Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust Inc

Results: More than 24,000 acres of land conserved in 24 years

Target demographics: Serving 23 Towns in North Central and Western Massachusetts Ashburnham Athol Barre Bernardston Erving Gardner Gill Greenfield Hardwick Hubbardston Leyden Montague New Salem Northfield Orange Petersham Phillipston Royalston

Geographic areas served: North Cenetral and Western Massachusetts

Programs: Community engagement: the community engagement program worked to keep the trust's conservation work in the public eye and to bring the public on to protected land and involve the community in mount grace's projects. Regular press releases to local media,as well as a regionally distributed newsletter, keep the community and mount grace membeship apprised of new projects and challenges. Frequent free public events are used to showcase the successful work of the conservation program. The program also reaches out to landowners contemplating land conservation.

conservation and stewardship: the conservation and stewardship programs are responsible for executing the land protection and natural resources management functions of the land trust. The program works with willing landowners, municipal, state and federal agencies,and non-governmental organizations to permanently protect land for the benefit of the public and manage natural resources on those lands using science-based best management practices.

collaborations: mount grace promotes collaboration primarily through the north quabbin regional landscape partnership and masslift-americorps. Nqrlp is a voluntary association of town boards, state and federal agencies, conservation groups, and landowners working to protect strategic open space. The massachusetts land initiative for tomorrow is an effort of seven regional conservation groups to foster a conservation ethic in young people through volunteerism, inspire people to pursue careers on the land, and increase support for conservation. Masslift is funded in part by an americorps grant administered by the massachusetts service alliance.