Land trusts around the country are saving irreplaceable treasures, places that are unique and important to their communities. The Land Trust Alliance’s 2012 Annual Report (PDF, 6MB) tells the stories of just a few of the people who are weaving this land-based living history. We celebrate their successes and our own. Together we are writing the next chapter of the land conservation story.

Download past reports:

• 2011 Annual Report (PDF, 8.1KB)
• 2010 Annual Report (PDF, 1.87MB)
• 2009 Annual Report (PDF, 1.40MB)
• 2008 Annual Report (PDF, 2.92 MB)
• 2007 Annual Report (PDF, 3.63 MB)
• 2006 Annual Report (PDF, 5.02 MB)
• 2005 Annual Report (PDF, 1.10 MB)
• 2004 Annual Report (PDF, 348.78 KB)
• 2003 Annual Report (PDF, 392.46 KB)
• 2002 Annual Report (PDF, 3.63 MB)
• 2001 Annual Report (PDF, 2.63 MB)

We're Award-winning

The Alliance's annual reports have been honored with the following awards:

• 2008 Annual Report won gold in the Annual Report category of the EXCEL Awards sponsored by the Society of National Association Publications
• 2011 Annual Report won gold in the Annual Report category of Association TRENDS contest

Land Trust Accreditation Commission Announces Accreditation of 39 Land Trusts

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Rachel Kuntzsch
Heart of the Lakes
517-285-0460
rachel@heartofthelakes.org

Erin Heskett
Land Trust Alliance
269-324-1683
eheskett@lta.org

$1 Million Program to Bolster Michigan Land Conservancies

June 30, 2008

Lansing, MI — Conservation groups today reported that Michigan ranks only 25^th in the nation in terms of percent of land conserved in the state (1.3%) and called on the state’s nonprofit conservancies to step up and do more to stop the rapid loss of land to development.  Toward that end, Heart of the Lakes Center for Land Conservation Policy and the Land Trust Alliance (the Alliance) announced today a new conservation program in Michigan to help transform the state’s land conservancies into a high-performing, sustainable and cohesive conservation community.

Called the “ACE” program for Advancing Conservancy Excellence, this call-to-action initiative will provide three years of sustained coaching, training and capacity-building to strengthen land conservancies across the state.  Over the course of the next 30 years, more than four million acres of land in Michigan, including vital open space in urban areas, will disappear to development.  The ACE program will accelerate the growth and development of Michigan conservancies so that they have the ability to scale up their operations and the sustainability to increase greatly the number of conservation transactions.

The new program will also help position Michigan’s land conservancies to win national accreditation through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Alliance.  Accreditation provides the assurance of quality and permanence of land conservation and recognizes a conservancy’s ability to protect important natural places and working lands forever.

“Michigan’s nonprofit land conservancies are doing great work helping communities save the land that defines our quality of life,” said Rachel Kuntzsch, Executive Director of Heart of the Lakes. “With the tools, training and technical assistance provided through ACE, they can achieve so much more.”

Rand Wentworth, President of the Land Trust Alliance, an umbrella group for the 1700 land conservation groups in America, said: “This is the right program, the right strategy, and the right group of experienced players who can really make a difference on the ground.  Model programs like ACE are what the land conservation community needs if we hope to double the pace of conservation over the next 25 years.  The alternative will be over 50 million acres of land paved and lost to development across America that would otherwise sustain our drinking water supplies, wildlife habitat, and recreation lands.”

The ACE Program is made possible through the generous support of the Carls Foundation. Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Frey Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and Wege Foundation.

Tom Bailey, Executive Director of Little Traverse Conservancy in Harbor Springs, Michigan, and President of Heart of the Lakes credited the funders for their leadership, saying, “Thanks to the support of a number of Michigan foundations, Heart of the Lakes and the Land Trust Alliance will be able to help land conservancies increase their level of performance and advance collaborative, strategic and high-impact land conservation in Michigan.”

Helen Taylor, State Director in Michigan for The Nature Conservancy noted, “This program will be a great resource for land trusts in Michigan—a resource that not only will strengthen the performance of individual organizations, it also will strengthen our skills and ability to partner and collaborate effectively to collectively achieve greater results.”

Michigan is home to more than forty active land conservancies who have collectively protected more than 400,000 acres of Michigan coastline, forests, unique agricultural land, and other natural areas for future generations to enjoy.  Conservancies work on a local, regional, or statewide basis with private landowners, local units of government, and the state to ensure the permanent protection of the state’s natural assets.

New state and federal tax incentives for private land conservation are leading to increased landowner interest in conservation options.  This, combined with declining public budgets for conservation programs, points to the need for a strong, sustainable conservancy community.

Michigan conservancies will have the opportunity to participate in the ACE program’s technical trainings, organizational assessments, mentoring, and consultations tailored individually to their needs.  Capacity-building grants up to $20,000 per conservancy will also be available on a competitive basis.  In addition, the program will facilitate the formation and strengthening of strategic partnerships among conservancies, government agencies and the private sector that will achieve more conservation throughout the state.

For more information on ACE, visit Heart of the Lakes or the Land Trust Alliance.

Heart of the Lakes Center for Land Conservation Policy is a nonprofit organization serving as the policy voice and convener of Michigan land conservancies. Our member organizations have helped to protect more than 400,000 acres of Michigan forests, farmland, coastline, and other extraordinary places. Heart of the Lakes is also a source of independent research, analysis, new ideas, and communications on Michigan's biggest conservation successes and challenges.

The Land Trust Alliance is a national conservation group that works to save the places people love by strengthening conservation throughout America.  It 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.

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Contact: Ethan Winter
Land Trust Alliance
(518) 587-0774

Maureen Wren
NYS DEC
(518) 402-8000

$1.4 Million Awarded to Public/Private Partnerships for Land Conservation

47 Land Trust Organizations and Communities Across New York to Benefit

Albany, NY - The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Land Trust Alliance (the Alliance) joined members of the state Legislature and land trust representatives today to announce more than $1.4 million in Conservation Partnership Program grants. The grants, which are included in the dedicated Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), will help enable 47 land trust organizations to dramatically increase the pace, improve the quality, and ensure the permanence of land conservation, resulting in significant environmental and economic benefits in communities across the state.

The Conservation Partnership Program is a public-private initiative funded through the EPF and administered by the Land Trust Alliance, in coordination with DEC. Since 2002, the Conservation Partnership Program has invested in more than 275 projects benefitting 67 different land trust organizations across the state, from Long Island to Buffalo.

A total of $1,417,500 in grants will be awarded through the Conservation Partnership Program to help local not-for-profits sustain critical programs. The funding will help create land trust jobs, strengthen key partnerships with local and state governments, and support programming that advances farm and watershed protection and other community projects across the state.

Forty-seven land trust organizations across New York will receive funds, including the Peconic Land Trust, North Shore Land Alliance, Manhattan Land Trust, Hudson Highlands Land Trust, Mohonk Preserve, Dutchess Land Conservancy, Mohawk-Hudson Land Conservancy, Agricultural Stewardship Association, New York Agricultural Land Trust, Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust, Genesee Land Trust and Western New York Land Conservancy.

The Conservation Partnership Program, like other EPF programs, creates a powerful economic stimulus that spurs green community investments in every county in the state. According to government data, tourism such as visits to local farms, trails and nature preserves in the Hudson Valley alone annually generates $4.7 billion in spending and $300 million in local taxes, and employs 80,000 people. In a report released earlier this year, the Trust for Public Land says that it is widely understood that investments in conservation boost property values, support businesses, save energy and tax payer money, and safeguard natural ecosystems on which economic well being depends. With the grant awards announced today, land trusts will advance significant projects at a critical time for communities and businesses across the state.

Pete Grannis, Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, said: “Today’s funding will help to continue our efforts to build and strengthen this important collaboration across the state by assisting organizations that work with DEC to identify, preserve and protect parcels of varying sizes and ecological importance. We appreciate the work being performed by New York’s land trusts and look forward to continuing to partner with them to achieve our conservation goals.”

Land trust representatives applauded Governor David Paterson, the state Legislature, and state agency leaders for their efforts to secure this public funding for land trust and their community partners.

Rand Wentworth, President of the Land Trust Alliance, said: “New York State has demonstrated its support of local land trusts and their vital mission to save the places New Yorkers cherish and depend on for clean air and water, food, and recreation. I commend Governor Paterson, Commissioner Grannis, Senator Antoine Thompson, Assemblyman Robert Sweeney, and other members of the Legislature for ensuring the viability of the Environmental Protection Fund. The EPF and the Conservation Partnership Program are smart investments that will protect the air, water, and open spaces that are so vital to New York’s economy and public health.”

As a result of the grants announced today, the organizations can also leverage nearly $1.5 million in additional matching funds from community and private sources. To date, the program has leveraged over $10 million in private and community funds, creating employment and advancement opportunities in the conservation field and conserving more than 11,000 additional acres of land.

Together, the funds awarded and raised for these programs will enable the land trusts to advance goals set in the 2009 New York State Open Space Plan, approved by Governor Paterson in June (http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/47990.html), and New York’s federally mandated Wildlife Action Plan.

Assemblyman Robert Sweeney (D-Lindenhurst), Chair of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee, said: “This is a challenging time for homeowners, charities, and businesses across New York State. Empowering local communities through the Conservation Partnership Program is one proven way to give New York’s citizens a voice in their future. It is also an effective way for New York State to get the most out of the Environmental Protection Fund. We applaud the work land trusts do on Long Island and across the state and look forward to supporting the program in the coming years.”

State Senator Antoine Thompson (D-Buffalo), Chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, said “By working together and connecting the work of land trusts in communities throughout New York State, from Buffalo to the Capital District, from Harlem to Long Island, we are helping New York be a national leader in conserving and protecting open space and precious natural resources. I am proud to announce that with the award to the Western New York Land Conservancy, Niagara and Erie counties will have an even stronger, more effective land trust partner and community advocate. This program is helping us get the most out of the Environmental Protection Fund when we most need it. The Alliance’s partnership with the State has shown real results in protecting our air, water and land, and we look forward to its continued success.”

Carol Ash, Commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said, “The Conservation Partnership Program is an ideal complement to the goals of and programs administered by State Parks. Responsible stewardship and access to our valuable natural, historic and cultural resources require community partnerships and creative approaches. The greater the capacity of the state’s land trust community, the greater the quality of the land protection projects that we see, and the greater the benefit to the public.”

Patrick Hooker, Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture & Markets, said, “We greatly value land trusts and the work they do in partnership with us to protect valuable and irreplaceable farmland. Beyond protecting the land, the state’s farmland protection program injects greatly needed capital into farm businesses and local communities, and also helps strengthen the future of agriculture in New York State. Land trusts play a critical role in making that program happen. In fact, they work closely with farmers and local governments on over three quarters of all our farmland protection projects.”

Erica Packard, Executive Director of the Manhattan and Bronx Land Trusts, said, “Open space is a quality of life issue for all New Yorkers - but especially for residents in our crowded and congested cities. Our 32 community gardens are in low income areas of Harlem, the Lower East Side and the Bronx – these are some of the communities that are the least served by the existing parks system. For many, our gardens are the community’s only accessible open space. The EPF-supported Conservation Partnership Program has been instrumental in assuring that there is environmental justice for all residents of this state.”

Becky Thornton, President of the Dutchess Land Conservancy and Co-Chair of the Alliance’s  New York Advisory Board, said, “We are extremely proud of this partnership, and all of the accomplishments that land trusts have made throughout New York. This program is about people working together, making a difference, enhancing quality of life. We and our local communities are dependent upon the land in so many ways. Ensuring that we are careful stewards of our resources is the bottom line of what this program represents.”

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. New York’s 90 land trusts have worked with local communities to save nearly two million acres across the state.

For more information about the New York State Conservation Partnership Program, please go to the Land Trust Alliance website (http://www.landtrustalliance.org/community/northeast/nyscpp) or contact the Alliance’s Northeast office at (518) 587-0774.

###

Contact:
Ethan Winter
Land Trust Alliance
(518) 587-0774

Maureen Wren
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
(518) 402-8000

The Funds Strengthen Community-Based Land Conservation Across New York

Albany, NY - The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Land Trust Alliance (Alliance), a not-for-profit land conservation organization, announce their seventh annual round of competitive grants for local land trusts under the New York State Conservation Partnership Program.

Approximately $1.4 million will be awarded in early 2009 to New York land trusts, enabling these local organizations to strengthen land conservation and public outreach programs, build community partnerships and implement best business practices. (Local land trusts, including those that are not a member of the Land Trust Alliance, are eligible for grant funding.) The Conservation Partnership Program is a cost-effective model for leveraging public and private funding for land trusts and their efforts to advance New York's communities' conservation goals as part of the Open Space Plan and to protect New York's clean air, water and special places.

"Now more than ever, land trusts play a vital role in ensuring that New York's communities are healthy places to live, work and play," DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis said. "For its seventh year, the Conservation Partnership Program will help enable the cooperative efforts of land trusts and state and local governments to achieve DEC's goal of re-connecting New Yorkers to nature and helping communities create new public access to natural areas."

Established in 2002 and funded through the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), the Conservation Partnership Program is administered by the Alliance in coordination with DEC. Over the last six years, the Alliance has received a total of $3 million in EPF appropriations for re-grants and technical assistance, investing in over 200 projects with 64 different land trusts working in communities from Harlem to the Adirondacks. This pioneering initiative has leveraged millions of dollars in additional conservation funding and helped communities permanently conserve more than 10,000 acres of environmentally-significant land across New York.

"This program represents an exciting public-private partnership that demonstrates how communities can dramatically accelerate the pace and quality of local conservation efforts," said Rand Wentworth, President of the Land Trust Alliance. "Land trusts provide for long-term land stewardship in communities, connecting children and families to the land and providing outdoor recreational opportunities close to home. We are proud to partner with DEC, and thank the State of New York for its leadership and investment in New York's land trust community."

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About the Land Trust Alliance

The Alliance is a national conservation group that works to save the places people love by strengthening land conservation throughout America. It 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.  2007 marked the 25th anniversary of the Alliance, and during this time its members have permanently conserved over 36 million acres across the country. The New York State Conservation Partnership Program is based out of the Alliance's Northeast office in Saratoga Springs, NY.

For more information about the New York State Conservation Partnership Program, and to download application forms for the 2008-09 land trust grants, please visit the Land Trust Alliance's website at www.landtrustalliance.org, or contact Ethan Winter, the Alliance's New York Conservation Manager, at (518) 587-0774.

Click here to access more information on the New York State Conservation Partnership Program including 2008-09 grant applications, summaries of previously funded projects, and details on the history of the Conservation Partnership Program.

Contact:
Rachel Kuntzsch
Heart of the Lakes
517-285-0460
rachel@heartofthelakes.org

Erin Heskett
Land Trust Alliance
269-324-1683
eheskett@lta.org

$1 Million Program to Bolster Michigan Land Conservancies

June 30, 2008

Lansing, MI — Conservation groups today reported that Michigan ranks only 25^th in the nation in terms of percent of land conserved in the state (1.3%) and called on the state’s nonprofit conservancies to step up and do more to stop the rapid loss of land to development.  Toward that end, Heart of the Lakes Center for Land Conservation Policy and the Land Trust Alliance (the Alliance) announced today a new conservation program in Michigan to help transform the state’s land conservancies into a high-performing, sustainable and cohesive conservation community.

Called the “ACE” program for Advancing Conservancy Excellence, this call-to-action initiative will provide three years of sustained coaching, training and capacity-building to strengthen land conservancies across the state.  Over the course of the next 30 years, more than four million acres of land in Michigan, including vital open space in urban areas, will disappear to development.  The ACE program will accelerate the growth and development of Michigan conservancies so that they have the ability to scale up their operations and the sustainability to increase greatly the number of conservation transactions.

The new program will also help position Michigan’s land conservancies to win national accreditation through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Alliance.  Accreditation provides the assurance of quality and permanence of land conservation and recognizes a conservancy’s ability to protect important natural places and working lands forever.

“Michigan’s nonprofit land conservancies are doing great work helping communities save the land that defines our quality of life,” said Rachel Kuntzsch, Executive Director of Heart of the Lakes. “With the tools, training and technical assistance provided through ACE, they can achieve so much more.”

Rand Wentworth, President of the Land Trust Alliance, an umbrella group for the 1700 land conservation groups in America, said: “This is the right program, the right strategy, and the right group of experienced players who can really make a difference on the ground.  Model programs like ACE are what the land conservation community needs if we hope to double the pace of conservation over the next 25 years.  The alternative will be over 50 million acres of land paved and lost to development across America that would otherwise sustain our drinking water supplies, wildlife habitat, and recreation lands.”

The ACE Program is made possible through the generous support of the Carls Foundation. Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Frey Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and Wege Foundation.

Tom Bailey, Executive Director of Little Traverse Conservancy in Harbor Springs, Michigan, and President of Heart of the Lakes credited the funders for their leadership, saying, “Thanks to the support of a number of Michigan foundations, Heart of the Lakes and the Land Trust Alliance will be able to help land conservancies increase their level of performance and advance collaborative, strategic and high-impact land conservation in Michigan.”

Helen Taylor, State Director in Michigan for The Nature Conservancy noted, “This program will be a great resource for land trusts in Michigan—a resource that not only will strengthen the performance of individual organizations, it also will strengthen our skills and ability to partner and collaborate effectively to collectively achieve greater results.”

Michigan is home to more than forty active land conservancies who have collectively protected more than 400,000 acres of Michigan coastline, forests, unique agricultural land, and other natural areas for future generations to enjoy.  Conservancies work on a local, regional, or statewide basis with private landowners, local units of government, and the state to ensure the permanent protection of the state’s natural assets.

New state and federal tax incentives for private land conservation are leading to increased landowner interest in conservation options.  This, combined with declining public budgets for conservation programs, points to the need for a strong, sustainable conservancy community.

Michigan conservancies will have the opportunity to participate in the ACE program’s technical trainings, organizational assessments, mentoring, and consultations tailored individually to their needs.  Capacity-building grants up to $20,000 per conservancy will also be available on a competitive basis.  In addition, the program will facilitate the formation and strengthening of strategic partnerships among conservancies, government agencies and the private sector that will achieve more conservation throughout the state.

For more information on ACE, visit Heart of the Lakes or the Land Trust Alliance.

Heart of the Lakes Center for Land Conservation Policy is a nonprofit organization serving as the policy voice and convener of Michigan land conservancies. Our member organizations have helped to protect more than 400,000 acres of Michigan forests, farmland, coastline, and other extraordinary places. Heart of the Lakes is also a source of independent research, analysis, new ideas, and communications on Michigan's biggest conservation successes and challenges.

The Land Trust Alliance is a national conservation group that works to save the places people love by strengthening conservation throughout America.  It 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.

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Right now, Vermont has the opportunity to protect 40 high quality farms and thousands of acres of forestland. Protecting family farms and forests means producing local food, creating jobs, and adding cash into our economy. Protecting our farms and forests is key to our energy future, water quality, public health, food security and our quality of life. When the opportunity to protect land comes along, the chance may never come again.

-Watch the Vermont Land Trust “Conservation Can’t Wait” Video Series on YouTube >>

-Visit the Vermont Land Trust website for more information on the campaign >>

Other  Additional news on this subject was featured on GreenMountainDaily.com. Here's an excerpt:

Gov proposes cutting VT's effective conservation program completely
By: Elise
Wed Jan 28, 2009 at 11:28:56 AM EST

Here we go again... last week the Governor proposed a budget eliminating permanently affordable housing development efforts and completely eliminating conservation investments that boost our working land economy.

The Governor proposes a 70% reduction to the Vermont Housing and Conservation Budget on top of a series of cuts over the past seven years that had already meant a more than $30 million loss.

Read more >>