO work on this issue in this region, ERP to play either a supporting, facilitating role, or a coordinating role, in developing a master plan for the strategic use of carbon credit funding for the purposes described above, and/or in the development of interlocking land use management and socioeconomic, cultural and political initiatives that will result in maximum preservation and restoration of the rainforest ecosystem of western Panama. |
