New York Land Trust Service Center

Overview

The Land Trust Alliance Northeast Office functions as the land trust service center for New York's land trust community. Guided by the New York Advisory Board, the Alliance's New York program manages the New York State Conservation Partnership Program, a pioneering land trust grants and technical assistance program, provides training, and advocates for conservation incentives and land trust funding in the state capital.

Background

The New York Land Trust Advisory Board was established in 1991 by New York land trust leaders to create a stronger and more cohesive land trust community in New York. In the early 1990's, the Advisory Board invited the Land Trust Alliance to launch a New York program. This became the Alliance's first field office; the Alliance now has four regional offices across the country.

While the New York Advisory Board is not a formal board of directors and has no formal fiduciary duty to the Land Trust Alliance, its advisory function has been vital to the New York Program. The Advisory Board helps to shape the programming of the New York program by addressing land trust needs and emerging issues, reviewing and evaluating Alliance policies, and recommending programs and public policy initiatives to the Alliance.

Structure

The Advisory Board is comprised of leaders from across New York's land conservation community. Advisory Board members are Executive Directors or Board Presidents of a New York land trust, or other members of the community with land conservation experience and expertise. Advisory Board members are volunteers and participate as individuals and not as representatives of their organizations.

The New York Advisory Board has two officer positions, Chair and Vice-Chair, both of whom are elected annually. There are five standing committees: Executive Committee, Fundraising Committee, Program Committee, Policy Committee, and Board Development Committee. Committees may also include other qualified members of the conservation community that are not full members of the Advisory Board.

Current Officers and Members

Chair, Becky Thornton, Executive Director, Dutchess Land Conservancy

Vice Chair, Eric Grace, Executive Director, Genesee Valley Conservancy

Board Development Co-Chair, David Haight, New York State Director, American Farmland Trust

Board Development Co-Chair, Dale Hughes, Esq.

Fundraising Committee Co-Chair, John v.H. Halsey, President, Peconic Land Trust

Fundraising Committee Co-Chair, Judy Anderson, Community Consultants

Policy Committee Co-Chair, Jessica Ottney, Director of Government Relations, The Nature Conservancy

Policy Committee Co-Chair, Andy Bicking, Director of Public Policy and Special Projects, Scenic Hudson Land Trust (Committee Member only)

Program Committee Co-Chair, Teri Ptacek, Executive Director, Agricultural Stewardship Association

Program Committee Co-Chair, Andrew Chmar, Executive Director, Hudson Highlands Land Trust

Linda Garrett, Executive Director, Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust

Peter Hujik, Executive Director, Otsego Land Trust

Jim Howe, Executive Director, The Nature Conservancy Central & Western New York Chapter

Seth McKee, Land Conservation Director, Scenic Hudson Land Trust

Gay Mills, Executive Director, Genesee Land Trust

Peter Paden, Executive Director, Columbia Land Conservancy (Committee member only)

Pat Szarpa, Executive Director, Western New York Land Conservancy

Andrew Wood, Executive Director, Thousand Islands Land Trust

Leslie Wright, New York State Director, The Trust for Public Land

Andrew Zepp, Executive Director, Finger Lakes Land Trust