Strategic Stewardship
Land Protection and Stewardship are the foundation of Greenwich Land Trust’s conservation mission. Management plans are created to enhance or restore the conservation values of each GLT property. Greenwich Land Trust relies on community partnerships and stewardship volunteers to increase our capacity and credibility as a conservation organization, and conduct site visits, improve habitats, remove invasive species, and provide best management practices for landowners.
Stewardship Projects include:
- Conservation Planning – Collaboration and research to identify key natural resources; account the wishes of the land donor.
- Ecological Monitoring – Assess our conservation impacts by measuring species diversity, abundance, and production.
- Habitat Restoration – Returning degraded or altered habitat to a healthy, functioning condition that supports priority wildlife species.
SEED TO SEED INITIATIVE
Greenwich Land Trust’s Seed-to-Seed initiative is dedicated to restoring native plants to the local landscape through plant propagation, education and outreach, and habitat restoration.
AMERICAN CHESTNUT SANCTUARY
Greenwich Land Trust is proud to partner with the American Chestnut Foundation to establish the first American Chestnut orchard in Fairfield County at GLT’s Duck Pond Hill Preserve.
VOLUNTEER STEWARDS
Greenwich Land Trust relies on a dedicated group of volunteer stewards to help monitor over 80 preserves and help protect the natural communities found on these valued open-space parcels. GLT maintains baseline documentation to establish the condition of the land when the easement was granted. Volunteer stewards then monitor the property at least once a year, documenting changes and identifying any issues or concerns. The Land Trust serves as a resource for landowners, inspiring them to go above and beyond in their personal stewardship of the land and to act as ambassadors for conservation.
ACCREDITATION
The journey to accreditation for Greenwich Land Trust began in 2005, when the Board of Directors voted to adopt and implement LTA Standards and Practices to manage the hundreds of acres of open space entrusted to GLT in perpetuity. Preparing for accreditation represented a multi year undertaking by GLT staff and volunteers, involving extensive review of every aspect of GLT operations – land stewardship, financial management, board leadership, and legal practices, to meet LTA standards. In addition, staff re-assessed all GLT properties and wrote 73 unique, detailed management plans for GLT fee properties and updated baseline reports for all 17 conservation easements.
In August 2012, Greenwich Land Trust was awarded national accreditation status by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission (LTAC), an independent program of the national Land Trust Alliance (LTA). The LTA has 1,700 member land trusts that span the country. As of 2016, 357 member land trusts have earned this distinction. Since the inception of the LTAC accreditation program, demand has grown dramatically among land trusts for this credential.
