2025 Southeast Land Conservation Conference

Make an impact with Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina at their Oak Hill Community Park & Forest, in Morganton, NC (just 40 miles outside of downtown Asheville)! This 652-acre gem showcases community conservation in action, from active forest management projects to sustainable agriculture initiatives. Our goal for this volunteer experience is to get your hands dirty but have a little fun while doing it!

We’ll take the scenic route to our worksite via a 3-mile moderate hike where we’ll tour the land and support our stewardship team by repairing & replanting a reforestation project that sustained damage during Hurricane Helene. Once we work up an appetite, we’ll break for lunch prepared by local farmers who are helping to launch a community agriculture program at Oak Hill Park.

For more information and to sign up, visit Volunteer Workday at Oak Hill Park & Forest. Registration for this volunteer opportunity is required and is separate from registering for the conference itself.

The Bowditch Bottoms Preserve is owned by Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy and located within the Nolichucky River Watershed, which was among the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Helene. Floodwater from Helene inundated most of the farm fields, causing significant damage to the stream channel and leaving behind lots of trash and debris. As part of the 2025 Southeast Land Conservation Conference, SAHC is hosting a workday to help restore Bowditch Bottoms.

After first conserving the property with a conservation easement, the land was subsequently donated to SAHC who transferred the easement to their regional land trust partners at Blue Ridge Conservancy. This project remains an exciting testament to partnership efforts between accredited land trusts in Western North Carolina. The Preserve is about an hour from the conference site.

More information can be found on the volunteer sign up page. Registration for this volunteer opportunity is required and is separate from registering for the conference itself.

Named in honor of Riverlink’s founder, this 5-acre parcel in the heart of Asheville's French Broad River Park corridor has gone through an impressive transformation from former junkyard to a reclaimed, climate resilient, public space and greenway that survived Hurricane Helene beautifully given her healthy riparian zone and parallel design with the river. Join us for a tour of this property and learn more about the region’s history and transformation from industrial corridor to thriving river district and how we are imagining our future post-Helene including what recovery looks like for these river parks. The tour will include walking the greenway to the adjacent city parks followed by a refreshment across the street at the unique and flood-resilient-designed Wrong Way River Lodge Cantina which overlooks Karen Cragnolin Park. 

The 140-acre Community Farm of the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy is an educational site and working farm located just outside Asheville, NC. Join us for a tour of this nationally recognized model for environmentally friendly land management and productive agriculture and learn about our silvopasture project, farm business incubator program, habitat restoration projects, educational programming at the farm and more. Participants can assist with cover crop seed spreading and/or tree seedling planting.

Wildlife, water, and ecosystems don't stop at county or state boundaries, nor do fabulous ideas! This session brings together conservation leaders from across three Southeastern regions to discuss voter authorized funding. We've built cohorts of nearby communities that have considered ballot measures to advance regional landscape protection. Some also considered other community needs like affordable housing and transportation.

Trust for Public Land is funded to help research, design and pass ballot measures for land conservation within the Florida Wildlife Corridor, South Carolina's Lowcountry and the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Come learn about the process to get a funding measure referred to voters and hear stories from several successful campaigns from the 2022 and 2024 election cycles. Even if you live and work outside these areas, the same steps toward success can be used in your own community! Go big and then go home to a funded conservation lands program!

Instructors:

• Pegeen Hanrahan, associate director of conservation finance, The Trust for Public Land (FL)

• Allison DeFoor, president/CEO, North Florida Land Trust (FL)

• Kate Schaefer, director of land protection, Open Land Trust (SC)

• Marc Hunt, former program officer, Open Space Institute/Campaign for Buncombe's Future (NC)

Restoring natural floodplains offers transformative benefits for both communities and ecosystems. This session highlights Conserving Carolina’s innovative floodplain restoration projects along North Carolina’s French Broad River, focusing on their role in mitigating flood risks, improving biodiversity and enhancing water quality. Using real-world examples, such as the Pleasant Grove and Kings Bridge restorations, we’ll explore strategies to restore natural functions to floodplains and build resilience against extreme weather events like Tropical Storm Helene. Attendees will gain insights into effective restoration techniques, the power of community partnerships and the importance of integrating traditional ecological knowledge. Join us to learn how these projects serve as a model for creating thriving, sustainable landscapes that support both people and nature.

Instructors:

• David Lee, natural resources director, Conserving Carolina (NC)

• Tommy Cabe, Tribal Forest Resource Specialist & Tribal Liaison, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station (NC)

• Greg Jennings, president, Jennings Environmental PLLC (NC)

• Scott Loftis, mountain aquatic habitat coordinator, NC Wildlife Resources Commission (NC)

• Lia Waldrum, Indigenous partnership and restoration manager, Conserving Carolina (NC)

• Session brochure

• Landowner graphic

Experts from NRCS, the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Land Trust Alliance partner to discuss collaborative ways of protecting working lands in North Carolina and throughout the Southeast. The session will highlight the use of the NC Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, North Carolina’s Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement program, as a model for facilitating the protection of farms and other natural resources as well as sustaining communities and maintaining rural character. The session will also provide an overview of federal farmland protection programs, including the Natural Resources Conservation Services’ Agricultural Conservation Easement Program - Agricultural Land Easements (ACEP-ALE) and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program – Entity Held Easements (RCPP-EHE), and demonstrate how multi-level support and community partnerships enable effective farmland preservation, while also showcasing successful projects in the region. Finally, the session will feature the Land Trust Alliance NRCS Conservation Acquisition Team, launched to provide land protection practitioners with support and resources for navigating ACEP and RCPP.

Instructors:

• Evan Davis, farmland preservation director, NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NC)

• Anita Kennedy, farmland preservation coordinator, NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NC)

• Justin Merrifield, senior project manager, NRCS Easement Acquisition Team, Land Trust Alliance (GA)

An informal gathering of executive directors at land trusts in the southeast to meet and discuss current issues and trends. Topics of discussion will be chosen by the participants.

Triangle Land Conservancy's PINES (Pathways Into Natural and Environmental Sciences) program is high school internship that is intended to connect youth to the environment by exposing them to the many pathways into conservation and sparking interest by engaging them in the organization's larger conservation efforts. In a three-year timespan the program has doubled the number of interns and added a summer internship component. Lead by TLC's Umar Muhammad, who is also a former intern of Lookout Mountain conservancy, along with current PINES intern Julio Torres. This session will highlight the importance of youth engagement in conservation, explain the bases of a successful youth intern-program, and cover TLC's experiences of the summer internship from both presenters perspectives. After launching The Howard School Leadership program 11 years ago and seeing the changes in our interns during their time in the program, we became curious of the perception of our interns, board and staff, and the intern parents of the effects of nature on the interns social, emotional and intellectual growth. Research was conducted by a doctoral candidate, and the data reveals significant support that nature has a significant role in healthy development. Research participants were former interns of LMC, staff and board and intern's parents.

Instructors:

• Robyn Carlton, president & CEO, Lookout Mountain Conservancy (TN)

• Umar Muhammad, land steward, Triangle Land Conservancy (NC)

• Julio Torres, PINES stewardship intern, Triangle Land Conservancy (NC)

• Jennifer Mateo, student, Southern Adventist University (TN)

• DeUnta' Sailes, mechanical engineer, Sargent & Lundy (TN)

Effective conservation requires authentic engagement with historically underrepresented communities. In Conservation with Street Credibility, Dr. J Hackett, PhD, Founder of Black Wall Street AVL, shares innovative strategies for building meaningful relationships with diverse populations. This session will explore how land trusts can align conservation initiatives with community priorities, leveraging tools like social media and cultural outreach to strengthen participation and trust. Participants will gain actionable insights on identifying engagement opportunities, addressing equity in conservation, and amplifying their work through inclusive practices. Dr. Hackett draws from his lived experience in equity-driven leadership and community advocacy to provide a fresh, impactful perspective on collaboration in conservation efforts.

Instructors:

• Joseph Hackett, Board Chair, Black Wall Street AVL (NC)

• Session materials

The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) offered through the USDA National Conservation Resource Service (NRCS) addresses on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns by leveraging collective resources and collaborating on common goals. As a premier conservation program enacted through the 2018 Farm Bill, RCPP demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in delivering results for agriculture and conservation at scale. In the fall of 2024, NRCS awarded $1.5 billion for 92 partner-driven RCPP projects to accelerate conservation and management of agricultural lands. North Florida land trusts have engaged in RCPP for more than five years, resulting in six active RCPP projects since 2020, and several newly awarded projects in FY2024. Accordingly, the three land trusts have experience with many phases of implementation. We want to acknowledge there is some uncertainty due to federal funding freezes and federal worker layoffs as we near the conference, and we’ll do our best to share any updates about how these changes may impact RCPP projects. The Land Trust Alliance and NRCS have encouraged land trusts to participate in RCPP, with heightened focus on helping trusts prepare proposals. As a result, there are dozens of newly awarded projects. Our session focuses on the negotiation, planning and implementation of RCPP projects. We will highlight our experiences and lessons learned, some the hard way, in hopes of preparing new awardees for the road ahead. Land trusts from North Florida, and their respective key project architects, will share their experiences and insights about implementing RCPP projects. The panel will also include representatives from Florida NRCS. Together, they will provide an overview of their projects, best practices, tips and key learnings about RCPP. The discussion will cover several topics involved in RCPP implementation and we will share experiences working with RCPP as a way to leverage State and other non-Federal conservation easement programs, and implementing land management programs to encourage conservation practices on private lands.

Instructors:

• Susan Carr, PhD, conservation manager, Alachua Conservation Trust (FL)

• Tyler Macmillan, conservation program liaison, Tall Timbers (FL)

• Jeremy Lougee, program manager, RCPP, Land Trust Alliance (DC)

• Michelle Smith, operations and grant manager, North Florida Land Trust (FL)

Conservation projects can be complex, and not everyone comes to these roles with experience. Join us for a 101-level intro course on some of the basics of land trust acquisition projects, including donations, purchases and bargain sales. We will discuss similarities and differences for fee-title and conservation easement projects, and describe best practices for stewardship of conservation easements, including monitoring and enforcement, as well as land management principles for preserve lands. This is intended to be for people new to acquisitions and/or stewardship. We will discuss the nuts and bolts and also welcome questions and discussion.

Instructors:

• Ben Miles, Southeast program manager, Land Trust Alliance (KY)

• Rex Linville, Eastern division director of field programs, Land Trust Alliance (VA)

Guests from our land trust community will reflect on groundbreaking successes and charting a new course for land trust work. We’ll hear from a land trust whose office was flooded during Helene and found themselves jolted into new ways of thinking, learn about a decades-long successful effort to save an important mountain in NC, and dive into an innovative new land trust program that has recently achieved benchmarks of success. The talks and conversation that follows will inspire you to think big, focus on the future, and lean into community building and resilience.

• Lisa Raleigh, executive director, Riverlink (NC)

• Hannah Coats, land resources manager, Riverlink (NC)

• Jay Leutze, senior advisor to the Board, Southern Appalachians Highlands Conservancy (NC)

• Sandy Sweitzer, executive director, Triangle Land Conservancy (NC)

How do I talk with Black landowners about conserving their land?” is an all-too common question staff at the Black Family Land Trust hear from white colleagues at other land trusts. Their tongue-in-cheek reply is “Well, English is their first language.” Join panelists Ebonie Alexander, Black Family Land Trust, Joe Thompson, the only Black farmer with a Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program (FRPP) easement, Carrie Martin, Black Family Land Trust and whose family owns a century farm, and Mary Burke as they discuss the African American Land Ethic and how that impacts how Black folks see the land. The workshop will also highlight new Land Trust Alliance resources to help you prepare for those conversations.

Instructors:

• Ebonie Alexander, executive director, Black Family Land Trust (NC)

• Mary Burke, director of educational services, Land Trust Alliance (NC)

• Carrie Martin, NC state coordinator, Black Family Land Trust (NC)

• Joe Thompson, owner and operator, Thompson Prawn Farm (NC)

Fire has long been viewed as a risky and challenging tool in land management, particularly for Land Trusts that often face hurdles like small staff sizes, lack of certifications, liability concerns and limited financial or mechanical resources. These challenges can make it difficult to bring fire back into the landscape, leaving many Land Trusts and private landowners dependent on government agencies for prescribed burns — a reliance that often results in delays or inaction. This workshop explores how collaboration is breaking down these barriers through the formation of Burn Associations. Learn from the experiences of the Lumbee Cultural Burn Association, the Piedmont Prescribed Burn Association (PBA), and the Southern Blue Ridge PBA. Discover how these groups are empowering local land trusts, private landowners, and indigenous communities to use fire effectively and safely for ecological restoration and land management goals. Join us to explore practical solutions for reintroducing fire to the landscape.

Instructors:

• Will Ruark, natural resources manager, Catawba Lands Conservancy (NC)

• Courtney Steed, executive director, Cultural Burn Associations, Lumbee Tribe of NC (NC)

• Christina Newhouse, coordinator, Piedmont Prescribed Burn Association (NC)

• Zac O'Donnell, coordinator, Southern Blue Ridge Prescribed Burn Association (NC)

In the rapidly developing and expensive South Carolina Lowcountry, conservation partners, counties, and the Marine Corps have developed new conservation and funding strategies to protect public and private lands at scale, including new designation as a Sentinel Landscape with the Department of Defense. We are working collaboratively to change the development trajectory in the region to protect water quality, wildlife corridors, and working farms and forests, to create a resilient community and maintain long-term military readiness. This session will detail the mechanics of how we put together some of the largest conservation deals in the history of South Carolina, the science that has driven our conservation work, how we have engaged the community, and the steps we have used to create new funding mechanisms.

Instructors:

• Dana Bauer, South Carolina lowcountry sentinel landscape coordinator, Open Land Trust (SC)

• David Bishop, coastal and midlands conservation director, The Nature Conservancy (SC),

• Kate Schaefer, director of land protection, Open Land Trust (SC)

• Mary Ryan Krieger, deputy community plans and liaison officer, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort

Being a board member at a land trust is challenging but rewarding, and you have to cover a lot of topics. Board members are encouraged to join us for a basic overview of four major areas of knowledge and responsibility for board members at land trusts: governance, financial management, fundraising and easement enforcement. Then we will enjoy an informal discussion with fellow board members.

• Facilitated by Ben Miles, Southeast program manager, Land Trust Alliance (KY)

Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) is a land trust that centers around land acquisition, land management, and outreach in North Central Florida. ACT offers multiple internship tracks that provide pathways for young professionals to gain experience and serve their community. This workshop will explore two key internship tracks: the Natural Resource Management Internship, which builds land management expertise in early professionals by providing a variety of land management experiences in a safe work environment, and the Creekside Environmental Education for Kids Internship, which builds outreach skills through free environmental education programming for low-income school children. In this workshop, participants will receive practical templates for internship structure, funding sources, community partnerships and evaluation methods. Through an interactive workshop, ACT will guide participants in adapting these internship models to support conservation and education efforts within their own organizations throughout the southeast.

Instructors

• Amy Compare, natural resource management internship coordinator, Alachua Conservation Trust (FL)

• Keara Clancy, CrEEK program coordinator, Alachua Conservation Trust (FL)

This session will explain how The Land Trust for Tennessee tackles the ongoing challenges of running a successful stewardship program. With over 400 conservation easements and 10-15 new projects closing every year, The Land Trust depends heavily on detailed documentation, efficient systems, and constantly evolving technology tools to keep it all running smoothly. The session will focus on legal documentation and exhibits, key components of effective baseline reports, field data collection, data management in varying formats and tracking tools for daily staff use. This session will reference Standard 9 (Ensuring Sound Transactions) and Standard 11 (Conservation Easement Stewardship).

Instructors:

• Mike Szymkowicz, associate director of stewardship, The Land Trust for Tennessee (TN)

• Sam Khomtchenko, stewardship field coordinator, The Land Trust for Tennessee (TN)

Learn from the founders and leaders of conservation burial grounds and discover how these unique projects are pioneering a paradigm shift in modern death care, integrating conservation strategies and nature-based climate solutions with the practice of natural (‘green’) burial. Learn the difference between natural burial versus conservation burial and assess whether a conservation burial project can enhance your land trust’s mission and expand its community impact.

Instructors:

• Heidi Hannapel, co-director, Bluestem Conservation Cemetery (NC)

• Laura Starkey, executive director, Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery (FL)

• Freddie Johnson, board member, Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery (FL)

• Jeff Masten, co-director, Bluestem Conservation Cemetery (NC)

Meet your colleagues who work in development and/or communications at land trusts in the southeast. We will discuss some trends, tips and research, as well as recent writings on these subjects to spur conversation. Bring your head-scratcher questions and your appetite to learn from your colleagues.

• Mindy Milby Tuttle, director of principal giving, Land Trust Alliance (DC)

• Zoë Abrahm, individual giving manager, Land Trust Alliance (DC)

Located in one of the fastest growing areas in the United States, the Gullah/Geechee Settlement Communities of Charleston County are faced with numerous threats to their communities and way of life. This session will outline the role that conservation can play in being a resource to threatened and disenfranchised communities through the establishment of community owned, community land. Utilizing LLT’s Community Lands project model of Buy-Protect-Support-Transfer, The Rutledge Tomb Site and Beefield Community Park project exemplify collaborative projects that protect valuable community spaces, with the community at the center and head of the table. This session will hear from the leaders of the Phillips Community and Beefield Community and provide insight into the different financing structures, partnerships, successes and obstacles faced in establishing community owned, community land.

Instructors

• Samuel Seawell, community lands director, Lowcountry Land Trust (SC)

• David Ray, chief conservation officer, Lowcountry Land Trust (SC)

• Richard Habersham, president, Phillips Community Association (SC)

• Giovanni Richardson, president, Battery Island Drive Neighborhood Association (SC)

Despite its current abundance of water, the Southeast has increasing demands for clean water that will require innovative approaches to ensure long-term sustainability. This session will present three different case studies from the local to interstate scale on effective implementation of watershed protection programs.

Grady Spann, executive director of the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust, Peter Kleinhenz, executive director of the Aiken Land Conservancy, and Leigh Ann Hammerbacher, director of conservation east of the Triangle Land Conservancy, will describe how innovative partnerships have provided water resource benefits and increased conservation funding in their communities. Partnerships, creative protection strategies, proactive land management, public access and innovative funding mechanisms will all be discussed as tools in the toolbox to help your land trust achieve water conservation goals in your community. These programs have helped bring over $50 million in conservation funds to these communities from state and local sources. Come learn more about the programs and how land trusts are quantifying their benefits to help make the case for sustained and new support.

Instructors:

• Leigh Ann Hammerbacher, Triangle Land Conservancy (NC)

• Peter Kleinhenz, executive director, Aiken Land Conservancy (SC)

• Grady Spann, executive director/CEO, Northwest Arkansas Land Trust (AR)

   

Geospatial decision support tools are being enhanced constantly that provide compelling communication opportunities for land trusts and other mission driven landscape organizations to tell their story. In addition to easy-to-use ArcGIS StoryMaps requiring minimal GIS experience, the ArcGIS Experience Builder platform provides opportunities to turnkey the creation of powerful geospatial analysis tools for public-facing and internal audiences to advance strategic conservation planning that go beyond standard ArcGIS Online functionality. This workshop will demonstrate these tools through a review of the Eno River Association’s StoryMap supporting their recently completed strategic conservation plan and the partnership of Durham Community Land Trustees and The Conservation Fund in identifying opportunities at the nexus of conservation and affordable housing. These examples will illustrate how StoryMaps, Data Explorers and structured decision-making methods can enhance a land trust’s storytelling capabilities and integrate equity considerations, backed by a robust toolkit of knowledge and strategy.

Instructors:

• Will Allen, principal, Innovation Resources Group (NC)

• Kim Livingston, land protection specialist, The Nature Conservancy (formerly director of conservation and stewardship, Eno River Association (NC)

• Tony Richardson, director of urban conservation initiatives, The Conservation Fund

• Jamie Christensen, principal, Innovation Resources Group (VA)

Three attorneys with varied backgrounds will discuss the availability of statutory remedies for pollution and other issues related to land use, recent changes and cases regarding conservation easements and other legal matters of interest to land trusts, as well as an unusual case in which a lighting plan for a golf driving range was defeated with the help of expert witnesses.

Instructors:

• Bart Landess, executive director, Catawba Lands Conservancy & Carolina Thread Trail (NC)

• Gene McCall, founder, McCall Environmental (SC)

• Session materials

• Presentation slides

• Federal issues handout