We invite you to explore our work. Recent projects and presentations are listed below. You can explore additional work using the various tags in the right hand column.
Melissa Levy presented a workshop, “Increasing Your Organization’s Impact through Collaboration,” as part of the DASH-NY Coalition Conference on March 19, 2015 in Albany, NY. This workshop on collaboration was an interactive, highly participatory workshop,…
The Rural Health Network of South Central New York is working on a collaborative assessment project, Rural Broome Counts, that will provide organizational leaders, decision makers, policy makers, service providers and funders with a comprehensive report…
Yellow Wood Associates is working with Cornell University to facilitate working sessions with their research and extension advisory teams to systemically apply the WealthWorks theory of how wealth is created and retained in rural areas to the rural-urban…
Participants in the third WealthWorks training, which began in October 2014 and runs through August 2015, come from organizations and states across the country, including Agricultural Utilization Research Institute…
The Rural Health Network of South Central New York continued their work with Yellow Wood Associates, selecting Yellow Wood to provide their Rural Health Service Corps AmeriCorps program evaluation for the 2013-2014 program year. In addition, the Rural…
The Local Economies Project of the New World Foundation is focused on strengthening the food system of the Hudson Valley Region through four primary areas of focus: 1) The Hudson Valley Farm Hub; 2) A Food Hub Portfolio; 3) Education; and 4) A financing…
Continuing their work with the Local Economies Project (LEP) of the New World Foundation, Yellow Wood designed and facilitated a full-day, on-site workshop to review the findings from the first workshop, align current and planned activities in relation…
Yellow Wood worked with the Land Trust Alliance Northeast Region and the 1772 Foundation to plan and facilitate a meeting of farmland preservation grantees. The Land Trust Alliance Northeast Region has a collaborative relationship with the 1772 Foundation…
Shanna Ratner presented on “Creating and Retaining Wealth: Connecting Assets with Market Demand for Lasting Livelihoods” at the 21st Annual Conference on the Adirondacks. Her presentation was titled…
Shanna Ratner presented a half-day public workshop on the You Get What You Measure® process in Ithaca, NY. The workshop was part of the Human Services Coalition workshop series. Attendees came from Alternatives Federal…
Yellow Wood Associates designed and implemented a study for the Nature Conservancy on the economic impacts of invasive species on a variety of economic sectors in the Adirondack Park. This study provided a preliminary assessment of the present day…
At the invitation of Mann Librarian Outreach and Engagement Specialist Jeff Piestrak, Shanna Ratner made two presentations followed by participatory engagement, one at Mann Library and one at the Tompkins County Library, respectively entitled: A Wealth…
Samantha Dunn of Yellow Wood Associates and Jeff Forward of Richmond Energy Associates gave a presentation highlighting findings from the application process and 17 pre-feasibility studies completed in the North Country in 2010-2011 as part of a US…
Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and Liz Lerman invited Shanna Ratner to join them as a special guest for a conversation about wealth and poverty in America at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan. The conversation took place as part of "Blood, Muscle, Bone:…
The Rural Health Network of South Central New York sought consulting services to evaluate their Rural Health Service Corps (RHSC) AmeriCorps program from the period of September 1, 2012 through November 30, 2013. Yellow Wood evaluated the data reported…
Melissa Levy and Samantha Dunn co-presented a half-day public workshop on the You Get What You Measure® process in Saratoga Springs, NY. Attendees came from the Land Trust Alliance, Ma'yan, the New World Foundation, the New York Farm Viability Institute,…
Melissa Levy presented an overview of the Ford Foundation’s Wealth Creation in Rural Communities initiative, which uses a systems approach to wealth creation, linking together the whole system of assets, producers and consumers in ways that benefit…
Shanna Ratner gave a plenary presentation on “Your Role in Healthy Food Systems” at the Growing Health 2012 conference, highlighting how healthy food systems contribute to multiple forms of wealth in the community, and workshopping ways in which members…
Yellow Wood worked with the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) to conduct a pilot study on the unique contribution cooperatives make to the creation and retention of wealth in the communities and regions in which they operate. We worked…
ActionAid is an international organization, working with over 15 million people in 45 countries for a world free from poverty and injustice. After hearing about the wealth creation approach, ActionAid approached the Ford Foundation to learn more. In…
In an effort to help the Northeast and Midwest meet their needs for renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction through the sustainable utilization of woody biomass, the U.S. Forest Service engaged Yellow Wood Associates in conducting third party…
Shanna Ratner presented the keynote, “Why Does Agriculture Matter and What Can Municipal and Public Officials Do to Grow the Agricultural Economy?” at the Central New York Agricultural Council’s third annual conference in Cooperstown, New York.
Protect the Adirondacks!, a non-profit, grassroots membership organization, hired Yellow Wood Associates to review application materials for the Adirondack Club and Resort (ACR). a major real estate development proposed for Tupper Lake, New York. Yellow…
Samantha Dunn presented “Understanding the Potential of Thermal Biomass for the Adirondack North Country Economy” to the Adirondack North Country Association Board of Directors on June 15, 2010. This presentation was made as part of a panel discussion…
As part of the 9th Annual Catskills Local Government Day, Samantha Dunn gave an interactive presentation on a unique process for rural municipalities to inventory their infrastructure and evaluate the potential for applying sound alternative…
Yellow Wood worked with Cornell University Community and Rural Development Institute using You Get What You Measure® in Use to assist diverse groups working on two projects: Local Agriculture Sustainability Indicators, and Vital Indicators for Enhancing…
Yellow Wood compiled a list of highly successful projects funded by the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, along with a review of some of the best practices that made these projects successful.
Yellow Wood assisted Wayne Fawbush of the Ford Foundation in developing an innovative approach to rural development based on an application of triple bottom line principles to create and maintain community wealth. Wealth was defined by categories of…
Yellow Wood worked with the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks to review materials prepared by the Adirondack Club and Resort, a large ski-area and residential four season resort proposed for Tupper Lake. Our role was to identify the…
The Town of Franklin contracted with Yellow Wood to prepare a list of qualified bidders for the Town's building program which includes one LEED certified building. Yellow Wood identified qualified architects, builders, commissioning agents and clerks…
Yellow Wood worked with 9 communities throughout New England on inventory and assessment and research on alternative technologies.
The Town of Montgomery, New York hired Yellow Wood Associates to assist residents and local government officials in planning for the Town’s energy future. Yellow Wood used its You Get What You Measure® process to help the group identify seven important…
Yellow Wood evaluated the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and its work helping advance farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities through a nationwide research and education…
The Town of Franklin engaged with the Green Community Technologies® process as a way to help determine how to proceed with its buildings in a manner that would meet the immediate and longterm needs of the community while addressing regulatory compliance…
Shanna Ratner presented “Cost-effective Green Technologies for Communities” on October 12, 2005, at the 5th Annual Empire Energy and Environmental Exposition in Saratoga Springs, New York. Towns and villages are greening up. Governments…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce to identify seven key sectors – Industry, Tourism, Real Estate, Cultural Affairs, Retail, Financial and Professional Services, and International Border Businesses…
Yellow Wood Associates presented an 8-hour training in You Get What You Measure®. This informative, interactive workshop introduced the process of measurement by showing participants how to clarify goals, identify indicators and effective measures…
Shanna Ratner presented "Greening Government Operations" on October 12, 2004, at the 2004 Empire Energy and Environmental Exposition in Saratoga Springs, NY. This presentation showed the usefulness of considering tradeoffs between deferred maintenance…
Shanna Ratner presented a workshop on Participatory Community Problem-Solving at the 11thAnnual Conference on the Adirondacks. The workshop topics included everyday research, the National Community Forest Center initiative and how participatory…
Shanna Ratner and Ann Ruzow Holland co-presented a session on Green Technology and Infrastructure for Towns, "What is in it for My Community?"
“You were so professional and well-prepared. This was the best workshop…
Citizens and communities of the Northern Forest region have demonstrated the power of local knowledge and participatory research thanks to a grant from the US Department of Agriculture. Over the course of four years, the National Community Forestry…
Shanna Ratner presented a workshop on Participatory Community Problem-Solving at the 10th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks. The workshop topics included everyday research, the National Community Forest Center initiative and how participatory…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. assessed the feasibility of developing a shared-use kitchen incubator in southern New York and northern Pennsylvania. Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with project partners to develop goals for the proposed facility,…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. prepared, distributed, developed a database, entered data and ran frequency counts for a survey created by the Empire State Forest Products Association.
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with NESARE in piloting an outcome-funding approach to grantmaking. The work included two year’s participation in the design process, proposal reviews, interviews with potential grantees, committee work to select…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. provided an inventory and assessment of hiking and walking resources in the Lake Champlain Basin. The work was undertaken as part of a bi-state Lake Champlain Byways Management Plan, and produced a database and maps with…
On behalf of Funding For Our Future of Potsdam and Canton, New York, Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. prepared an independent analysis of the potential economic and fiscal impacts of the proposed Wal-Mart on existing business in and around Potsdam and…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. coordinated the design and implementation of public involvement needed in assessing the management of 700,000 acres of New York State multiple-use forest land for SmartWood certification. Activities included press releases,…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. designed, facilitated and transcribed the results of a one-day visioning workshop as part of the St. Lawrence County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Planning process.
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. and the Madagascar Collaborative Program of the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development provided an administrative framework for a six-day, five-night Adirondack study tour that provided exposure…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Agricultural Development Council of Chenango County, New York to assess the feasibility of establishing a milk-based, value-added manufacturing enterprise to support the local dairy industry. Phase 1 of…
Shanna Ratner presented a keynote speech on "Why Capacity Matters and What You Can Do About It" at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Statewide Conference in Waterloo, New York, in October 1998.
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked in conjunction with Robert J. Turner Co. to assemble data on timber production, markets, and price trends to evaluate the financial feasibility of a forest land bank in western New York. The work was conducted on…
Served a three-year term on the Administrative Council of the Northeast Region’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with Planning/Environmental Research Consultants of Ithaca, New York to profile and assess the actual and potential contributions of agriculture and forestry to the economy of Chenango County. Research focused on…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Essex County Farmland Protection Board to develop a plan for farmland protection based on a strategic analysis of opportunities to strengthen agriculture in Essex County. Work included a survey of farmers…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. prepared a chapter for a book on the role of social and environmental capital in landscape protection with the support of the Community and Rural Development Institute of Cornell University (CARDI).
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Essex County, New York Planning Department and the Essex County Fair Board to analyze the economic viability of the Essex County Fair. Analysis included best practices at a number of fairs in terms of activities,…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. reviewed and critiqued the economic impact statement prepared by Wal-Mart for their proposed Lake Placid site on behalf of the Lake Placid Residents for Responsible Growth.
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Neighborhood Based Alliance and the Economic Development Zone in Moriah, New York to provide assistance in community economic development. Tasks included a survey of retail spending by high school and resident…
Shanna Ratner, Principal of Yellow Wood Associates, Inc., served on a statewide council to improve industry - government communications, and to strengthen the forest products industry of New York State. Ms. Ratner served as the Chair of the Public…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with Land Ethics, Inc. of Washington, DC to analyze existing agricultural and fisheries resources and develop recommendations for fostering an economically and environmentally viable climate for the natural resource-based…
Yellow Wood worked with The Adirondack Council to identify and assess the cultural, economic and social factors in the Adirondacks that provide both obstacles and opportunities to the emergence of strong, thriving communities. Work included detailed…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. provided project management and conducted research on behalf of the Lake Champlain Management Conference to recommend possible alternatives, modifications and/or enhancements to existing institutional and funding arrangements…
Presented “Is There a Market for My Product?” at this day-long seminar for farmers and agricultural developers in Washington County, New York.
Prepared case study of the Town of Champlain, New York on behalf of The Lake Champlain Management Conference to illustrate the complex connections between the town's water resources and its economy. Explored the potential impact of a Lake Champlain…
Presented the Wood Products Development Strategy for Northern New York to Utilization and Marketing Foresters from across the United States at the Vermont Wood Energy and Recycling Conference, Farm Credit Bankers from across the Northeast, the Adirondack…
Speech given at the Northern New York Training Seminar.
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. prepared a successful proposal to the Regional Economic Development Strategy Council of Northern New York on behalf of the Development Authority of the North Country to study the potential for further development of the…
Potsdam College retained Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. as a technical consultant to the North Country Food First program. Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. prepared a quarterly newsletter, assisted in workshop development for buyers and growers, presented…
On behalf of the Adirondack North Country Association, Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. prepared a detailed primary and secondary wood product development strategy for six counties in northern New York. Work included extensive field and phone interviews…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Harlem Valley Planning Partnership to explore alternatives in order to diversify and strengthen the agricultural base of the Harlem Valley in Dutchess County, New York. The work emphasized developing direct…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with the Lewis County Industrial Development Agency to prepare a business plan, with recommendations for organizational development, for the Northern New York Maple Producers Cooperative, Inc. of Lewis County, New…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. served as an economic development consultant to the New York State Governor's Commission on “The Adirondacks in the Twenty-First Century.” Prepared a concept paper on economic development in the Adirondacks, published as…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. prepared and co-presented, with the North Country Economic Research Center of Potsdam College, a two-day workshop on rural community economic development to leaders in the Town of Schroon Lake, New York. Day One of the…
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. prepared a detailed feasibility study for production and intra-regional marketing of fresh fruits and vegetables in a six-county region of northern New York for the Town of Champlain Local Economic Development Corporation.…
