National Land Trust Excellence Award

The Land Trust Alliance honored Bitter Root Land Trust with the National Land Trust Excellence Award for its work in multiple areas, including its partnership with the Ravalli County Board of Commissioners and Right to Farm and Ranch Board on renewal of the county’s Open Lands Bond Program. The program will provide $10 million to help local landowners voluntarily preserve prime agricultural lands and important waterways and protect critical wildlife habitat.

The National Land Trust Excellence Award recognized Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust for its work to ensure access to affordable farmland through its “whole farm forever” approach, which ensures future generations of farmers will have access to both farmland and farm infrastructure, collaborating with local Nipmuc partners to co-manage land and assisting the Tribe with cultural revitalization.

The National Land Trust Excellence Award recognized Tewksbury Land Trust for its work on the 10 Mile Trail, a network of trails and preserved lands located roughly 50 miles west of New York City near Oldwick, New Jersey.

The National Land Trust Excellence Award recognized Wood River Land Trust for its work on Hailey Greenway in Idaho. The project created a refuge for people, where they can build a deep connection to nature.

The Land Trust for Tennessee was recognized for its strategic and visionary work to conserve land that matters to people and places across Tennessee.

Sonoma Land Trust does more than protect some of the most beautiful land in California. It recognizes that land is at the very heart of its community.

The steadfast dedication of the land trust's board and other volunteers to preserving forests, agricultural lands, nature preserves, watersheds and other open-space lands is a testament to their contribution to the land trust movement

Shirley Heinze Land Trust was recognized fortheir work that covers six counties in northwestern Indiana helping large populations of the under-served communities and conserving a vast spectrum of biodiversity.

Through a variety of strategic partnerships with larger organizations, the land trust has demonstrated how smaller organizations can have larger influence.

The accredited land trust was recognized for fostering a statewide conversation about the shared benefits of land conservation, and securing strong bipartisan accomplishments.

The all-volunteer land trusts were recognized jointly for their collaborative efforts, these land trusts demonstrated exemplary behavior in working together to conserve a vital watershed.

Through the highest caliber work, the land trust has broadened support for land conservation, built understanding and grown the conservation community.

By collaborating with local supporters, the all-volunteer land trust helped make land conservation a community priority. Its crowning achievement was the timely preservation of Camp Francis, a decommissioned Girl Scouts campground.

The land trust was recognized for its collective accomplishments across more than 50 years — including creating the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge and transforming public school play yards — Openlands exemplifies how land trusts benefit their communities.

This all-volunteer land trust was recognized for broadening support for land conservation, showing initiative in collaborating with others, and creating innovative communications, education and outreach solutions.

The land trust was recognized for the preservation and protection of the salmon and wildlife habitat of the Bristol Bay region of Southwest Alaska.

The conservation trust was recognized for protecting the natural, historic, scenic and recreational resource in and around north central Florida.

The regional conservancy was recognized for its work protecting significant natural, scenic, and farm lands, and advancing stewardship.

The conservancy received the National Land Trust Excellence award for conserving the land, water and scenic character of Leelanau County, Michigan.

The organization was recognized for its leadership in safeguarding the Hudson Valley’s irreplaceable landscapes — including the region’s productive family farms — while advancing balanced and sustainable development, and protecting our land, air and water from pollution and other threats.

The land conservancy was recognized for their work in the nine counties of southwest Michigan to preserve wild and scenic places for today — and keep them healthy for tomorrow.

The society was recognized for protecting the state's most important landscapes while promoting the wise use of its renewable natural resources.

The coalition was recognized for its work to improve the health of the Bay ecosystem for all through education, conservation, research, and advocacy.