| October 17, 2007 |
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Dear Friend,
Rally in Denver was an amazing experience with 138 workshops and 12 field trips. I was inspired by the energy and passion of the 2,200 conservation leaders in attendance – the largest Rally ever! If you were not able to make it to Rally, you can go online to review course materials and listen to audio files of the plenary speeches.
In honor of our 25th anniversary, we have published a special edition of Exchange entitled "The Future of Land Conservation in America," with essays by top writers and leaders in the conservation community. See below to read the essays online or to have a free copy sent to your board members.
Please mark your calendars for next year's Rally September 18-21 in Pittsburgh and see how the city has transformed itself into one of America's most beautiful and environmentally friendly places.
Rand Wentworth
President, Land Trust Alliance |
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Keep an eye out for the special issue of Exchange, in honor of the Alliance's 25th anniversary, which is hitting mailboxes now and was given to every Rallygoer. It includes thought-provoking essays by prominent authors such as Bill McKibben, Terry Tempest Williams, Charles Jordan, Bill Cronon and Richard Louv. Read The Future of Land Conservation in America online.
While supplies last, you can have free copies sent directly to your board members. Send their names, addresses and the name of the land trust to lta@lta.org and put "Special Exchange" in the subject line. |
| Over the next few days, the US Senate will be deciding the funding of the Farm Bill's land conservation programs – including the Farm and Ranchland Protection Act and the Grasslands Reserve Program, which both provide funds for land trusts to use to acquire conservation easements on working agricultural lands. Your input to your Senators is needed now. More |
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Among one of many exciting sessions at Rally was the unveiling of the LandScope America preview website (www.landscope.org), developed by NatureServe and National Geographic. Planned for release in late 2008, this interactive website will help land trusts by presenting maps, data and stories about natural places in highly dynamic and accessible formats. The Alliance has helped to get the needs of land trusts front and center in the site design process. Take a look now, and add your own input through the Contact Us form! |
A Pennsylvania Township seeks to condemn a conservation easement on a 104-acre farm for a park, against the express wishes of the conservation easement grantor. Wildlands Conservancy holds the conservation easement. Headlines in local papers suggest that condemnation may make conservation meaningless.
An informal coalition of individuals, organizations and government agencies are offering the township three alternative sites for the town park to preserve the permanence of conservation for the public. Broad public support and creative solutions to condemnation actions can preserve conserved land and avoid litigation. More |
| Do you have questions about a Standards and Practices Curriculum course? Experts Brenda Lind and Marc Smiley are online, ready and willing to answer questions posted to The Learning Center’s discussion forums. Brenda will be online every Monday from 4:00 to 5:00 pm (ET) on the Stewardship, Land Protection, and Other Trails forums. Marc is available every Monday, 8:30 to 9:30 am (PT) on the Governance, Strong Organizations and Other Trails forums. If those times don’t work for you, simply post your questions on the forum. E-mail us at learn@lta.org with questions or comments. |
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