Success Story - Northwest Corner Land Trusts Convene

  Connecticut River tidelands

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Several small land trusts from the northwest corner of the state have been meeting at the Steep Rock Association office, in Washington Depot, to share their ideas, information, experiences and concerns.  The Steep Rock Association is the land trust of the town of Washington, and the largest organization in the group, with a staff of three.  Some of the other land trusts have regular help from consultants, but no employees, and many are all volunteer organizations. 

The group has a wide variety of perspectives, from an organization that is just starting up to one of the state’s oldest land trusts. Participating land trusts include:

  • Bethlehem Land Trust
  • Cornwall Conservation Trust
  • Goshen Land Trust
  • Litchfield Land Trust
  • Morris Land Trust
  • Norfolk Land Trust
  • Naromi Land Trust (Sherman)
  • Steep Rock Association (Washington)
  • Warren Land Trust

Susan Branson, Steep Rock’s Executive Director, said, “I convened the group because I thought we should all get to know each other. After all, we work to accomplish the same goals – preservation and care of the land around us – in the same area of the state, and many of us did not know each other before these meetings. I call our get-togethers the SALT talks (Small Area Land Trusts). Meeting in a small group, sitting around a table drinking coffee and eating locally made donuts, provides a relaxed atmosphere and offers a comfortable format that encourages everyone to participate.”

Conversations at the first two meetings covered a wide variety of topics, including stewardship, land acquisition, IRS and board issues, to name a few. The group is very enthusiastic about the meetings and has decided to meet four times a year.  Next time they get together, the group will discuss conservation easements and the host of issues they entail.

If your land trust would be interested in co-hosting a regional gathering with CLCC, please be in touch with Sarah Pellegrino at spellegrino@tnc.org.

(July 2008)


Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Harold E. Malde (Connecticut River tidelands).