Land Trust Alliance honors Western Reserve Land Conservancy with the 2025 National Land Trust Excellence Award
Western Reserve Land Conservancy is recognized for its work providing the people of Ohio with essential natural assets through land conservation and restoration.
Cleveland — The Land Trust Alliance, a national land conservation organization working to save the places people need and love by strengthening land conservation across America, has honored Western Reserve Land Conservancy with its 2025 National Land Trust Excellence Award.
Announced during Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference, the nation’s largest gathering of land conservation leaders, the National Land Trust Excellence Award recognized Western Reserve Land Conservancy for its work serving the people of Ohio.
Over the past decade, Western Reserve Land Conservancy has demonstrated a transformational impact on under-resourced communities. Through collaboration, the land trust has helped raise $1 billion in the state of Ohio to combat blight in historically redlined and other disinvested neighborhoods. The organization’s research and advocacy have led to policy changes in the Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Program, ensuring a more equitable distribution of funds in Cuyahoga County and expanding opportunities for distressed communities. And in 2011, the land trust launched Thriving Communities, an initiative that significantly broadened the organization’s impact by applying land conservation principles to urban areas. Thriving Communities has achieved remarkable results, from lobbying for the creation of county land banks and securing financial support for them to leading efforts to halt Cleveland’s alarming loss of tree canopy. The initiative has driven systemic change, fostered organizational diversity, and restored environmental conditions across its service area.
“Western Reserve Land Conservancy is a powerhouse in the region and a recognized leader nationally,” said Ashley Demosthenes, CEO of the Land Trust Alliance. “What really stands out is how they prioritize people and the communities that they work in. Initiatives like the Thriving Communities program is just one example, expanding the definition of what a land trust can be by working with partners to transform vacant lots into vibrant, thriving spaces. The Land Trust Alliance is honored to recognize Western Reserve Land Conservancy for its outstanding service to the people of Ohio.”
“We are honored to be named the 2025 Land Trust Excellence Award recipient,” said Rich Cochran, president and CEO of Western Reserve Land Conservancy. “This national recognition reflects our holistic approach to conservation across natural, rural and urban landscapes. The progress we’ve made would not be possible without the generosity of private landowners, donors, partners and volunteers, whose support advances our mission. Together, we will continue to protect and restore the natural assets that are essential to the well-being of our region’s people and communities.”
Western Reserve Land Conservancy is accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.
About the Land Trust Alliance
Founded in 1982, the Land Trust Alliance is a national land conservation organization working to save the places people need and love by empowering and mobilizing land trusts in communities across America to conserve land for the benefit of all. The Alliance represents approximately 1,000 member land trusts and affiliates supported by more than 250,000 volunteers and 6.3 million members nationwide. The Alliance is based in Washington, D.C., with staff working in communities across the U.S.