FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Bill Holman
Phone: (919) 613-8737

Leadership Will Advance Land and Water Conservation across the State

CHAPEL HILL, NC -- The Conservation Fund has named Bill Holman as director of its North Carolina office, effective January 2, 2013. Holman will step down as director of State Policy at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions to join the Fund.

“I have had a passion for conservation since family and Boy Scout camping trips to the Outer Banks, Great Smokies, Blue Ridge Parkway, and Raven Knob,” Holman said. “Land and water conservation is critical to North Carolina’s economy and environment. I’m excited about the opportunity to apply the knowledge that I’ve acquired at Duke University to help The Conservation Fund and its many partners sustain North Carolina’s economy and conserve its natural resources.”

Holman will lead the Fund’s efforts to advance land and water conservation across North Carolina.  Over the past 28 years, the Fund has conserved more than 200,000 acres in the state, protecting icons such as Grandfather Mountain and Chimney Rock state parks, DuPont State Forest, Lake Logan, Palmetto Peartree Preserve and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.  Much of this work has been led by Senior Associate Dick Ludington, whose real estate efforts at the Fund continue. The organization’s work in North Carolina also includes long-standing community and economic development efforts.

“Bill has been a champion for conservation across North Carolina, and we’re thrilled that he’s joining The Conservation Fund as it works with willing sellers to protect land and pursues conservation-oriented economic development,” said R. Michael Leonard, vice chairman of The Board of Directors of The Conservation Fund and an attorney with Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice. The Conservation Fund President and CEO Larry Selzer added, “Bill’s breadth of experience, creative approach to integrating environmental and economic goals, and ability to work with people from every sector make him an ideal leader for our North Carolina work in the years ahead.”

At Duke, Holman collaborated with the City of Raleigh and local land trusts on their innovative Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative, where the city’s water customers conserve important lands in the Falls Lake watershed. Holman previously served as Governor Jim Hunt’s secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and as executive director of the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund.

“Bill has been an invaluable member of the Nicholas Institute family from the beginning, and he has helped build the Institute into a trusted resource in the state energy and environmental debates,” said Tim Profeta, Director of Duke’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. “We will miss Bill’s infectious enthusiasm and tremendous wisdom on a daily basis, but know that he will remain part of our work and conversations from his new role.”
A top-ranked national nonprofit, The Conservation Fund combines a passion for conservation with an entrepreneurial spirit, understanding that lasting conservation solutions must make environmental and economic sense. Since 1985, the Fund has helped community, government and business leaders protect more than seven million acres of high-priority conservation lands nationwide, including wildlife habitat, working farms and forests, community green space and historic sites.

Many of The Conservation Fund’s national programs are based in Chapel Hill, including the Natural Capital Investment Fund, Resourceful Communities, Shade Fund, and Strategic Conservation. The NC office is the Fund’s largest office outside of its Arlington, VA headquarters.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Rob Aldrich              
Director of Communications
202-431-8848 (C)
raldrich@lta.org | www.lta.org/rally

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Land Trust Alliance today announced that the nation’s largest annual gathering of land conservation leaders will meet this fall in Salt Lake City, UT, September 29 – October 2, to plan the future of private land conservation in America.  Rally 2012: The National Land Conservation Conference is expected to draw more than 1,600 conservation leaders, government officials and academics.

“People in the West have a great appreciation for the land and the gifts it can offer.  This has spurred an active tradition of conserving farms, ranches, mountains, rivers, as well as the culture of preserving and honoring the natural environment,” said Land Trust Alliance President Rand Wentworth.  “This commitment prioritizes the protection of clean air, clean water, wildlife, and a way of living with the land.”

Land trusts are local, state or nationwide nonprofits whose mission is to conserve land in its natural or traditional state, including farming and ranching, through voluntary agreements with landowners.  According to a national census released by the Alliance, land trusts in Utah have protected a total of 65,718 acres. (Visit www.lta.org/census.)

“We selected Salt Lake City this year to honor the strong conservation ethic in this region, and also to give our supporters a chance to enjoy the state’s diverse beauty,” said Wentworth.

This year’s Rally will be celebrating many accomplishments including the launch of Terrafirma, a charitable risk pool owned by participating land trusts that insures it members against the legal costs of defending conservation and 46 land trusts earning accreditation this year through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission – an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. This group brings the total to 181 land trusts nationally who are accredited – including Summit Land Conservancy in Utah. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the Alliance.

The first keynote speaker at Rally will be M. Sanjayan, the lead scientist for The Nature Conservancy with a faculty research appointment at the University of Montana. He is a frequent speaker at TED Global, and the International Women’s Forum, among other groups. He is a Catto Fellow with the Aspen Institute, and is often a guest on MSNBC, CNN, and other stations. He is currently studying the nexus between conservation efforts and poverty alleviation.

Rally will also feature a keynote address from Heidi Redd, President of the Indian Creek Cattle Company. Ms. Redd is a prominent ranching and conservation leader, and she has run a cow-calf operation at the Dugout Ranch in Utah’s canyon country for more than 46 years. She and her family entered in to a unique partnership with The Nature Conservancy to ensure the Dugout Ranch will not be chopped up for development.

Rally seminars, workshops and speakers will address national conservation trends, cutting-edge practices of land conservation, and best professional standards for land trusts.  More than 100 workshops and 25 seminars are scheduled, including a seminar on Native American land trusts and eco-cultural conservation, presented by prominent leaders of the local Native American community.

Additionally, the Land Trust Alliance conservation awards will be presented at the Welcoming Dinner, Sunday, September 30, at 7:00pm. They will feature the Kingsbury Browne Conservation Leadership Award, National Conservation Service Award, and the National Land Trust Excellence Award. Visit www.lta.org/awards for more information.

MEDIA INVITED: Keynote speeches are open to representatives of the media.  To attend other workshops, trainings, field trips or seminars, registration is required.  Inquire at the registration desk, or contact Rob Aldrich, Director of Communications, raldrich@lta.org | 202-431-8848 (C).

About the Land Trust Alliance

The Land Trust Alliance is a national conservation organization that works in three ways to save the places people love.  First, we increase the pace of conservation, so more land and natural resources get protected.  Second, we enhance the quality of conservation, so the most important lands get protected using the best practices in the business.  And third, we ensure the permanence of conservation by providing resources needed to defend protected land over time. The Land Trust Alliance is based in Washington, D.C., and has several regional offices. Visit www.landtrustalliance.org.

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