Land Use & Open Space Conservation

In this second-year Switzer Leadership Grant, the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) sought continued funding for Switzer Fellow Nick Jensen's position as Lead Conservation Scientist. Nick's ongoing work with CNPS will help to ensure its ability to protect habitats imperiled by two massive, poorly planned leapfrog development projects. Centennial, in northern Los Angeles County, is one of the largest planned new cities in California history.

Ekow Edzie is a recent graduate of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, the graduate school of international affairs at Tufts University. The summer after his first year at Fletcher, Edzie conducted field research on the land restitution process in Colombia using his Switzer Fellowship. He analyzed the unique challenges facing victims of land displacement in Colombia in their return to rural livelihoods and the structure of government aid intended to ensure their future success.