The Massachusetts Coverts Project
    Educating public advocates of forest stewardship.



Promoting Forest Stewardship and Wildlife Habitat Conservation

Covert: (pronounced "kuh'-vert")
def. noun. Thick forest underbrush, providing cover for wildlife. a hiding place

adjective (pronounced "koh-vert"). not openly shown. covered over. secretive.

Coverts Project:
Educating forest owners and community conservation advocates about wise forest management, wildlife habitat enhancement and forest ecology.

NEW!!   Coverts has changed its name to the Keystone Project.  In ecology, keystone species are those that have a large impact on their environment.  Likewise, the program seeks to educate important, keystone landowners and community leaders.  As the program has demonstrated, Keystone Cooperators have a large impact on their community by transferring information and ideas to landowners and decision-makers.  Although originally funded by the Ruffed Grouse Society to promote ruffed grouse habitat and other conservation goals, we think it is time to change the name to more broadly reflect the important role of cooperators. We know the “covert” name can also be a source of confusion, since we are not trying to hide anything!

Check out the new Keystone web site now at:

http://masskeystone.net/

Through a combination of lectures, field trips, discussions and working sessions, participants are exposed to a variety of topics and issues, including: historical perspectives on land use, forest succession and ecology, wildlife habitat, land management and biodiversity, timber management, harvesting and relevant regulations, principles of successful communication, and the development of outreach plans.

Become a Coverts Cooperator.

Next Training Workshop will be held in April 2007.
Apply today.

View the photo album from the 2005 Coverts Cooperator Training here.

View the photo album from the 2006 Coverts Cooperator Training here.

See feedback from the Classes of 2005 and 2006 here.

What do Coverts Cooperators do? See the Position Description here.

Participants in the 3-day program are chosen competitively from a pool of applicants that includes forest landowners, and members of land trusts, town conservation commissions, and other natural resource-oriented groups like watershed associations.

In return for a three day educational opportunity, Coverts Cooperators agree to return to their respective communities and serve as spokespersons or advocates for wise forest stewardship and conservation. The activities of these volunteers are limited only by their own creativity, and have included:

  • Articles in the local paper

  • Organized tours and walks

  • Informal conversations with neighbors or important local landowners

  • Programs with local schools; radio or local access cable television programming

  • Many other means to elevate local awareness of the importance of forest conservation.
Coverts Cooperators can be highly effective advocates at the local level, since they have knowledge of relevant issues and credibility with neighbors and residents. Specifically, Coverts does not train participants to be wildlife biologists or foresters, but to be proponents of good forestry and wildlife management, linking landowners and others with practicing professionals. In this role at the local level, Coverts Cooperators can be more effective than professionals since they are known in their community.

Reaching these audiences of private landowners and small, local conservation groups is of paramount importance, since over 3/4ths of all forestland in Massachusetts is owned by private families and individuals. The cumulative effect of their often independent, individual decisions and actions significantly influences the future of the forested landscape and wildlife habitat of Massachusetts. Ultimately, helping private forest owners make informed decisions about the future of their land is a key goal of Coverts.

The Coverts Project was started in 1984 as a joint venture of Cooperative Extension at the Universities of Connecticut and Vermont and the Ruffed Grouse Society.

This program has been sponsored by:
© 2004 University of Massachusetts Amherst. Site Policies.
This site is maintained by David B. Kittredge.
site last updated on: 23 April 2007