This weekend is notable for two reasons.

First, the New England Patriots are playing the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. (Alternatively, the adorable Puppy Bowl is airing, if that's more your speed!) And second, the worst of that horrible Polar Vortex is behind us.

The Great Black Swamp once stretched across 1,500 square miles from Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Sandusky, Ohio. Impressed by the land's richness, settlers in the late 19th century drained the wetland and converted it to highly productive agriculture.

Since I arrived at the Alliance in 2016, I've been listening to feedback from many of you across the country. Your message has been clear: Community conservation is more than just another program. It's mission critical. And I wholeheartedly agree.

On behalf of the Land Trust Alliance and our 1,000 members, I'm pleased to applaud the U.S. Senate's early reintroduction of the Charitable Conservation Easement Program Integrity Act.

Now that the 116th Congress is seated, our community is presented with the opportunity to make a difference on federal policies impacting land trusts nationwide.

The Land Trust Alliance has long held that amendment clauses in conservation easements serve to strengthen easements and improve their enforceability.

"Can you go under the house to find my wedding ring?"

Having access to nature is the first step to connecting with it.

I come to you today with three major updates on items of great consequence to the Land Trust Alliance and the land conservation community.

With so many new climate reports generating headlines, it will be harder for common climate myths to persist. But some myths die hard deaths.