CSF's Irene Burgués and John Reid traveled to Uganda in November to establish our first long-term program in Africa. The program's initial focus will be on conserving ecosystems in the context of major infrastructure development in the Albertine Rift region shared by Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania. The region is home to cloud forests, lowland rain forests and savannas, along with active volcanoes and endangered wildlife such as the mountain gorillas. CSF will work with government and NGOs to minimize the impact of new roads, dams and oil on these fragile resources. We are fortunate to have the partnership of the Uganda National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) as we begin this process. NEMA Environmental Economist Ronald Kaggwa is a CSF course graduate and has been spearheading this joint effort. CSF and NEMA are joining forces to deliver a series of training and field work activities, both in Uganda and in the neighboring countries. During the trip Irene and John met with several other CSF graduates, including Ugandans Sarah Naigaga and Mark Mwine, and Congolese Chifundera Kusamba and Ephrem Balole, all of who are contributing key advice and support for the program. CSF will be engaging more of our graduates, as well as partners like the Wildlife Conservation Society and Wildlife Conservation Network, as we proceed. Our launch in Africa is being made possible by generous support of the United States Agency for International Development, the Wildlife Conservation Network and the Handsel Foundation.