Will McDow
Director, Climate Resilient Coasts and Watersheds
Work
Will McDow is a director for EDF’s Climate Resilient Coasts and Watersheds strategic initiative. In this work, Will engages communities, farmers, businesses, academics and public agencies to develop shared and equitable solutions to increase climate resilience.
Will has broad expertise on environmental market design, mitigation policy and working lands conservation. He serves on the board of the Ecological Restoration Business Association.
Since joining EDF in 2003, he has focused on market-based incentives to expand environmental benefits on America’s working lands, including prior work on state tax policy, farm bill program design, bioenergy markets and habitat exchanges.
Background
Will has spent 10 years specializing in economic incentives and rural land management, with an emphasis on energy markets, farm bill programs and tax policy. He led EDF’s multi-year effort to pass legislation in North Carolina that gives property tax relief to landowners who undertake conservation activities on their property. Will has coauthored Standing Tall: A New Path for North Carolina’s Private Forests [EDF, 2006] and Shades of Green: Measuring the Value of Urban Forests in the Housing Market [J. Forest Econ 11(3):177-199, 2005].
Education
- Master of Forestry, Duke University
- Master of Environmental Management (Resource Economics and Policy), Duke University
- Bachelor of Arts (Biology), Lawrence University
Latest pieces
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4 strategies for policymakers to get more natural infrastructure in the ground, fast
July 29, 2021
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4 ways North Carolina’s Legislature can build lasting flood resilience
April 1, 2021
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What you need to know about new FEMA funding for community resilience
September 30, 2020
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North Carolina’s Legislature moves toward greater flood protection and climate resilience
June 25, 2020
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North Carolina confronts climate change with forthcoming resilience plan
May 28, 2020
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North Carolina must prepare for sea level rise now
September 26, 2019
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North Carolina keeps getting clobbered. Here are four strategies for weathering the next storm.
September 12, 2019
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Immediate steps for North Carolina policymakers to reduce flood risks and build resilience
February 11, 2019
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3 urgent steps for North Carolina to build back stronger and smarter
October 2, 2018
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What do western ranchers and a southern environmentalist have in common?
May 12, 2016