Columbia Land Trust

1351 Officers' Row, Vancouver, Washington 98661
360.696.0131 voice, 360.696.1847 fax

Land trusts' popularity, goals grow in Northwest The Land Trust Alliance is holding its national conference in Portland this weekend Friday, October 20, 2000 By Michelle Cole of The Oregonian staff It was 1976, and ranch land near Jackson Hole, Wyo., was already being sold and subdivided to accommodate the first wave of people drawn by the lure of what is now called the "New West." Looking into the future and not liking what they saw, residents lobbied the federal government to establish a Jackson Hole Scenic Area that they hoped would protect open spaces near Grand Teton National Park. When that effort failed, ranchers, environmentalists and community leaders took matters into their own hands. They formed the Jackson Hole Land Trust -- a private, nonprofit organization that, in its first five years, scratched together enough money to protect nearly 5,000 acres of scenic ranch lands and wildlife habitat. Jean Hocker, then a newcomer to Jackson Hole, founded the land trust. Now she's president of the Land Trust Alliance, which represents more than 1,200 land trusts across the country. Currently, the alliance is holding a national conference in Portland, which started Thursday and ends Sunday. More than 1,400 conservationists are expected to attend, making the event the largest of its kind. Participants can choose between more than 100 seminars ranging in topics from fund raising to tax policy. And they'll share their ideas about how to reach aging landowners who are being wooed by developers. They come together at a time of astounding growth in the number of land trusts, which is driven by a vibrant economy coupled with the rapid conversion of open land to other uses. The number of land trust organizations increased 63 percent between 1988 and 1998 to more than 1,200, according to the Land Trust Alliance. "The American people really, really do care about open spaces," Hocker said. Land trusts raise money to either purchase a piece of private land or purchase a "conservation easement," a legal arrangement that restricts development but allows landowners to retain the title for the land and pass it on to their heirs. The organizations can be as small and local as the Jackson Hole Land Trust or as large as The Nature Conservancy, which has protected nearly 11 million acres in the United States and nearly 60 million acres around the world. The Nature Conservancy closed its biggest deal ever in Oregon this month -- the acquisition of about 27,000 acres of high desert, north of Joseph, formerly a part of the Zumwalt ranch. The first land trust was born in New England more than 100 years ago. The East still boasts more than one-third of the nation's land trusts. But preserving land through a land trust is becoming more popular throughout the country, including the Northwest. Elizabeth Bell, Northwest director for the Land Trust Alliance, said there are 65 land trusts now operating in Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Montana, Alaska and Idaho. "Northwest land trusts are coming into their own. It's an exciting time," Bell said. Two to three new land trusts start in the region each year. Meanwhile, existing trusts are growing rapidly. Since the Vancouver, Wash.-based Columbia Land Trust was founded a decade ago, membership has grown to more than 300. The land trust also has extended its mission from Clark County's borders to preserving lands and wildlife habitat from the east end of the Columbia Gorge Scenic Area to the Pacific Ocean. An estimated 200 Oregon and Washington conservationists will be among the 1,400 attending the Portland conference. You can reach Michelle Cole at 503-294-5143 or by e-mail at michellecole@news.oregonian.com.

More News...