New LEAP Peer Learning Opportunities – Join Us!

We at GWC are very excited to announce a new offering through the Land Trust Excellence & Advancement Program and our partnerships with the Land Trust Alliance Midwest Program and the Heart of the Lakes in Michigan. 

Building on the success of the Peer-to-Peer Mentoring program piloted in Michigan in 2010,  we are teaming up to offer a peer-to-peer mentoring program in Wisconsin and Michigan in 2012.  Due to the generosity of our LEAP funders, participation in the program is free and available to all land trust members of Gathering Waters!

What is the Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Program?

This is an organized effort to match peers of similar experiences throughout Michigan and Wisconsin to learn from one another as a component of both ACE (Accelerating Conservancy Excellence) and LEAP (Land Trust Excellence & Advancement Program).  This mentoring program will foster relationships and advance learning and sharing opportunities within the land trust community.  In addition to individual visits there will be group learning opportunities throughout the year and we will reimburse peers for making one trip to visit another peer.

 Is it right for me?

We hope so!  The program is designed for staff and board members of land trusts in WI and MI that are willing to share their expertise as well as learn from others doing similar work.  The requirements of the program are that participants make one trip between March 1 and October 31, 2012, and be willing to host peers at their land trust.

 How do I apply?

Applications are due by January 20, 2012 and should be submitted electronically to MaryKay O’Donnell, Kate Zurlo-Cuva, AND Julie Stoneman.

Questions?

Call or e-mail Kate Zurlo-Cuva  (608-251-9131, ext. 12).

Wintertime Family Fun

There may not be snow on the ground around most of the state but winter is upon us. Wisconsin’s treasured landscapes can be absolutely stunning in winter and are an excellent opportunity to enjoy the outdoors this holiday season. Thanks to our conservation organizations here in Wisconsin there are plenty of ways to get out and enjoy the winter weather. Whether you like to ski, snowshoe, hike, or help out on restoration projects, there is way for every nature lover to spend time outside. Here are three of the many opportunities you can find on our Land Trust Events page:

• Baird Creek Winter Wonderland Hike – Discover the beauty of a snowy Baird Creek on December 17th at 1 pm at Christa McAuliffe Park. Join Dr. Mike Draney, professor from UW-Green Bay, as he leads you through the park and answers your questions about spiders, the effects of harsh weather conditions and anything else that comes to mind.

• Ice Age Trail Alliance Restoration and Brush Burning – Winter is a great time to do savanna and prairie restoration. Enjoy the beautiful snowy landscape, and take breaks by the fire of a brush pile with the Dane County Chapter of IATA. You’ll have such a good time you’ll forget to be cold! The work will take place at Table Bluff at 9am.

• National Audubon Society’s Holiday Bird Count – From December 14 through January 5 tens of thousands of families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission to count birds. Many chapters across Wisconsin are taking part in the event.

We hope to see out this winter enjoying the places that make Wisconsin special!

We are Thankful

As the year comes to a close, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who supported our work in the past year. Indeed, our efforts to help people protect the places that make Wisconsin special are not possible without the time, energy, and charitable investment of our members. With the help we received in 2011, we made significant advances in our work to strengthen Wisconsin’s land trusts.

Here are just a few of the successes that support from our members made possible in 2011:

• GWC partnered with the Land Trust Alliance to launch Wisconsin’s Land Trust Excellence and Advancement Program (LEAP) – an intensive program that delivers to land trusts the knowledge and resources that perpetual conservation demands.

• From the 2010 fall election season through the State budget negotiations culminating in June, we met with agency leaders, legislators, engaged and informed the land trust community, and worked with coalitions to advocate for the Stewardship Program and the statewide Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easements Program. We’re pleased to report that in a difficult economic climate and a challenging state budget process, our work produced positive results for both of these programs.

• GWC convened the largest ever training for Wisconsin land trusts at our Land Trust Retreat for three days of training on topics ranging from recordkeeping to conservation endowments.

Again, thank you for the support Gathering Waters Conservancy received throughout 2011. Many people make charitable contributions to organizations and never hear about their donation’s use or impact. We want our supporters to know that by contributing to Gathering Waters Conservancy you are making a direct, positive impact on the places that make Wisconsin special.

During this holiday season, if you would like to join the community of people helping to protect the places that make Wisconsin special, please visit our donation page.

Big Gains in Voluntary Land Conservation Despite Recession

The Land Trust Alliance released the first national census of land trusts in 5 years and found that 10 million new acres have been conserved nationwide since 2005. The story was picked up by USA Today.

The Alliance’s report includes state-by-state analysis and shows that total protected acreage in Wisconsin exceeds 280,000.  Gathering Waters Conservancy helped spread the news about the National Census and Wisconsin’s success in this release.

Other highlights of the National Land Trust Census include:

• Voluntarily protected land increased 27% between 2005 and 2010.
• A total of 47 million acres — an area twice the size of all national parks in the contiguous U.S.  — are now protected by land trusts.
• Operating budgets for land trusts are up 36% since 2005.  State and local land trusts nearly tripled operating endowments in 5 years to ensure that land trust-protected land stays protected.
• The preservation of family farms and ranchlands is now a priority for 61% of land trusts, up from 21% in 2005.
• Urban parks, gardens or open spaces is now a priority for 27% of land trusts, a threefold increase over respondents in 2005.

Gathering Waters Conservancy completes an annual survey of Wisconsin’s land trusts and released a Wisconsin census report  in 2010.  Similarly impressive results included a 261% increase in acres protected by land trusts in Wisconsin from 2005 – 2009.

Land Protected by Land Trusts in Wisconsin

Now Accepting LEAP Applications!

We are now accepting new applications for land trust participation in Land Trust Excellence & Advancement Program (LEAP) customized services.  We are very excited to have the resources to continue LEAP in the coming two years and have opened up a second round of applications.

Early this year, Gathering Waters launched LEAP, a program of services for land trusts that are both universally available as well as customized.  We have brought LEAP to Wisconsin land trusts jointly with the Land Trust Alliance in order to work with land trusts to uphold our perpetual conservation obligations as a community.

Photograph by Adrienne Wallner

LEAP universal services are open to all Wisconsin land trusts and consist of trainings, workshops, and other opportunities available throughout the year.  Customized services are available to select land trusts by application.   Selected participants will receive a customized suite of intensive services in 2012 and 2013 including an assessment, implementation plan, coaching and mentoring, and a grant to accomplish a major goal or task.

To apply for customized services please complete an application and submit it by Friday, December 2, 2011.  Questions can be directed to Kate Zurlo-Cuva or MaryKay O’Donnell from the Land Trust Alliance.

The Milwaukee River Basin Like You’ve Never Seen It

We were so impressed by the field trips our member land trusts offered at the Land Trust Alliance’s Rally that we’re giving you a glimpse of the action.  Last week we featured some gorgeous shots of the Ice Age Trail in the Northern Kettle Moraine State Forest near Parnell Tower and today it’s a trip along the Milwaukee River with the River Revitalization Foundation.  Join the lucky Rally participants and see what this organization has done for the Milwaukee’s riverfront!

The Milwaukee river basin was a bit windy but the weather was excellent, crisp and sunny.

During the 2+ hour hike, we worked our way through a 2.5 mile loop from the east to the west bank, including stops at the Urban Ecology Center and Riverside Park.

From this magnificent location, hikers walked back along the estuary to Milwaukee’s Ale House on the river for a beer and some cheer.

These photos are part of a three-part series.  Check back next week to see our final set of highlights from Rally in Wisconsin.

Our Hats Off to You, Conor!

We offer our thanks and tip our hats to Conor Moran, who is celebrating his last day with us.  Whether it’s his smart attention to the details of his work, his long-thinking office pranks, his Photoshop skills, his ability to take on any and all obscure tasks, or his magnetic personality, we’ve enjoyed our time together and thank him for his service to Gathering Waters and to the Wisconsin land trust community.

Conor first came to us in 2004 as an intern, eager to gain non-profit experience while working toward his law degree.  It was clear early on that Conor wasn’t the type of intern that simply took direction and completed a task – yes, he did that – but he also brought his own insights and ideas to the job and worked to improve our systems and expand our capacity in the three years he was with us.  We were lucky to have him then and even luckier when he returned in 2010.

Conor will be consulting with Gathering Waters and the land trust community in the future and we’re excited to have the opportunity to continue to work together.  Our warmest thanks and best wishes to you, Conor!

The Northern Kettles in All Their Fall Glory

Attending the Land Trust Alliance’s Rally gives us a few key reminders about our work.  That we are here to uphold perpetual land conservation, that we have lots to learn from each other, and that our landscapes are stunning and worth protecting for our grandchildren’s grandchildren.  If you were lucky enough to join in on a field trip with Kevin Thusius of the Ice Age Trail Alliance, you got to witness this scenery.

These photos are part of a three-part series.  Check back to see more of highlights from Rally in Wisconsin in the coming weeks.

Rally Training – It’s the Real Deal

We’re home and recovered from a long weekend of intensive seminars, workshops, field trips, and receptions at Rally, the Land Trust Alliance’s annual training event.  This year, we were proud to host the thousands of participants in our great state and enjoyed the opportunity to learn from land protection experts from around the country.

We got the latest information from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, participated in conversations that will help us take climate change into account with our work, were joined by several top attorneys and land trust leaders to ask ourselves, “are we doing the right thing” with perpetual conservation easements, and convened our Wisconsin land trust council to discuss future programming for our community.

We were especially excited to celebrate our Land Trust Excellence & Advancement Program with a reception sponsored by our board member Art Harrington and Godfrey & Kahn.  We are nearly one year in to this signature partnership program with the Land Trust Alliance and are proud that it was highlighted at Rally this year.

Rally is always a unique opportunity to learn from those around us.  The workshop sessions were incredibly useful as were the conversations in the hallway.  The energy was palpable in the conference center and though we left exhausted, we left filled with a sense of elation for what we do.

Next year’s Rally is in Salt Lake City on September 29-October 2.  See you next time in the mountains!

Telling Our Stories

Saving land is a critical tool for conservation that often carries high price tags and emotional connections with it.  We live to tell these unique and engaging stories and applaud the land trusts that do this so well.  We’ve noticed recently that Wisconsin land trusts are telling their stories in many different venues.  We’re so impressed!

Glacial Lakes Conservancy is the local non-profit land trust for Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Kewaunee, Calumet and Fond du Lac Counties – a big territory spearheaded by one very dedicated executive director.  For Glacial Lakes, online communications tools are essential for success.

Glacial Lakes Conservancy’s new website offers the land trust an opportunity to make their stories front and center.  “GLC’s refreshed website features our Grasshopper Hill Preserve project as well as our partnership in the the Lake Michigan Shorelands Alliance as one of the land trusts of the Lake Michigan Basin,” notes the Conservancy’s executive director, Vickie Hall.  She adds, “This project is exciting for us because it represents GLC’s first campaign to purchase, own and manage land.”

The Ozaukee Washington Land Trust has also recently invested in its events calendar to engage its donors and supporters in their fun and challenging work on-the-ground.  We have also eagerly followed the Facebook news from Ice Age Trail Alliance, Bayfield Regional Conservancy, Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust, Tall Pines Conservancy, and River Revitalization Foundation, among many others.  Mississippi Valley Conservancy has created its own YouTube channel where it posts videos about its work protecting the blufflands, prairies, wetlands, and streams in southwestern Wisconsin.

Stay connected with the excellent work being done by Wisconsin’s land trusts by checking in on these great outreach efforts!