Posts from — July 2009

After meeting with Jeffrey Marshall, I sat down to meet with Marian Sumner, Vice President, Planning & Implementation, of the Heritage Conservancy.

Marian talks about the comprehensive strategic plan which they recently undertook at the same time they were going through accreditation.  She also discusses how she got involved in land conservation.  We round out the podcast with a discussion of a project the Conservancy has been working on in New Jersey.   A great project for land conservation, with many opportunities for public outreach.

Listen in and then check out their website for more information.

You can also learn more about accreditation and the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.

podcast

Notes: Intro and outgo music is from Tempest (de havilland vampire) by The Brothers Femme.

While in Philadelphia, I had a chance to take the train up to Doylestown, to visit Jeffrey Marshall of the Heritage Conservancy, in historic Aldie Mansion. Heritage Conservancy has a focus on historic preservation in addition to land conservation.

You will learn about the land trust, how they came to acquire and restore the mansion, and their experience with accreditation.  As a land trust that has been in service for over 50 years, they have many experiences which would not meet current standards and practices.

Listen in and then check out their website for more information.

You can also learn more about accreditation and the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.

podcast

Notes: Intro and outgo music is from Tempest (de havilland vampire) by The Brothers Femme.

Are you going to Rally, or thinking about going to Rally?  Many of the people I have met while traveling have told me just how important attending Rally has been to their success.  Many are attending Rally, so you will have a chance to meet in person the individuals you have already met via podcasts.

Now there is a blog to stay abreast of Rally  – the Rally blog.

There are sections to create discussions on various Rally topics, such as field trips and plenary speakers.  There is already a comment on Around Town recomending Voodoo Doughnut and Stumptown Coffee.  I hope there are some good resturaunt recomendations that people will add to the list as well.

There are also specific sessions that are highlighted so you can learn more about a session before attending.

I hope to see you at Rally.  And stay tuned as more information on the contest to win a seminar or field trip will be coming soon.

Continuing my conversation with Karen Martynick, Executive Director, and Jeff Swinehart, Deputy Director of Lancaster Farmland Trust.

You will hear more details about their experience with accreditation, and how they were able to successfully become accredited at the same time they were successfully completing their ambitious strategic plan.  They also discuss how stewardship has become an increasingly important part of their workplan.

Last, but not least, we discuss their connection to Turkey Hill Dairy.  Turkey Hill promotes the land trust through their line of all natural ice cream, with the trust’s logo on display as well as a portion of the proceeds.

Listen in and then check out their website for more information.

You can also learn more about accreditation and the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.

Learn more about their connection to Turkey Hill Dairy.

podcast

Note: A special note of thanks to Karen and Jeff for showing me around Lancaster County, and to the people of Turkey Hill Dairy, both for their support of the trust, and for taking the time to meet with me.

Notes: Intro and outgo music is from Tempest (de havilland vampire) by The Brothers Femme.

Working with the Amish community has proven to be a great success for the Lancaster Farmland Trust.  I had a chance to meet with Karen Martynick, Executive Director, and Jeff Swinehart, Deputy Director, to learn about how the land trust was founded and what they have done to ensure a successful relationship with the Amish community.

You will hear that they had an ambitious startegic plan to double the acreage they protect.  They were able to meet that goal, all while going through accreditation.

Listen in and then check out their website for more information.

You can also learn more about accreditation and the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.

podcast

Notes: Intro and outgo music is from Tempest (de havilland vampire) by The Brothers Femme.

After a day on the road with Al Karnatz I headed into the main office of Vermont Land Trust to meet with John Roe, Vice President for Land Conservation, and Dennis Shaffer, Vice President for Stewardship. 

Among other things, we talked about the history of Vermont Land Trust, working on a statewide basis, and some of the largest projects they have completed: Champion and Atlas.  There is a lot to learn from the experience of working on these large projects, with cooperation from a number of other organizations, and working with new corporate owners as a property changes hands

Listen in and then check out their website for more information.

podcast

Notes: Intro and outgo music is from Tempest (de havilland vampire) by The Brothers Femme.

Allen Karnatz took me out to the Northwest corner of Vermont to see some dairy farms that have been protected by the land trust and meet with some farmers looking to protect their land.  On the drive back I had a chance pull out my trusty audio recorder and get an interview.  Since we were in a car the audio quality is worse than usual, but I think you will find the story compelling enough to listen in nonetheless. 

Al has been involved in hundreds of projects, many of which have been purchase of development rights.  Al talks about the importance of building relationships with landowners, and their families, considering conserving their land.  He also talks about why farmland conservation is important to him.

Listen in and then check out their website for more information.

podcast

Note: A special note of thanks to Al for driving me arround the countryside all day long.

Notes: Intro and outgo music is from Tempest (de havilland vampire) by The Brothers Femme.

Get a preview into just one of the many topics to be discussed at Rally!

In this recording, Pete Throop, Project Director, Monadnock Community Conservation Partnership, talks about the how vital community involvement has been for Monadnock Conservancy.

Pete will be presenting a workshop at Rally (E21), which will go into much greater detail.

podcast

Learn more about Rally or register online.

Notes: Intro and outgo music is from Tempest (de havilland vampire) by The Brothers Femme.

The final piece of my conversation with Ryan Owens, the Executive Director of Monadnock Conservancy. He talks about the keys to the success of the organization, and what the Land Trust Alliance can do for Monadnock Conservancy.

Listen in and then check out their website for more information.

podcast

A special note of thanks to Ryan and his wife for hosting me while I was visting.
Note: With this podcast, I am trying something different and breaking it up into multiple parts, rather than one long podcast. Please provide me with feedback so I know if this approach works better.

Notes: Intro and outgo music is from Tempest (de havilland vampire) by The Brothers Femme.

Continuing my conversation with Ryan Owens, the Executive Director of Monadnock Conservancy. Here we get into issues of why Ryan got involved in land conservation, and his connection to his local community, and explaining his passion of land conservation to others, and his experience attending Rally for the first time.

Listen in and then check out their website for more information.

podcast

Note: With this series of podcasts, I am trying something different and breaking it up into multiple parts, rather than one long podcast. Please provide me with feedback so I know if this approach works better.

Notes: Intro and outgo music is from Tempest (de havilland vampire) by The Brothers Femme.