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The Community and Education Program builds social capital between new residents and rural communities, strengthening all of them.

Habitat conservation rarely succeeds unless neighboring communities value the landscape and care for its wildlife. Animals have no sense of property boundaries, and many need large, open landscapes to thrive. Weeds can rapidly spread across whole watersheds. Elk migrating freely through one property can get tangled and killed in a neighbor's dilapidated fences. Golden eagles and wolves often cross between public and private property as they hunt over many square miles. In these cases and many others, ecological value created by one ranch can be squandered if nearby properties are not similarly managed. Sun Ranch Institute's Community and Education Program coordinates communities to address these issues.

Rural communities profoundly depend on the ecological function, open space, flora, and fauna around them. The Institute helps communities invest in common resources - rivers, game herds, and home-grown social institutions - that drive local economies but may be exposed to the "tragedy of the commons."

These communities find their structures changing rapidly as new residents arrive in rural areas and young people relocate to cities. SRI aims to build real connections between new residents and their long-established neighbors. Community partnerships help newcomers get to know their community and build social capital between neighbors with diverse backgrounds. New and long-time residents often have different skills, perspectives, and experiences. SRI supports the places and organizations where communities come together to solve problems. A travelers' philanthropy initiative helps visitors and guests make similar investments in rural communities and ecosystems.

SRI shares its partners' practices and resources with students and neighbors through education programs that expose young people to unique communities and important ecosystems. Similarly, SRI continually learns from its experience, and the Program endeavors to share those lessons. The Livestock-Predator Coexistence Project is one such initiative.

Program Manager Amy Robinson leads the Community and Education Program with assistance from SRI's full-time and seasonal employees as well as contractors.