October 2024
Igniting Our Passion: Reflections from the Annual Land Trust Rally
At the end of September, our staff traveled to Providence, Rhode Island, to participate in the Land Trust Alliance’s 37th Annual Rally. This annual gathering unites passionate land conservation practitioners from around the globe, all dedicated to preserving the cherished places in our communities. The Rally stands as the premier training and networking conference for those in our field, featuring learning sessions on diverse land conservation topics, dynamic networking events, engaging exhibits, plenary sessions, and an awards presentation celebrating outstanding conservation leadership.
For John and Liz, this was their second Rally, while Stacy attended for the first time. The conference continues to evolve each year offering an expanded array of learning tracks tailored to stewardship, fundraising, communications, board management, and land conservation transactions. This diversity allowed our staff to choose workshops that directly aligned with their areas of expertise, enhancing their skills and knowledge.
One of the highlights of the conference was the opportunity to participate in field trips that showcased local conservation projects in the greater Providence, Maine, and Boston areas. These excursions provided invaluable hands-on insights into effective conservation practices.
But it wasn’t all work! Of course, there was time for camaraderie and exploration. We enjoyed a few social mixers and took leisurely strolls around the historic Brown University campus and the scenic downtown waterfront. No trip to Rhode Island would be complete without indulging in the local culinary delights, including delicious coal-fired pizza and mouth-watering lobster rolls.
The trip proved invaluable in several ways. First, we returned enriched with knowledge gleaned from our peers, learning innovative strategies to accelerate conservation efforts in their communities and exploring how we can adapt these approaches here in Yolo County. Additionally, the experience served as a wonderful team-building opportunity, fostering deep conversations about ideas for our specific project areas.
Most importantly, we left the Rally feeling inspired. The insights and motivation our team gained will be essential as we plan key projects for 2025. Our team has rekindled its passion for conserving Yolo County farmland, and we’re eager to turn our plans into action as we wrap up 2024 and step into the new year. We are excited to share our newfound knowledge and enthusiasm with you!
Staff Conference Highlights
John, Executive Director, attended workshops focused on improving our business operations, easement acquisition tools, funding, and land access. He specifically chose sessions that offered practical knowledge applicable to our upcoming 2025–2030 Strategic Plan. John remarked, “This conference provides an excellent opportunity to learn from our colleagues and partners. While I enjoy socializing with fellow land trust professionals, it’s through these relationships that I have learned so much, which is advancing our mission to protect Yolo County’s farmland.”
Liz, Land Stewardship Director, began her time in Providence with a field trip touring small, community-focused farms with the Southside Community Land Trust. The experience reminded her that local communities can benefit from fresh, local produce, even from small operations, such as 2-acre farms growing specialty crops for local farmers markets.
As YLT looks to the future, a key area for growth is efficiently monitoring the thousands of acres we have protected. We are obligated to oversee activities on each of the 78 farms under conservation agreements to ensure agricultural practices remain as intended. Larger land trusts have successfully adopted remote monitoring technologies, using real-time aerial mapping and historical imagery reviews. As our portfolio grows, YLT plans to implement these technologies for part of our annual monitoring efforts. Liz attended various seminars to guide our decision-making regarding remote monitoring software and even won a raffle for a year’s subscription to a new reporting tool!
Liz shared, “Rally brings together over 2,000 individuals working in land conservation across the country, so for someone on a team of three, it’s inspiring to meet so many people dedicated to this cause. Hearing about specific issues other land trusts face and learning from their experiences helps us offer Yolo Land Trust’s perspective.”
Stacy, Development & Communications Manager, had a fantastic first experience at Rally. She aimed to explore a little bit of everything, attending workshops on fundraising, communications, the real estate side of land conservation, and donor engagement, along with the welcome dinner, awards reception, exhibitor space, and plenary sessions. Her lunch breaks were filled with networking sessions focused on conservation communication strategies, and she loved starting each day with yoga overlooking downtown Providence. At a West Coast Regional mixer, she reconnected with past co-workers from Shasta Land Trust and met development colleagues from Northern California.
Stacy summarized her experience: “Rally was an eye-opener, confirming that we, as a small farmland conservation nonprofit, are not alone in our efforts to protect the working lands vital to our global food system. As an event planner, I truly appreciated the meticulous planning that made it a great conference for such a diverse audience—from the handy app to the plentiful coffee and snacks.”
About YLT and The Land Trust Alliance
Yolo Land Trust is a proud member of Land Trust Alliance (LTA) and joins 947 other land trusts in our membership (a whopping 61,072, 596 acres conserved between us). As the self-described voice of the land trust community, LTA is the national leader in policy, standards, education and training that works passionately to support land trusts so they can save and secure more lands now and for future generations. LTA’s standards & practices have been guiding our business practices since the early years of our founding. Today our staff participates in training and networking groups within LTA that provide insightful knowledge that allows us to increase the amount of farmland we conserve.
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