For Godfrey & Kahn contact:
Abbey Eisenlauer
Marketing Department
(414) 287-9485
aeisenlauer@gklaw.com
For Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin contact:
David Clutter
Program Officer
(608) 264-8922
http://www.wisconservation.org
Milwaukee, Wisconsin (December 15, 2009). As part of its pro bono program, Godfrey & Kahn represented the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin (NRF) in an agreement with Neenah Paper, Inc. and Friends of the Osa to promote reforestation and conservation of Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula. The Osa’s biological diversity and unique combination of distinct tropical ecosystems have made it a high global conservation priority.
The multi-party agreement includes an annual donation from Neenah Paper of an amount equal to the company’s greenhouse gas offsets from its Wisconsin facilities. The donation will be used to restore deforested and degraded land in the Golfo Dulce Forest, adjacent to the Corcovado National Park, with a focus on reductions in carbon, protection and restoration of viable biodiversity, and creation of new habitats for endangered wildlife. Under the agreement, Neenah Paper will retain the rights to carbon sequestration credits associated with the restorative portion of the Osa project each year the company makes a donation. NRF was in an ideal position to broker the arrangement because it was already involved with the Osa Peninsula through its affiliation with the Department of Natural Resources and had previously partnered with Neenah Paper to fund Wisconservation Corps, an NRF program that helps train young conservation professionals.
“This project would not have been possible without all four organizations committing to a shared mission and dedicating resources to environmental projects with global implications,” said Art Harrington, team leader of Godfrey & Kahn’s Environment & Energy Strategies Practice Group. “NRF’s involvement in this project demonstrates that Wisconsin is playing a role in international conservation and carbon credit initiatives.”
The project is especially important to Wisconsin residents because the Osa Peninsula is the migratory home of 54 native Wisconsin species of birds, 18 of which are state conservation priorities and three of which are listed as threatened.
About Godfrey & Kahn
With more than 180 lawyers, Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. is one of Wisconsin’s leading business law firms. Founded in 1957, Godfrey & Kahn maintains offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Appleton, Green Bay and Waukesha, Wis.; Washington, DC; and Shanghai, PRC. For more information, please visit the firm’s web site at http://www.gklaw.com.
About Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Madison, Wis. For more than 20 years, the Foundation has worked with citizens, businesses, non-profits and the government to promote the protection and enjoyment of Wisconsin’s public lands, waters and wildlife. Learn more and donate online at http://www.wisconservation.org.
