Defenders of Wildlife Announces Grants to Local Land Trusts

$59,300 Awarded to Land Trusts Across the Country for Habitat Restoration and Conservation Projects

(04/09/2007) - Washington, D.C. -- Defenders of Wildlife today announced the recipients of its first Living Lands Biodiversity Grants. The grants are intended to encourage land trusts across the country to increase their capability to protect, enhance and restore native wildlife habitat and biodiversity as they work to protect farm and forest land, scenic values and open spaces.

"Land trusts play an indispensable role in protecting America's landscapes, historic properties and natural resources, and are increasingly recognizing wildlife conservation as an essential part of their mission," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife.

Land trusts are nonprofit organizations that work to conserve land through easements, acquisitions or stewardship.

Thanks to grant monies provided by the Biophilia Foundation, the project assists local land trusts in making strategic decisions about "where to work" to conserve high priority native habitats and species and "how to work" to use effective land stewardship to restore and manage native habitats for their long-term benefits.

The seven recipients of this year's grants are:

• California: Eastern Sierra Land Trust in Bishop. The $10,000 grant will be used to prepare a baseline conditions document and habitat conservation plan for a historic 900-acre working cattle ranch with extensive wetlands, ponds, springs, wet meadows, alkali meadows and upland habitats. Defenders is very impressed with this project because of the biodiversity values throughout the property, particularly the bird habitat.
  
  
• Idaho: Teton Regional Land Trust in Driggs. The $10,000 grant will help build the land trust's capacity for restoration by training newly hired restoration specialist on innovative techniques for restoration of 1-mile stretch along Teton River. Defenders finds this project especially promising because it allows the restoration staff to apply the techniques learned to future restoration projects.
  
  
• Massachusetts: Sudbury Valley Trustees in Sudbury. The $4,456 grant will be used for a restoration project on 18 acres of shrubland habitat to control invasive plants and promote the growth of native shrubs. Defenders is excited to see the project restore a declining native habitat because it is an important asset to the Northeast.
  
  
• New Mexico: Taos Land Trust in Taos. The $10,000 grant will be used to draft conservation easement language, determine baseline conditions and monitor the property, as well to undertake initial restoration work on a 1,826-acre property of prime wildlife habitat. Defenders supports this project because it will provide important wildlife habitat improvements as well as teach staff to use these skills on future projects.
  
  
• Michigan: Washtenaw Land Trust in Ann Arbor. The $10,000 grant will help develop a conservation easement on the 117-acre Mill Creek East Fen, which is home to the endangered Mitchell's Satyr butterfly. Defenders is excited to work with this land trust to protect and restore important habitat for an endangered butterfly.
  
  
• Oregon: Greenbelt Land Trust in Corvallis. The $10,000 grant will be used to prepare easement documents and write a habitat management plan for 199 acres of upland prairie/oak savanna. Defenders believes the grant will enable this land trust to train its staff on endangered species management and improve upon its high quality biodiversity conservation.
  
  
• Washington: Nisqually Land Trust in Yelm. The $4,800 grant will be used to involve the local community in developing a habitat management plan for 400 acres of old growth forest owned by the land trust near Mount Rainier National Park. Defenders supports this land trust's important efforts to promote community involvement in protecting the property as well as its planned restoration of biodiversity values on the property.
  
  

"Defenders' Living Lands project is committed to helping the land trust community enhance its ability to conserve wildlife and biodiversity, and we are excited to be able to partner with these forward-looking land trusts on such worthy conservation projects," concluded Schlickeisen.

The grant awards ranged from $4,000 to $10,000. The land trusts have two years in which to use the money and they must provide an annual report on their progress. Defenders will highlight these projects and their progress on the Living Lands website, www.defenders.org/livinglands.

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Living Lands is collaboration between Defenders of Wildlife and the Land Trust Alliance to support and increase the capacity of the land trust community to conserve biodiversity on private lands through financial and technical assistance.

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Contact(s):

Deborah Bagocius, (202) 772-0239