Tips for your Rally 2021 proposal
iWhile we don't yet know what form Rally 2021 will take — though we should have clarity soon! — we do know that Rally will continue to offer cutting-edge, relevant and challenging content for the land conservation community. But we can't do it without your help.
Please consider submitting a proposal for Rally 2021. Did your land trust overcome a significant challenge? Start a compelling initiative? Engage with a new group? I encourage you to share those experiences with your peers at Rally 2021.
And, as you think about your proposal, please know that we are again challenging our presenters to consider incorporating into their sessions cross-cutting themes that are critical to the future of land conservation: inclusion, climate change and water. The water theme was added this year to highlight the important conservation and restoration of water resources that's happening across the Great Lakes region and throughout the country.
For Rally 2021, we chose to feature Cleveland in part because of its location along the shores of Lake Erie. You may know that land trusts across the country are working diligently and creatively to enable equitable access to quality waters every day. But did you know that Lake Erie — as one of the five Great Lakes — is part of the largest freshwater system in the world? Combined, the lakes contain 95% of the freshwater in the United States. If you poured out the 6 quadrillion gallons of water in the Great Lakes, it would cover the entire surface area of the continental U.S. with 10 feet of water.
And while I'm not sure why you'd want to do such a thing, that's a great tidbit for your next trivia night!
In all seriousness, though, I recognize the lingering uncertainty about Rally's format this year makes it difficult to finalize your proposal. That's why I've extended the Rally proposal deadline to March 12. Please watch for an important update from us later this month regarding the conference's format. But for now, I look forward to celebrating Cleveland with you this fall, no matter the delivery method.
Patty Tipson is associate director of training at the Land Trust Alliance.