Rally for the land

I started working with the Mother Lode Land Trust during the pandemic, when having easy access to fresh air was even more urgent than usual. I've learned a ton about the importance of land conservation in the past few years. I'm so excited that I'm going to be able to attend the Land Trust Alliance's annual conference in Portland, Oregon! The conference is nicknamed Rally, and this year will be the 36th annual conference. I can't wait to meet other land conservationists and learn more about the latest trends in the field. 

 “The Alliance represents 1,000 member land trusts supported by more than 200,000 volunteers and 4.6 million members nationwide, who together have conserved more than 50 million acres.”

Even the abstract numbers are impressive, but when you think about the real-world places that have been conserved and protected by land trusts, it's astounding. These places are farms, ranches, neighborhood parks, and wild vistas that are home to endangered species like butterflies and mountain lions. These millions of acres benefit people and animals every day, and they help make up the backbone of our communities and conservation areas.

This year's Rally is packed with workshops and events aimed at increasing the scale and rate of land conservation. The workshops cover everything from advanced fundraising techniques to discussions about state-of-the-art mapping processes. But, for me, the best thing about events like this is the networking opportunities. The chance to shake hands (or fist bump) with people from around the country who are working to expand protected lands. Hopefully, after the event, people from LA, Texas, or Kansas will remember meeting members of the Mother Lode Land Trust team. Ideally, this will be just the beginning of a relationship that will help bring more attention and more funding to our shared goal of saving land for future generations.