Contact: Maria Steiner
Community Relations Director
Central Indiana Land Trust Inc.
1500 N. Delaware Street
Indianapolis, IN  46202
Phone: 317-631-5263

Friends and members of the Central Indiana Land Trust celebrated the permanent protection of fifty-three acres of nature this past Saturday, June 12th, 2010.  Not your typical nature preserve location, Oliver’s Woods is located in the heart of one of Indianapolis’s busiest shopping - and highest income – areas.  The nature preserve is located directly adjacent to the 683,000 square foot Keystone at the Crossing shopping area, widely known as Indiana’s luxury shopping mall.  It is anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrum and includes other retailers such as Tiffany & Co. and Williams Sonoma.  Also within walking distance of the preserve: over 1,000 hotel rooms and 40 restaurants.  About 180,000 people live within a five-mile radius of the property and boast an average household income of more than $85,000, more than double Indiana’s average household income.  

Former landowner Oliver Blair Daugherty ensured the permanent protection of his family’s land by bequeathing it to the Central Indiana Land Trust upon his passing in 2009.  He lived on the land until he became ill in 2008, and fended off many purchase offers over the years – with at least one offer coming in at $14 million.  

This 53 acres had been in Mr. Daugherty’s family since the mid-1800s, when his great-grandfather received it as a land grant.  The land has been named Oliver’s Woods Nature Preserve in his honor.  Oliver’s Woods also features a home, named the Daugherty House, which will eventually become the Land Trust’s headquarters.  The home was built in the late 1800s as a Dutch Colonial and has many historical features.  Additions were built on in the 1950s, including a kitchen and garage.  

One hundred fifty guests were in attendance as Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard spoke to the importance of a community’s access to nature.

“We are delighted that Oliver Daugherty chose to preserve this beautiful natural area in the midst of such a highly developed part of the city, and we are honored that he chose the Central Indiana Land Trust as the vehicle for doing so.  Mr. Daugherty’s wishes and the mission of the Land Trust are a perfect fit.  The Central Indiana Land Trust will ensure that this land is protected forever,” said Heather Bacher, Executive Director for the Central Indiana Land Trust.

Mr. Daugherty generally kept to himself, but was interviewed by Jeff Kollath for the Indianapolis Parks Department in 2003.  When asked what he would like to see done with the land either during or after his lifetime, Mr. Daugherty said, “I’d like to see what’s here stay here.”

The new preserve has 16 acres of forest and 37 acres of prairie restoration, as well as a mile of White River frontage.  This will be the Land Trust’s seventh protected site located on the White River, central Indiana’s largest river.  The White River is of particular environmental importance, as it supplies over 500,000 residents with their drinking water, as well as recreational opportunities for many anglers and paddlers.

In the future, the preserve will be open for the public to use for wildlife viewing and hiking.  A portion of it is in an easement with the City of Indianapolis for the southern portion of Town Run Park mountain bike trails.  The area under easement will continue to serve the community as mountain bike trails.

About the Central Indiana Land Trust

The Central Indiana Land Trust is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization that has protected over 3,800 acres in central Indiana through conservation easements, fee simple land acquisition, and land protection partnerships.  The Land Trust manages 15 of their 28 properties as nature preserves that are open to the public.

Through land protection, stewardship and education, the Central Indiana Land Trust preserves natural areas, improving air and water quality and enhancing life in our communities for present and future generations.  For more information, please visit www.ConservingIndiana.org.

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Contact: Erin Heskett    
Midwest Program Director    
(269) 324-1683 | eheskett@lta.org

MUNCIE, IN— Dr. Helen Steussy and her daughter, Al, will be biking 3,630 miles from Oregon to New Hampshire on their “Flight for the Land” tour to raise money and awareness for land conservation.  Beginning June 20th, it will take them 50 days and many thousands of feet of elevation to traverse the Cascades, Rockies, Black Hills and Appalachians on their journey from sea to shining sea.  The pair, dedicated to spreading the word about the value of land conservation, will pass through many conservation lands along the way – all protected by state and local land trusts, and other organizations dedicated to preserving for future generations what remains of America’s natural landscapes.

Despite the importance of land conservation to our health and communities, we are quickly losing critical natural areas as poorly planned development eats the open landscape.  Every day, over 5,000 acres of land are developed in the U.S.  That’s the equivalent of losing New York’s Central Park, Chicago’s Lincoln Park, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, Houston’s Memorial Park, Tampa’s Al Lopez Park, and the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Current rates and patterns of land consumption, if left unchecked, will result in wide-scale loss and fragmentation of our most important natural places within the next 20 years.  The places we have counted upon for generations are disappearing at an accelerated pace and the window of opportunity to reverse this trend is rapidly closing.

That’s why Helen and Al decided to act now to help raise funds and awareness for land conservation – before it’s too late.

Across the country, local citizens and communities have joined together to save the places they cherish by establishing land trusts. These non-profit, community-based conservation organizations acquire and protect land for the public good. The nation's 1,700 land trusts help preserve land for future generations, protect our food and water supply, provide wildlife habitat, and strengthen communities. Strong land trusts work with communities to acquire and manage land for the purpose of permanent conservation and then steward the land for public benefit.

Over the years, land trusts have been extraordinarily successful, having protected more than 37 million acres of land, according to the National Land Trust Census (www.lta.org/census).

Helen and Al will be meeting with land trusts along their route to learn about the unique landscapes these land trusts are protecting, but also to help highlight the important work of land trusts and to showcase their individual successes and challenges.

Helen will be keeping a blog of the trip, and has already started blogging about conservation and its importance to her and her family.  Follow her at: http://flightforthelandride.blogspot.com/.

Donations for the journey are now being accepted on their secure website: http://sites.google.com/site/flightfortheland/. The proceeds from the campaign will be split between the Red-tail Conservancy in Indiana, of which Helen is a founding member, local land trusts along the route, and the Land Trust Alliance.

About the Land Trust Alliance
The Land Trust Alliance is a national conservation group that works on behalf of America’s 1,700 land trusts to save the places people love by strengthening conservation throughout America.  The Alliance works to increase the pace and quality of conservation by advocating favorable tax policies, training land trusts in best practices and working to ensure the permanence of conservation in the face of continuing threats. For additional information about the Land Trust Alliance, please visit www.landtrustalliance.org or contact Erin Heskett, Midwest Program Director at the Land Trust Alliance, at (269) 324-1683.

About the Red-tail Conservancy
Red-tail Conservancy preserves, protects, and restores natural areas and farm land in east central Indiana while increasing awareness of our natural heritage. Focused on this mission in five counties in east central Indiana, since its founding in 1999, the Red-tail Conservancy has permanently protected nearly 2,000 acres of natural areas and farmland while engaging students and adult volunteers in land stewardship activities and education.  For additional information about the Red-tail Conservancy, please visit fortheland.org, or contact Barry Banks, Executive Director at the Red-tail Conservancy, at (765) 288-2587.

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April 28, 2009 

Contact: Chris Soto
csoto@lta.org

Association Recognized for Innovation in Media and Publishing

Presented with two 2009 EXCEL Awards

Washington, DC—The Land Trust Alliance is being honored by the Society of National Association Publications (SNAP) at its 29th Annual EXCEL Awards, which recognize the best and the brightest in association media and publishing.

As one of 181 winners selected from nearly 1,000 entries, the Alliance is being presented a Gold Award in the Magazines: Most Improved category and a Gold Award in the Magazines: Redesign category (submitted by Bates Creative Group) for taking bold chances and delivering excellence in the association industry.

“Congratulations to the Land Trust Alliance, one of the recipients of our EXCEL Awards,” said Amy Lestition, CAE, SNAP’s executive director, “These publications demonstrate the importance of conveying content in a variety of formats to our constituents. Bravo to the publication and media association professionals for their mastery of the field.”

“We went through a rigorous redesign process and this is a wonderful affirmation of our success,” said Chris Soto, editor of Saving Land, the winning magazine of the Alliance.

The Land Trust Alliance will be honored and celebrated at the 29th EXCEL Awards Gala on June 4, 2009. Award-winning entries are displayed at the EXCEL Awards Gala and are featured in the July/ August issue of Association Publishing. The Alliance may also be a winner of the distinguished EXTRA! Awards—presented to associations pushing the edge of the envelope further to innovate in an ever-changing publishing environment—which will be announced at the EXCEL Awards Gala in June. For more information on the Association Media and Publishing Conference and the EXCEL Awards Gala, visit www.snaponline.org.

For more information about the Land Trust Alliance, please visit www.landtrustalliance.org.

About the Land Trust Alliance: The Land Trust Alliance is a national conservation group that works on behalf of America’s 1,700 land trusts to save the places people love by strengthening conservation throughout America. The Alliance works to increase the pace and quality of conservation by advocating favorable tax policies, training land trusts in best practices and working to ensure the permanence of conservation in the face of continuing threats.

About SNAP: SNAP is the one non-profit, professional society serving the needs of association publishers and communications professionals. Areas of expertise include: fostering effective relationships among publishers, communications professionals, and industry providers; developing and maintaining high editorial and advertising standards through our Excel Awards and Publications Review Program; providing members with the latest industry movements through bi-annual meetings, Lunch & Learn Seminars, the SNAP listserve, and Association Publishing, our bimonthly magazine; and, connecting professionals with career opportunities in association publishing through our Career Center.

The goals for this three-year initiative are to:

• Strengthen land trust capacity to accelerate the pace of land conservation and ensure its permanence

• Strengthen the role of land trusts as regional leaders in conservation across Indiana

• Prepare Indiana land trusts for accreditation review

• Promote awareness of land trusts and private land conservation among elected officials, private land owners, and local communities

Program Description

In addition, the Alliance identified critical needs by conducting a Needs Assessment Survey, and convening focus groups and interviews with land trusts in various regions of the State. We used the information gained from the needs assessment to help structure services so that they are relevant and timely to the needs of the land trust community in Indiana.

For more information contact:
Erin Heskett
National Services Director
Land Trust Alliance
Phone: (269) 324-1683