Takeaways from the Land Trust Alliance Conference

Earlier this month, two staff members from Wolf River Conservancy headed to Cleveland, Ohio, to attend Rally, the Land Trust Alliance’s annual conference, where conservation professionals across the United States gather to share their knowledge and uplift land trusts nationwide. This was the first Rally for Land Stewardship Coordinator, Dylan Moreau, and Chief Development Officer, Susan Graham, providing an unmatched opportunity for them to connect with other members of the land trust community and learn emerging practices  with immediate applications for elevating the Conservancy’s impact in the Wolf River watershed. Here are their takeaways from attending the Rally.

Dylan: Attending this year’s Rally was an incredible opportunity to learn from the experiences of peer stewardship staff and their experiments in better safeguarding protected lands. The field trips I attended showcased new creative solutions in wetland and grassland habitat restoration that are not just cost-effective, but also lead to more resilience in the face of climate change.  Meanwhile, roundtables and learning sessions offered fresh guidance on growth areas across Wolf River Conservancy’s land stewardship efforts, from partnership building tactics that drive outcomes on improving our urban greenspaces, to emerging programs ready to be integrated into our land protection strategy.  Looking ahead, I am excited to take the many lessons and the more robust toolkit I took away from Rally to make my role more impactful on our lands, taking new approaches to long-standing challenges in both rural and urban settings.

Susan: I had the privilege of attending my very first Land Trust Alliance Conference in Cleveland, and I enjoyed every part of it, from the inspiring field trips to connecting with our conservation partners from across Tennessee. One of my biggest takeaways was learning how greenways are helping to shape healthier communities. Cleveland Metroparks has even measured the impact of their trails and open spaces on the health and well-being of residents, proving what we know to be true: access to nature changes lives. That’s exactly what we are building with the Wolf River Greenway in Memphis: safe, welcoming spaces for walking, biking, and connecting with the outdoors. Just as exciting, this work is also opening the door to new funding partners who share our vision for health, equity, and community impact.