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.