Smith Fellows 2025 Annual Program Report Published
The year 2025 marked a major milestone for the David H. Smith Conservation
Research Fellowship, highlighted by the Program’s 25th anniversary–the largest gathering of Smith Fellows in its history. The anniversary retreat took place in Skamania, Washington in early August, bringing together 87 Fellows, staff, and supporters to reflect on 25 years of community, shared purpose, and contributions to conservation science and practice. This convening reinforced the strength of the Smith Fellows network and the Program’s distinctive emphasis on relationships, conservation impact, and sustained community.
In parallel, we completed a 25-Year Smith Program Impact analysis combining a large-scale publication analysis with multi-year alumni survey evaluation. The findings illuminate a clear pattern of influence in conservation science: the Smith Fellows network has evolved to collectively shape leadership culture and conservation practice across multiple institutions, agencies and organizations.
Importantly, these achievements occurred during a challenging year for conservation and for science more broadly, as widespread funding cuts and uncertainty affected research institutions, conservation organizations, and early-career scientists nationwide. Against this backdrop, the Fellowship remained committed to our mission, continuing to provide stability, support, and opportunities for connection across our extensive community.
Working closely with the Smith Fellows Program Advisory Board, we launched a belonging and inclusion initiative, and strengthened investment in core operations, including retreat planning, support for active Fellows, and management of the annual application, review, and selection cycle. Operationally, 2025 was also a year of growth and refinement, with a record number of applications for 2026 Fellowships, expanded reviewer network engagement, and a continued emphasis on building a transparent, equitable, and supportive review and selection process that supports all applicants with constructive feedback.
