Midwest

Flight … for the Land
Dr. Helen Steussy and her daughter, Al, will be biking 3,630 miles from Oregon to New Hampshire to raise money and awareness for land conservation.  They will pass through many conservation lands along the way – all protected by state and local land trusts, and other organizations dedicated to preserving natural areas for future generations. The proceeds from Helen and Al’s fundraising campaign will be split between the Red-tail Conservancy, of which Helen is a founding member, and the Land Trust Alliance. Visit their web page and blog

Strategic Conservation Planning: Protecting Freshwater Resources in the Great Lakes Basin
Through the support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Alliance provided grants to eight Midwestern land trusts to support Strategic Conservation Planning efforts.  Strategic Conservation Plans vary widely, and this newly published report describes these diverse efforts.  Download this report to discover how planning can help to better protect our land and water, learn about how land trusts involved their communities, read about one effort to develop a plan for a top priority project area, find out about a statewide initiative to identify priority lands, and learn how one land trust identified properties throughout their service area and then quantified the financial resources they’ll need to protect the top priorities. Download full report

Alliance President Rand Wentworth attended the Legacy Land Conservancy gala held in March on Cobblestone Farm in Ann Arbor, MI. The gala marked the official unveiling of the Conservancy's new name. The event also celebrated 38 years of land protection efforts in southern Michigan. Legacy Land Conservancy is an accredited land trust. See photos from the event

About the Midwest Region

From the northern reaches of Appalachia, to the majestic Great Lakes, to the Great Plains and farmland of the central U.S., this 12-state Midwest region is anchored by a community of 250 local and regional land trusts that have collectively saved well over half a million acres. Learn more about the Midwest

How We Help

• Strategic Conservation Planning Grants Program - provides grants of up to $10,000 for strategic conservation collaboration and planning projects for land trusts in the Great Lakes Watershed.

• Guided Organizational Assessment Program - helps land trusts identify areas for improvement and prepare for Accreditation in the Great Lakes Watershed and Ohio.

• Mentoring and Coaching - provides tailored, in-depth technical assistance and organizational planning to assist land trusts in addressing critical transitions, leadership development, strategic planning, and other organizational development needs.

• Facilitation and Mediation - help land trusts resolve internal and external conflicts and other challenges by offering a third party intermediary to facilitate outcome-oriented processes.

• Market for Midwest Resources. Newly posted publication with information and links to land conservation experts and services for Midwest land trusts. Download