Stories of Impact
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ANNUAL REPORT 2012 WWW.ISLANDPRESS.ORG STORIES OF IMPACT WWW.ISLANDPRESS.ORG Cover Image: Wetlands (Kelly Fike, USFWS, Flickr) Frosted Flowers (RC Designer, Flickr) Alexis G. Sant, Managing Director, Susan Cohn Rockefeller, New York, NY Production Persimmon Tree Capital Connie Roosevelt, Brooklyn, NY Maureen Gately, Director of Charles C. Savitt (President), Mary Rubin, Larchmont, NY Production and Design President, Island Press Roger Sant, Washington, DC Sharis Simonian, Senior Ron Sims, Former Deputy Secretary, Production Editor Vicki Sant, Washington, DC U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Caroline Sperry, Production Assistant Development Loring LaBarbera Schwarz, Sudbury, MA Sarah Slusser, Executive Vice Finance & Accounting President, GeoGlobal Energy LLC Jeanne Sedgwick, Woodside, CA Ken Hartzell, Vice President and Walter Sedgwick, Woodside, CA Chief Financial Officer ISLAND PRESS THOUGHT Daniel Shaw, Woody Creek, CO Laura Hess, Director of Accounting & Administration LEADERS ADVISORY COUNCIL Mark Spalding, Washington, DC Amy Bridges, Office Coordinator & Bruce Babbitt, Washington, DC Peter Stein, Norwich, VT Accounting Clerk Frances Beinecke, Bronx, NY Judith Stockdale, Chicago, IL Craig Elie, IT & Web Manager Angel Braestrup, Washington, DC ISLAND PRESS Maryanne Tagney-Jones, Seattle, WA Marketing 2013 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lisa Cashdan, Norwich, VT Terry Tamminen, Santa Monica, CA Julie Marshall, VP of Decker Anstrom (Chair), Former CEO, Catherine Conover, Washington, DC Russell Train, Washington, DC Marketing & Sales Landmark Communications Melissa Dann, Chevy Chase, MD Edward O. Wilson, Lexington, MA Jason Leppig, Marketing Manager Stephen Badger, Director, Mars, Inc. Paul Dolan, New York, NY Bonnie Wyper, New York, NY Angela Osborn, Sales Manager Terry Gamble Boyer, Chair, Paul Ehrlich, Stanford, CA Jaime Jennings, Publicity Manager Ayrshire Foundation George Frampton, Jr., New York, NY ISLAND PRESS STAFF Meghan Bartels, Marketing Assistant Katie Dolan (Vice Chair), Writing Suzanne Gould, New York, NY Instructor, Sarah Lawrence Writing Executive Office Wolcott Henry, Washington, DC Development, Programs, Institute Charles C. Savitt, President Laura Hussey, Delhi, NY & Communication Margot Paul Ernst, New York, NY Ajay Abraham, Executive Assistant Denise Schlener, VP, Trudi Inslee, Bainbridge Island, WA , General Partner, Russell Faucett Editorial Strategic Advancement Barrington Partners Alexandra Jackson, Ithaca, NY David Miller, Senior Vice Meredith Harkel, Donor Merloyd Ludington Lawrence Anne Kroeker, Seattle, WA President & Publisher Relations Manager (Secretary), Merloyd Lawrence, Inc. Kristin Mannion, Washington, DC Leigh Whelpton, Program Manager, and Perseus Books Barbara Dean, Executive Editor Stephanie Meeks, Falls Church, VA Conservation Finance Network William H. Meadows, Counselor and Heather Boyer, Senior Editor Dane Nichols, Washington, DC Lauren Koshere, Staff Writer Past President, The Wilderness Society Erin Johnson, Assistant Editor Wendy Paulson, Barrington, IL Vania Aksentijevich, Pamela B. Murphy (Treasurer), Emily Turner Davis, Editor Richard Penney, New York, NY Development Assistant Chevy Chase, MD Courtney Lix, Associate Editor Rebecca Bright, Editorial Assistant www.IslandPress.org MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT & CHAIR OF THE BOARD From businesspeople to authors, urban planners to foresters, interns to engineers: there are many people, from many walks of life, who could tell you how Island Press has made a difference for them. That is why you will find this year’s annual report full of their voices. Charles C. Savitt, President Decker Anstrom, Chair The following stories come directly from the people who As you peruse the following pages, we hope you find the have read our books and participated in our programs. stories featured interesting and enjoyable. We also invite Their stories show how people have taken the ideas you to consider your own Island Press story: What was it that curated by Island Press and used them as tools for first connected you to Island Press? How have you seen our problem-solving in the world. Their stories show what mission making a difference in the world? We believe there our mission, to provide the best ideas and information in are as many stories of Island Press making a difference the field to those seeking to understand and protect the as there are readers of our books and participants in our environment and create solutions to its complex problems, programs: impact happens in different sizes and shapes. looks like in action. And their stories show what your We sincerely thank you for making that impact possible. support of Island Press makes possible. We are so glad you have chosen to be a part of our work. Within, you will also find a number of highlights from our last year. In 2012, we committed to expanding our publishing and program work on urban sustainability and resilience; Charles C. Savitt, President Decker Anstrom, Chair converted the majority of our previously published books to Island Press Board of Directors e-books; and launched new programs and partnerships to extend the reach of the ideas in our books and ensure that those ideas are translated into action. Annual Report 2012: Stories of Impact 1 H. BRUCE FRANKLIN “They’re publishing books Author of The Most Important Fish in the Sea: Menhaden and America (2007) and The John Cotton Dana Professor of English and American Studies, Rutgers University–Newark they believe in, books that match their mission, in The Most Important Fish in the Sea: entire experience of my relationship with Menhaden and America is my nineteenth Island Press. Here you have an organization order to change reality.” book. This is a major story, not just about that’s not just publishing books; they’re natural history but the role of menhaden in publishing books they believe in, books American political, economic, and cultural that match their mission, in order to change history. I was steered to Island Press as the reality. If I knew someone writing an ideal publisher, and I’ve worked with many environmental book that has potential to other publishers in the past, but I could make some real impact, I would say to that have not have been more pleased by the author, get it to Island Press. JASON OH “Now we are translating Research Scientist, National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, Republic of Korea this book into Korean and We organized a “fish book club” about experts suspect overfishing and climate would like to spread H. Bruce ocean books and chose The Most change could be the main reasons for Franklin’s idea about over- Important Fish in the Sea, which we this phenomenon. Now we are translating learned about through the American this book into Korean and would like to fishing and ecology concerns nonprofit The Ocean Project. The book spread [author] H. Bruce Franklin’s ideas to people in our area.” helped us understand over-fishing about over-fishing and ecology concerns to problems, diminishing fisheries resources, people in our area. Eventually we want to and environmental disasters in the global help sustainable fishery management and ocean. We recently saw a drop in the keep our marine ecosystem service safe pollock population in our area. We don’t and profitable. have any clear clue what happened, but 2 www.IslandPress.org KATIE DOLAN Vice Chair, Island Press Board of Directors and Writing Instructor, Sarah Lawrence Writing Institute “We find the best new ideas and inform the I Ideas P Partnerships policy makers who need S Solutions R Resilience to know!” L Lands and Waters E Environmental challenges A Animals S Seascapes N Natural Systems S Sustainable cities D Development MIKE FERRUCCI Consulting Forester and Forest Certification Auditor “This book has really helped inform the Some years back while we were working Multiscaled Approach (2002) by David B. together on the Northern Forest Protection Lindenmayer and Jerry F. Franklin. What work of foresters and Fund project for OSI [Open Space Institute], made this particularly satisfying for me biologists world-wide.” we were having some challenges explaining is that I had been eagerly awaiting the the importance of proper management of publication of the book (I knew that Jerry working forests to a segment of the fund’s Franklin was working on it), and I had been conservation-oriented advisory board. more than a little concerned about how I This group, and the representative of the might introduce this book to this group. The major funder, was more focused on the problem solved itself. importance of establishing reserves. This book has really helped inform the work I was starting to feel a bit frustrated, of foresters and biologists world-wide. but then at a key meeting the funder’s There has been an emerging consensus that representative entered the room, slapped a well-managed working forests can support book on the table and exclaimed, “Everyone biodiversity conservation, and that these should read this book!” It was Conserving forests are an essential part of any reserve Forest Biodiversity: A Comprehensive, strategy in forested landscapes. Annual Report 2012: Stories of Impact 3 KATHLEEN O’BrIEN “I needed more. At a Participant in a King County Sustainable Cities Roundtable, sponsored by the King County, Washington, GreenTools Program in conjunction with the Island Press Sustainability Knowledge Network. O’Brien is founder of O’Brien & recent Sustainable Cities Company, a nationally recognized consulting company committed to the creation of a