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"What You Do
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Rally
Quiz: Who said it? |
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Bredesen, founder with Jeanie Nelson of the Land Trust for Tennessee, knows what he’s talking about. In introducing him at the opening dinner, Nelson, current president and executive director of the land trust, listed his many accomplishments, including doubling the acreage of parks when he was mayor of Nashville. Bredesen joked to the crowd that "when I get rid of my day job, I’m going to come to one of these conferences and go to the workshops."
The Governor closed his remarks by urging land trusts to "continue your efforts to involve and educate elected officials at the national, state and local levels. Because preserving land and protecting natural resources for future generations is not and should not be a Democratic issue…or a Republican issue—protecting the fabric and character of our American landscapes should be among the very most bipartisan issues we face as a country."
Land Trust Alliance President Rand Wentworth also spoke to the theme of bipartisanship, describing how through the support of members of both parties, the expanded tax incentive was finally passed. Describing how the land trust community pulled together as never before, Wentworth praised the hard work of everyone who joined in the push for tax incentives that would benefit landowners and conservation. He acknowledged the role of the Western agricultural and rangeland trusts in first moving the incentives forward. And he thanked the "generosity of spirit" that allows Land Trust Alliance to continue its work and pull off an important annual event like Rally.
Noted author Bill McKibben, who was called a "prophet for the land" by Wentworth, also voiced his admiration for the work of land trusts by saying, "The 2,000 people in this room are doing the most important work in the world." McKibben discussed the global climate changes that have been taking place and that while a human might not feel the impact of a 1 degree increase in temperature, "the planet can tell the difference in enormous ways." He also addressed the lack of community in our country, where three-quarters of Americans don’t know their neighbors. "That’s a remarkable position for a primate to find itself in," said McKibben, drawing laughs.
McKibben called for changes in human behavior, appetite and habits, noting that "shoppers at farmers’ markets have ten times more conversations per visit than shoppers in supermarkets." Land trusts, with their emphasis on local communities, are at the center of these changes, said McKibben.
Writer Janisse Ray added her mellifluous voice to McKibben’s the next morning at the welcoming plenary. Starting off with an original poem, Ray captivated the audience with her message that "Too much fragmentation and we lose ourselves." Stating that "we are loading the cost of our generation’s joyride on the backs of our children," Ray called for a realistic look at our buying habits. She asked that each person make the pledge that "Each of my dollars does the least hurt possible." Stating that "we are desperate for thinkers, not consumers," Ray quietly asked the crowd to contemplate "what our lives will look like when we get them back."
Senator Lamar Alexander closed the conference with an inspirational speech linking the past with the present. Referring to a report put out by the President’s Commission on Americans Outdoors 20 years ago, Alexander noted a call to light "a prairie fire of action to protect what is important to us." Land trusts, he says, are that prairie fire. Alexander urged land trusts to partner with farmers and ranchers, the "natural conservers of land" who are already situated in places where they can "spread the fire." The Senator also praised the Land Trust Alliance for moving forward with accreditation, saying "I salute accreditation and self-policing. A movement, after 20 years, needs to do just that. You are doing the right thing." Alexander reminded land trusts that they can influence Congress, but that "you don’t have to go to Washington to do it. You can see your senator in your district." In summary, Alexander said, "You have been the most effective alliance that has fanned the prairie fire of action. But there’s plenty left to do."
The Learning
Workshops coded as "Basic," "Intermediate," "Advanced" or "All" meant that there was something for everyone, whether a new land trust just getting started or a 20-year-old land trust with 50 staff. Seventeen workshop tracks covered such topics as stewardship, finance, organizational management and working lands. A forum featuring tax lawyer Stephen Small and Land Trust Alliance Policy Director Russ Shay allowed participants to ask questions about the recently passed tax incentive and its impact on land trust work. During Rally Land Trust Alliance conducted the third round of testing on The Learning Center, its new and innovative online method for delivering training. The testing is designed to make sure The Learning Center, which will be launched next year, is user-friendly. The results will help Land Trust Alliance refine its design. |
The Networking
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The Entertainment
Partners Bob Gass and David Marquis presented an original play, The Land, to near-sellout crowds in the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. The Land is a project of Education for Conservation, a nonprofit organization. Gass, the producer, states "This play is a gift to the land trust community. We hope that it will be used to help raise funds for local, state and national organizations; to keynote or close conferences; to rally the great people who are working so hard for land conservation; and, to draw more people to actively participate in the land conservation movement. We also hope The Land will be …an effective way to influence local, state and national authorities on land conservation matters. Finally, we want to use the play to encourage the real estate development community ‘to change the way we do business with the land.’" Written by David Marquis and performed by him and Tisha Crear, the play is about love of the natural world, about finding and cherishing favorite places on earth, and about leaving the earth better than we found it. To inquire about booking a performance, nonprofit organizations should go to the website, www.leaveitbetter.net, or to call 214-369-LAND (5263) or 214-339-1323. It is Gass’ and Marquis’ hope to make the play available to nonprofits without a performance fee and they encourage the land trust community to call them with suggestions of individuals, foundations and corporate underwriters that might have an interest in supporting the project. |
The Awards
In his acceptance speech, Bradley noted that "this award is not for the accomplishments of one person, but of many." He ended with a special message: "Kingsbury had a big vision: to transform land trusts from small, isolated groups to a national movement. Twenty-five years later, we obviously succeeded. ... Now we too must pursue a big vision—one where in 25 years, the faces in this room will reflect the faces of all Americans—the whole community, as Peter Forbes puts it. That is our challenge, if we want to follow in the footsteps of Kingsbury Browne." The Montana Chapter of The Nature Conservancy won the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of Realty National Land Protection Award. Accepting the award on behalf of TNC was Michael Dennis, vice president for Conservation Real Estate and Private Lands at TNC, and Land Trust Alliance board member. Stating that the "Fish and Wildlife Service relies on partners to help us meet our mission of conservation," award-presenter Eric Alvarez also explained that "with decreased federal funding, partnerships are now more important than ever. I am pleased to recognize one of those important partners with [this award, which was] established to recognize a private citizen, group, organization, corporation, or public agency for their significant contributions to land protection in partnership with the Service." |
As always, the "meat
and potatoes" of Rally is the learning that goes on during
the four days. Attendees could choose from 140 workshops, 33 seminars,
13 field trips and other multiple forums such as special breakout
lunch sessions on various topics or the Q&A session on the
new tax incentive. There were also exhibit booths featuring businesses
that support the land conservation movement.
Land trust staff,
board members and volunteers mingled with each other as well as
with lawyers, land protection consultants, government agency staff
and others interested in land conservation. The hallways of the
Nashville Convention Center were filled during breaks from the
workshops with groups of people exchanging information and ideas.
Regional receptions helped bring together those who worked in nearby
or overlapping areas. And each Rally participant received a complete
list of attendees with their contact information.
Known as the
Music City, Nashville provided plenty of local talent to entertain
Rally-goers. From the melodic songs of Erica Wheeler to
the crowd-rousing bluegrass of Adrienne Young & Little
Sadie, the rhythms of Tennessee rocked the crowd. 
Facing a standing
ovation of almost 2,000 of his peers, Darby Bradley graciously
accepted the first-ever Kingsbury Browne Conservation Leadership
Award at the opening dinner. Created to honor the man who inspired the modern land trust movement more than 20 years ago, the award
went to "an outstanding individual whose vision and creativity
have resulted in extraordinary accomplishments for land conservation
and the land trust community." On hand to present were members
of Browne’s family. See more photos, add your comments, and add your own photos. The photos are on Flickr, a free website where you can store, sort, search and share your photos online. Use the tag nlcc_rally2006.
Click the image above
to access materials from the 2006 Rally.
Access is free and
open to the public until January 31, 2007.
Mark your calendar for Rally 2007, October 3-6 in Denver, Colorado!
posted 11/15/06
Banner photo by Glen E. Everett