Community conservation responds to community needs

Land trusts across the country are becoming involved in “community conservation.” The Land Trust Alliance describes it as “an approach to land conservation that includes more people. Community conservation uses the strengths of the land trust to meet needs expressed by people in the community.”

Our involvement with the UDEA is part of community conservation. Our intern, Geneva Mayall, is facilitating the group and creating outreach materials. We are looking into hosting a website and a virtual “data room” so that the different schools and organizations involved can share data. We provide continuity for the Alliance when school is out for the summer. This is a new program still in its development stages. I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes when school begins and we get the energy that comes from student involvement.

Community conservation doesn’t replace our core land conservation work. It is an expansion of what we do so that we can be even more effective into the future. Please feel free to email me at vegesdal@inlandnwland.org or call my direct line at 509-462-1239 if you have any questions or suggestions.

To learn more about community conservation, visit http://www.landtrustalliance.org/topics/community-conservation.