About Conservation Geography

Who is Conservation Geography?

Conservation Geography, located in Boise Idaho, is a regional Geographic Information Systems (GIS) center that provides state-of-the-art technical expertise to non-profit conservation organizations around the western United States. Conservation Geography was established with the intent of extending the capabilities of existing environmental groups into a realm they could not otherwise support. To accomplish this, Conservation Geography combines a high-level of involvement and knowledge in conservation issues with a state-of-the-industry computer system and nearly two decades of professional experience in spatial analysis.

History of Conservation Geography

Conservation Geography was formally incorporated as a non-profit organization in November 1997. However, Conservation Geography's real beginnings were in 1992 when Amy Haak, the founder and Executive Director, began providing free GIS services to non-profit conservation groups using her employer's computer equipment after hours and on weekends. The demand for her GIS expertise increased to a level that was difficult to support on a volunteer basis, leading to the decision to formalize these services through the establishment of Conservation Geography. Conservation Geography received its 501(c)(3) in April 1998.

Staff Resources

Conservation Geography does not support any full-time staff but rather has on demand access to twelve GIS professionals employed by Spatial Dynamics. Spatial Dynamics is an industry leading consulting business that provides a variety of analytical services to public and private sector clients across the United States and for the past six years has made all of its computer equipment and office support available to Conservation Geography at no cost. The analysts are trained in GIS and have at least a bachelor's degree in geography or a related field. Access to a twelve person staff provides Conservation Geography with considerable flexibility in staffing specific projects and can match individual expertise with different technical tasks in order to maximize performance and minimize costs.