The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

The Nature Conservancy in Tennessee has embarked on a new partnership with Strata-G, an environmental consulting firm based in Knoxville. Strata-G is supporting the Conservancy’s work in protecting forest habitat on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee, offering both financial and planning assistance.

The firm’s support in turn will trigger matching financial support from the Conservancy’s Tennessee International Matching Fund for the conservation organization’s work protecting the mountain forests of the Andes in Colombia. Though geographically distant, the two areas are connected by the migrations of songbirds such as the cerulean warbler. These songbirds breed and spend their springs and summers on Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau, and then winter in the Andes.

Strata-G has a long history not only of working with clients to protect the environment, but also has financially supported a number of environmental causes.

“What appealed to us about The Nature Conservancy was the organization’s track record of long-term stewardship and its practical, sustainable approach to the environment,” says Dan Hurst, founder and CEO of Strata-G.

An additional aspect of Strata-G’s collaboration with the Conservancy will be consulting work to assist the Conservancy in its efforts to help Morgan County develop a nature-based eco-tourism industry. In 2007, the Conservancy joined forces with the state of Tennessee to protect 127,000 acres in the Connecting the Cumberlands land conservation project. The Conservancy is committed to helping Morgan County make use of these newly acquired public lands and other natural assets.

“Even though the Conservancy prides itself on our innovative and entrepreneurial approach to conservation, promotion of eco-tourism in Morgan County is not a traditional role for us,” says Alex Wyss, the Conservancy’s Director of Tennessee Conservation Projects. “So I was excited when Strata-G approached us because they bring a much needed business acumen to this project.”

 “As engineers, the idea of leverage means a lot to us,” says Strata-G’s Dan Hurst. “And in this new relationship with The Nature Conservancy, we are leveraging a matching gift to protect forests for songbirds on the Cumberland Plateau and in South America. So we are doubling the benefit. We’re also able to leverage the environmental knowledge we have at Strata-G and our firm’s experience with strategic planning to help strengthen the communities that are stewards of these beautiful natural areas on the Cumberland Plateau.”