INSTITUTE FOR JOURNALISM AND NATURAL RESOURCES
2453 ATWOOD AVE NO 202, MADISON, WI 53704 www.ijnr.org

---

Organizations Filed Purposes: THE ORGANIZATION PURSUES HIGHER STANDARDS OF NEWS COVERAGE OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT -- STANDARDS OF ACCURACY, FAIRNESS, BALANCE, DEPTH AND CONTEXT.

IN MARCH OF 2020, AS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC SPREAD AND THE WORLD BEGAN TO UNDERSTAND ITS BROAD IMPLICATIONS, IT BECAME CLEAR THAT IJNR'S LONG-SERVING PROGRAM MODEL WOULD, AT THE VERY LEAST, NEED A HIATUS. ONSITE, IN-PERSON PROGRAMS THAT CONGREGATE TRAVELERS, NECESSITATE CLOSE QUARTERS AND COMMUNAL EXPERIENCE, WHILE INTERACTING WITH MULTIPLE NEW SPEAKER GROUPS DAILY, ARE UNFEASIBLE DURING THE RAPID SPREAD OF A NOVEL VIRUS.AFTER CANCELLING OUR FIRST PROGRAM OF 2020 JUST FOUR DAYS BEFORE ITS SCHEDULED MARCH 15 LAUNCH, IJNR FACED EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS: HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE MEANINGFUL PROGRAMS THAT HELP JOURNALISTS UNDERSTAND ON-THE-GROUND ENVIRONMENTAL REALITIES WITHOUT, WELL, GETTING THEM ON THE GROUND? AND HOW DO WE CONVINCE THE FUNDERS WHO TRUST US AND PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR SITE-BASED PROGRAMS THAT WE CAN STILL MEET THEIR GOALS WITHOUT "GETTING OUT THERE"?LIKE MANY ORGANIZATIONS, WE REALIZED THAT THE ONLY WAY WE COULD SAFELY DELIVER PROGRAMS WAS VIRTUALLY, SO WE IMMEDIATELY STARTED THINKING ABOUT WAYS TO STAND OUT FROM THE PACK OF SOON-TO-BE UBIQUITOUS ZOOM-STYLE MEETINGS AND CAPTURE WHAT WE COULD OF THE IJNR MAGIC. WE INCORPORATED SHORT, ORIGINAL VIDEOS THAT CONVEYED A SENSE OF PLACE. WE INSIST THAT WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS KEEP THEIR CAMERAS ON, SO WE CAN EMPHASIZE COMMUNITY AND OPEN DISCUSSION OVER LECTURE-STYLE LEARNING. AND, BECAUSE WE'RE VIRTUAL, WE'VE MANAGED TO BREAK AWAY FROM GEOGRAPHIC CONSTRAINTS AND ATTRACT SPEAKERS WHO ARE MOST RELEVANT BUT NOT ALWAYS ABLE TO TRAVEL FOR OUR IN-PERSON PROGRAMS.WE EVEN HAD GOOD FORTUNE WITH A BIT OF A RAMP-UP: FIRST, WE SALVAGED A FEW SPEAKERS FROM OUR CANCELLED GULF COAST INSTITUTE AND PUT THEM BEFORE THE SELECTED GROUP OF JOURNALISTS. THAT SERIES OF ONE-HOUR SESSIONS, MOSTLY DURING THE PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED INSTITUTE WEEK, GAVE US SOME INSIGHT INTO WHAT DOES AND DOESN'T WORK. NEXT, WE CONVERTED AN ALREADY-PLANNED AND SCHEDULED WILDFIRE WORKSHOP TO A VIRTUAL ONE, EMPLOYING SPEAKERS WHO HAD ALREADY COMMITTED. FINALLY, WE LAUNCHED OUR FIRST WORKSHOP THAT WAS FULLY PLANNED AND CONDUCTED VIRTUALLY: GREAT LAKES WATER LEVELS. THE PIVOT WAS COMPLETE, AND ALL IJNR PROGRAMS SINCE THEN HAVE BEEN VIRTUAL.HERE'S THE FULL SLATE OF PROGRAMS WE CONDUCTED IN 2020:GULF COAST INSTITUTE (MARCH 2020)OVER THE COURSE OF THE SCHEDULED WEEK, WE HELD ONLINE SESSIONS WITH EXPERT SPEAKERS WHO HAD BEEN ARRANGED FOR THE IN-PERSON INSTITUTE, TOUCHING ON KEY TOPICS IN A LIMITED WAY. MOST OF THE JOURNALISTS PARTICIPATED IN THE 5-6 SESSIONS.WILDFIRE WORKSHOP (MAY 14-15)THIS WORKSHOP ALLOWED ATTENDEES THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR FROM EXPERTS REGARDING THE ECOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACTS OF WILDFIRE. PARTICIPANTS GATHERED VIRTUALLY FOR TWO DAYS TO HEAR FROM EXPERTS ABOUT COVID-19 AND FIRE RESPONSE, HOW FOREST TREATMENTS AND OTHER MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES IMPACT FIRES, THE ROLE OF CLIMATE CHANGE, SMOKE AND PUBLIC HEALTH, FIRE-PREPARED BUILDING, RISK MODELING, AND MEDIA COVERAGE OF WILDFIRE.GREAT LAKES WATER LEVELS (JUNE 4-5)THIS WORKSHOP INTRODUCED JOURNALISTS TO THE NEW REALITY - AND UNCERTAINTY - OF GREAT LAKES WATER LEVELS, AS THEY HEARD FROM A RANGE OF EXPERTS AND EXPLORED TOPICS LIKE CLIMATE SCIENCE, MODELING, MUNICIPAL PREPAREDNESS, ECOSYSTEM IMPACTS, HOMEOWNER OPTIONS AND INSURANCE, AND THE GREAT LAKES COMPACT. ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM (JULY 22-23)THIS WORKSHOP USED HOUSTON AS A CASE STUDY FOR OTHER AMERICAN CITIES, AND EXPLORED QUESTIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM, SOCIAL EQUITY AND THE PROBLEMATIC LENSES THROUGH WHICH THESE STORIES GET TOLD. JOURNALISTS HEARD FROM ACTIVISTS, ACADEMICS, CITIZENS, OFFICIALS AND INDUSTRY EXPERTS; TOPICS INCLUDED HOUSING PATTERNS, THE PROMISE AND CHALLENGES OF RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS, PUBLIC HEALTH, REGULATION, AND MEDIA COVERAGE OF COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. OCEAN + CLIMATE (AUGUST 19-20)TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THE WORKSHOP INCLUDED THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE OCEAN, THE OCEAN'S POTENTIAL FOR MITIGATING THE CLIMATE CRISIS, POLLUTION, BLUE CARBON, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, ECONOMICS OF THE OCEAN, AND GLOBAL OCEAN POLICY. CHANGES AT THE EPA (OCTOBER 7-9)OVER THE COURSE OF THIS THREE-DAY WORKSHOP, JOURNALISTS HEARD FROM CURRENT AND FORMER EPA OFFICIALS, STATE AGENCIES, INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES, ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORIANS AND NGOS AS WE DISCUSSED WHAT THOSE CHANGES LOOK LIKE IN SEVERAL COMMUNITIES, WHAT A SECOND TERM OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MIGHT MEAN FOR THE AGENCY AND HOW A POTENTIAL BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WOULD CHANGE ITS DIRECTION. PARTICIPANTS IN THE WORKSHOP ENGAGED DIRECTLY WITH EXPERTS, MET CITIZENS FROM COMMUNITIES IMPACTED BY EPA DECISIONS AND RECEIVED TRAINING IN ONLINE REPORTING TOOLS FOR MONITORING EPA REGULATIONS AND ENFORCEMENTS IN THEIR COVERAGE AREA. GULF OF MEXICO (DECEMBER 2-4)OVER THE COURSE OF A TWO-DAY ONLINE WORKSHOP, PARTICIPATING JOURNALISTS EXPLORED HOW THIS VIBRANT, OFTEN UNAPPRECIATED, ECOSYSTEM SUPPORTS AND IS SHAPED BY HUMAN ACTIVITY. THEY HEARD FROM A RANGE OF EXPERTS ON SUCH TOPICS AS THE LEGACY OF THE BP OIL SPILL, IMPACTS OF MISSISSIPPI RIVER FLOODING ON THE SALTWATER FISHING AND TOURISM INDUSTRIES, CLIMATE MIGRATION AND GENTRIFICATION, HURRICANE AND FLOOD PREPAREDNESS, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE.

---

---

Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (public 990 form dataset) from: https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/202120979349301312_public.xml