The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Working Woodlands is a team effort that combines the Conservancy’s experience with land protection and forest certification with Blue Source’s knowledge of carbon finance to create a program that protects forests, fights climate change, and works for private landowners. The landowner is the most important part of Working Woodlands and the following team will work to ensure that each landowner achieves their goals through sustainable forest management.  

For more information, please contact us.

Michael Eckley, CF
Director of Stewardship, The Nature Conservancy

Mike is a Society of American Foresters (SAF) Certified Forester and is Director of Stewardship for The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania. He provides oversight in managing the Conservancy’s preserves, which include two Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified properties (West Branch Research and Demonstration Forest and Brush Mountain Woodlands). Prior to joining the Conservancy, Mike spent several years working as a state land management forester with the Ohio Division of Forestry and as a service forester with the Virginia Department of Forestry.

His interests include sustainable forest management, landowner cooperatives, and the social aspects associated with maintaining a working forest landscape. Eckley received a B.S. in Forest Resources Management with a minor in Communications from West Virginia University and an M.S. in Forestry at the University of Maine-Orono.

Scott Bearer, Ph.D.
Forest Ecologist, The Nature Conservancy

Dr. Bearer’s background is in landscape ecology, forest management and wildlife interactions, multivariate/spatial statistics and landscape level (& GIS) analyses.  Scott serves as the lead scientist for Working Woodlands and is focused on tasks including forest monitoring and modeling (GIS and nonspatial), experimental design and data collection for the FoRest Decision Tool.

Scott joined the Conservancy after completing a post-doctorate with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Patuxent Research Refuge where he helped lead the development of the monitoring plan used to remove the bald eagle from the federal Endangered Species list.  He holds a Ph.D. in landscape ecology from Michigan State University, where he investigated the effects of timber harvesting on giant panda habitat use in Sichuan, China.  Scott completed his master’s at Clarion University (bat ecology), has a bachelor’s from Virginia Tech (forestry) and has worked for the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry and the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Nels Johnson
Director of Conservation Programs, The Nature Conservancy

Nels has directed the Conservancy’s conservation planning and activities since 2001. His areas of expertise include sustainable forest management, ecosystem management, setting biodiversity conservation priorities and protecting ecosystem services (e.g., ecological functions that benefit people, such as riverside forests filtering pollutants from drinking water sources).

Before joining The Nature Conservancy, Nels worked for the World Resources Institute, where he authored or co-edited nearly two dozen books and articles on biodiversity conservation and forest management in the United States, Central America, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and South Africa. He serves on the board for the Pinchot Institute for Conservation and on several advisory committees to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Nels holds a bachelor’s in biology from Reed College and a master’s in forest ecology from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Joshua Parrish, CMA
Director of Land Protection, The Nature Conservancy

Josh is the Director of Land Protection with The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania. He works to engage landowners in conservation related programs and was responsible for developing the financial analysis, business plan, and outreach strategies for Working Woodlands. He currently manages Working Woodlands and all other land protection programs.

Prior to joining the Conservancy in 2006, Josh was the Director of Finance and Operations for the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh. He holds a B.S. in Professional Accountancy from Pennsylvania State University and is a Certified Management Accountant through the Institute of Management Accountants. Josh has a personal commitment to conservation and enjoys hiking, traveling, hunting, and fishing.

Roger Williams, Blue Source
Vice President of Portfolio Development

Roger Williams is Vice President of Portfolio Development at Blue Source and runs the company’s San Francisco office. His responsibilities include sourcing and commercializing verified emission reductions from Blue Source’s aggregated offset portfolio.  Roger’s areas of expertise include environmental market design and implementation, environmental finance and greenhouse gas abatement project development. Roger also serves as chairman of the Carbon Offset Providers Coalition.  Prior to joining Blue Source, Roger held management and business development positions at WorldWater & Power Corp., Kirell Energy Systems, ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection Campaign and Cantor CO2e.  Roger has extensive experience in international sustainable development and is fluent in Spanish having served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala. Roger holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Duke University and a Masters in Industrial Environmental Management from Yale University.

Jeff Cole, Blue Source
Director of Portfolio Development

Jeff Cole is Director of Portfolio Development, responsible for expanding Blue Sources portfolio of GHG reduction projects and offsets.  Prior to Blue Source, Jeff was Senior Associate with California Environmental Associates where he designed environmental, climate, and chemical management strategies for clients and served as Program Director of the non-profit Chemical Strategies Partnership.  Previously, Jeff co-founded an environmental software company and led its expansion into the European market, developed product marketing plans for renewable energy companies in North America and Asia, and was an investment banker with Goldman Sachs in New York and Hong Kong. Jeff holds an MBA and MA in Energy and Resources, both from UC Berkeley, and a BA in Economics and Asian Studies from Dartmouth College.