Jacob Blandford

As the Appalachia Landscape Conservation Coordinator, Jacob fosters collaboration across the Appalachian region to accelerate nature conservation and conservation-driven community development. He coordinates the Volgenau Climate Initiative Appalachia network, which aims to advance initiatives focused on the intersection of nature, climate, and the economy in the region. Jacob works to link the Center’s connectivity science, policy and planning to local and regional conservation partners and agencies seeking to advance landscape connectivity and protect wildlife corridors and address wildlife and transportation challenges.

Jacob has worked in habitat conservation and restoration for over a decade. His work has focused on nature-based solutions to enhance habitat quality and increase the resilience of community assets and infrastructure to severe weather events and the impacts of climate change on both our natural and built environments. Jacob has served in diverse roles throughout his career, leading on-the-ground habitat restoration projects along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, fundraising for wildlife corridors in Central America, and working with state and federal agencies to mainstream climate adaptation in fish and wildlife management.

Before joining the Center, Jacob served as a program manager for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and as a project manager for The Nature Conservancy, and led fundraising efforts for Osa Conservation.

In his free time, Jacob is teaching himself to fly fish, riding his bike along the Greenbrier River, and exploring the mountains of West Virginia, where he lives with his wife, dog, and cat.