New Jersey Land Trust Summit
Event Date
Location
Source
About This Event
During the one-day summit, participants will generate ideas for productive initiatives that New Jersey’s conservation community can jointly pursue. Through facilitated brainstorming, small group discussion and short presentations, participants will represent their organizations’ interests and ensure their places at the table during these important conversations. Participants will also learn from one another, form and deepen partnerships and enjoy one another’s company in a congenial setting provided by Duke Farms. This is the right place and time to help reinvent the future of land protection in New Jersey.
The early-bird registration deadline is Feb. 9. As of Feb. 10, prices will increase by $20 to $80 for Land Trust Alliance members and $120 for others.
Thanks to the generosity of the F. M. Kirby Foundation, limited participation support is available to individuals from organizations that work predominantly with communities from socio-cultural and geographic backgrounds that are under-represented in the land trust community. If registration or travel costs present a barrier to participation, please reach out to Andrew Szwak at the Land Trust Alliance before registering at 973-479-6362 or aszwak@lta.org. The Alliance will consider requests for support from eligible participants on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please note that capacity for the New Jersey Land Trust Summit is limited to 125 people.
© 2026 Land Trust Alliance, Inc. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer
These resources are provided "as is" for informational purposes only, without warranty of any kind. They do not constitute legal or professional advice and do not create an attorney-client relationship. They may not reflect current legal developments and should be adapted for your organization with qualified professional help. The Alliance is not liable for any damages arising from use of or reliance on these resources. Views in individual posts and third-party links/logos are not Alliance endorsements. The Alliance is committed to equal opportunity and does not condone unlawful discrimination.
For accreditation-related materials, please also consult the Land Trust Accreditation Commission website.
Agenda
- 8:30 a.m.
Coffee & conversations
Continental breakfast available
- 9 a.m.
Welcome by Duke Farms
- 9:30 a.m.
Morning Session: What’s Next for New Jersey's Conservation Community
It has been almost 5 years since many of us have been together. So much has changed in what our organizations are doing, both individually and collectively. This is our chance to reconnect, catch up and explore how we might work together to advance conservation in New Jersey. Michele Byers will kick off our morning conversations around 5 key themes from her forthcoming “Nature for All: Reimagining the Nature of New Jersey” report.
- 10:30 a.m.
Small group discussions around each subtopic
Facilitated by Subject Matter Experts from the Land Trust Alliance and New Jersey Rally Committee MembersCoastal and inland flooding, water quality protection, heat island mitigation.
Right to environment, brownfield restoration, diversity, equity and inclusion, rematriation, food.
Habitat protection, natural areas restoration, stewardship, invasives management
Soil health, BMP implementation, easements & tax incentives, land base protection.
Volunteer engagement, public access, recreation.
Other exciting directions for conservation
- 11:45 a.m.
Large group share outs
- 12 p.m.
Lunch provided
- 1 p.m.
Afternoon Session: Collaborating for Strategic Change
Jasmine Williams from Parson Williams Group will lead us through short talks and small group brainstorming about collaborating for change and how New Jersey’s conservation community can identify and pursue mutual goals.
- 2:30 p.m.
Large group share out
Reflections on Small Group Exercises 1 and 2 - 3:15 p.m.
Introduction to Collective Impact
Introduce collective impact as an available approach to collaborating for strategic systems change. This section will provide a brief overview of the tenets of collective impact and produce a discussion about the ways this is organically present in the current collaborative effort and ways that this framework might improve the interactions and products of the collaborators.
What is your land trust* doing (or aspiring to do)?
How does your organization measure success?
What is your land trust doing that might benefit another group? What is another group doing that might benefit what your land trust does?
How does your land trust communicate with your conservation partners – landowners, funders, volunteers, donors, other organizations, etc?
What capacities is your land trust missing? Could you partner with other land trusts to help fill this capacity?
- 4:15 p.m.
Wrap up and next steps
- 4:30 p.m.
Networking and cash bar
Location TBD
