Bristol Land Trust looking for two new Board Members

The Bristol Land Conservation Trust is looking for two Board members to serve one to three years.

The Bristol Land Conservation Trust (BLCT) is a small, all-volunteer 501 (c)3 non-profit organization, whose mission is to acquire land to be kept as open space forever. The Trust preserves land in its natural state to retain the beauty of our Town landscape and preserve conservation and geological values. The Trust can also hold conservation easements on open space in addition to acquiring land directly.

The BLCT meets monthly on the first Tuesday of the month at 7 PM at the Bristol Statehouse, downstairs south meeting room, and as required if additional meetings are needed. We do help out in the Spring with the Town clean-up on our land, and we do have to do walk-throughs of our property from time to time and cut some grass and rake some leaves at street-side. Two years ago we started a biennial event called the “Bristol Conservation Summit,” a gathering of conservation-minded people from the various conservation organizations in Town. This year we celebrated 25 years and awarded our first Excellence in Conservation Award.

Although not required to be on the Directors Board, some knowledge of the basic principles of conservation are helpful, as is some knowledge of ecology, biology, geology, and just basic general science. More importantly, however, is an interest in preserving open space and just general enthusiasm. Through the two groups mentioned below, there is much expertise available with respect to the management of land trusts, the legal tools needed, and the science and biology required.

The BLCT is a member of the Rhode Island Land Trust Council, a group which assists the numerous land trusts in Rhode Island in many ways. Their Executive Director is the point-person for all land trusts and keeps us informed regularly about matters of land trust importance. The Land Trust Council is essentially the advocacy organization for the land trusts in our state. One of their highlights each year is the co-sponsoring of the “Land & Water Summit” at the University of Rhode Island in March, when a day is devoted to learning about how to better do our work and to network.

The national advocacy organization for all land trusts is the LTA – the Land Trust Alliance, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C. The LTA organizes an annual convention or “Rally” which moves around to a new location each year. This year it is being held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The LTA runs a top-notch organization and provides much management, scientific, and legal assistance. The BLCT is an LTA member.

If there are any questions,please call Ray Payson at 253-0247 or email him at
Ray_payson@earthlink.net.

July 2011