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The Brainerd Foundation hired Headwaters Economics to produce the Atlas of the Northwest. The Atlas shows areas with high ecological importance, regions where the pace and scale of human activities put pressure on natural resources, and places where there are encouraging opportunities to conserve important natural resources. The primary purpose of the Atlas is to help the Brainerd Foundation select where they will make future conservation investments. Please contact the Brainerd Foundation for more information on their grant making: www.brainerd.org.

For more information, see the:

• Executive Summary (1 Meg .pdf file)
• Index of All Atlas Maps
• Map Viewer

Acknowledgements

The Atlas of the Northwest was an ambitious project that would not have been possible without the generous assistance – and contribution of data and analysis – of many people and institutions. The Brainerd Foundation and Headwaters Economics would like thank the various individuals and institutions whose scientific analysis on ecological conditions was instrumental for the Atlas. They are: Carlos Carroll, Klamath Center for Conservation Research; Chuck Rumsey, Round River Canada; Andy Hansen and Kingsford Jones, Montana State University; Peter Singleton, USDA Forest Service/Pacific Northwest Research Station; American Wildlands; Craighead Environmental Research Institute; NatureServe and its network of Natural Heritage member programs; The Nature Conservancy; Nature Conservancy Canada; Wildlife Conservation Society; World Wildlife Fund; and World Resources Institute.   

Joel Clement of the Wilburforce Foundation was instrumental in helping us reach out to the scientific community, and to the various databases collected by CommEnSpace. We thank Chris Davis and his team at CommEnSpace for their assistance, including Jessemine Fung, now with LeeSaa Consulting.

Throughout the project Jessica Hernandez played a key role as a map-maker, researcher, and stalwart addition to the Headwaters Economics team. Other GIS assistance was provided by Chris McGinty and Kent Braddy of Terra Solutions. Headwaters Economics extends a special thanks to ESRI for their generous contribution of GIS software. Without their help this project would not have been possible.  

A number of individuals were helpful in providing data as well as insight into the shifting public opinion and political conditions of the region. They are: Suzanne Hawks, Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society; Cara Pike, Earth Justice; Russell Heath, Southeast Alaska Conservation Council; Steve Thompson, National Parks Conservation Association; Justin Hayes and Susan Drumheller, Idaho Conservation League; Dominick DellaSala, National Center for Conservation Science & Policy; Chris Mehl and Michelle Ackermann, The Wilderness Society; Kim Davitt, America Wildlands; Bonnie Gestring, Earth Works; Bill Marlett, Oregon Natural Desert Association; Ben Long, Resource Media; and Adam Eichberg, Western Conservation Foundation. 

Karen Kirby of BC Stats and Myrna Bruns of the Yukon Bureau of Statistics were extremely helpful in providing detailed economic and demographic information for Canada.   

Appreciation also goes to the advisory board of the Brainerd Foundation, the members of which – Patricia McCaig, Johnny Mikes, Gordon Orians, Jim Stratton and Brooks Yeager – helped sift through an almost overwhelming amount of information to give us their learned advice.

Headwaters Economics
Mail: P.O. Box 7059, Bozeman MT 59771
Deliveries: 810 N. Wallace Avenue, Suite D, Bozeman MT 59715
Ray Rasker Ph.D. 406.570.7044 | Ben Alexander 406.599.7423 | Patty Gude 406.599.7425 | Chris Mehl 406.570.8937
Mark Haggerty 406.570.5626 | Julia Haggerty Ph.D. 406.600.1766 | Josh McCord 406.570.2914

Banner photo has been generously provided by Kestrel Aerial Services, Inc.