QLF is the newest partner in the Staying Connected Initiative (SCI), a cutting-edge cross-border, public-private collaboration dedicated to conserving and restoring a well-connected forest landscape for native wildlife and people in the Northern Appalachian-Acadian/Wabanaki region of northeastern North America. This region, spanning more than 80 million acres (32 million hectares), is globally significant as one of the largest remaining areas of mixed temperate forest and serves as a vital corridor for species migrating northward in response to climate change.
Launched in 2009, SCI has expanded to include more than 70 partners, including governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions, and others in the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada. These diverse collaborators are implementing a multifaceted strategy to protect key habitat linkages that connect forest blocks across the region. SCI’s holistic approach integrates land protection, land use planning, community and landowner engagement, projects to facilitate safer wildlife crossings, and policy advocacy, all grounded in the latest scientific research to maximize conservation impact.
In June 2024, QLF co-hosted the Northeastern North America/Turtle Island Connectivity Summit in Montréal/Tiohtià:ke, Québec, Canada, alongside the Center for Large Landscape Conservation. The summit brought together over 170 conservation leaders and practitioners to construct a collaborative roadmap for connecting, conserving, and restoring ecosystems across the five easternmost Canadian provinces, seven northeastern most U.S. states, and Indigenous territories of the region.
