MOBILE, Ala. — Existing and potential land trust partners recently discussed the possibility of coordinating conservation efforts in coastal Alabama. They got together at a workshop that kicked off an initiative to identify gaps in conservation efforts and open discussion among groups.
A land trust is a nonprofit organization that can purchase, receive or manage land and easements for conservation.
The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium and Auburn University Marine Extension and Research Center hosted the workshop for land conservation stakeholders. The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program is funding the conservation initiative.
Fourteen individuals representing land trusts and organizations interested in land conservation attended the workshop at the Brookley Center. Tim Mulvaney of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Legal Program talked about the legalities of operating a land trust, and Mark Pentecost of Alabama Land Trust and Judy Steckler of Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain gave overviews of the inner workings of a land trust. During a facilitated discussion, attendees explored partnership possibilities and committed to better coordinated conservation efforts in Mobile and Baldwin counties.
For more information about the conservation initiative, contact Jody Thompson at [email protected] or 251-438-5690.