The EMA Program & Foundation envisions a future where land managers, researchers, and legislators work together to implement responsible land-use policies for a more sustainable future. In conjunction with researchers, faculty, staff and students at NAU, EMA works to advance the understanding of ecological, social, and economic factors contributing to informed land stewardship in the Southwest. This information is disseminated to public land managers and private land owners to support informed land use practices and policies.

The university-based program is designed to:

• Facilitate cutting-edge research by NAU-affiliated faculty and students on private and public lands on the Colorado Plateau and greater southwest region;

• Provide research and learning opportunities to NAU undergraduate and graduate students;

• Serve as a comprehensive and central resource for cultural, ecological, and land-use data pertaining to the southwest via the GIS-based Southwest Ecological Information System;

• Minimize human impacts and sustain healthy ecosystems by recognizing the deep interconnections that exists between humans and the natural environment.

EMA’s vision is guided by the land ethic articulated by conservationist Aldo Leopold, who believed that conservation and sound land-use practices must acknowledge humanity as part of the greater biotic web.

Established in 2002, by the Presidents of Babbitt Ranches and Northern Arizona University, the EMA Program receives guidance and support from the EMA Foundation Board and a Science Advisory Panel consisting of scientific researchers.