Updates

The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) is now law, guaranteeing $900 million in Land and Water Conservation Funds (LWCF) every year and providing over $9 billion in deferred maintenance on federally owned lands and historic and cultural assets over the next 5 years. LWCF is funded by a small portion…

Intended for land trust staff and board members, these informal one-hour Zoom discussions are focused on exchanging information among peers on topics of common interest. Seasoned land trust practitioners as well as those newer to the field are welcome. These calls are sponsored by the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition. To…

If you are a small or all-volunteer land trust that is looking to get your record keeping in order, consider applying for the 2020-2021 Massachusetts. Record Keeping Initiative. Deadline is Tuesday, September 15. The Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition (MLTC) and the Land Trust Alliance (LTA) are collaborating to offer direct…

Thank you to all who have already renewed your membership for FY21. For those who haven't yet renewed, a gentle reminder to renew your membership. Or join us for the first time. Other ways to support MassLand are also available. Our membership year is July 1 - June 30, though we…

On Wednesday, July 22nd the U.S. House of Representatives took historic action and passed the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) to permanently and fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and help fund the backlog of maintenance projects on federal public lands, including national parks and national…

On June 17, the federal Great American Outdoors Act (S. 3422/H.R. 7092) passed the Senate by a wide bipartisan margin, 73-25. This was an historic day for conservation! If passed into law, this bill will provide long-sought full and permanent funding of $900 million a year through the…

We've collected links and documents that land trusts, conservation partners and others might find helpful in running their organizations during COVID-19. You're invited to send us links or documents you find helpful to share in this space. Resources for Land Trusts and Partners…

Just this week (Wednesday, June 16), the Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) 73-25! This bill includes both full funding for LWCF and funds to address the maintenance backlog on public lands. Both Senators Warren and Markey were in support. This is a historic victory! A companion bill…

View presentations from the MLTC webinar series that was held in place of the originally-planned in-person land conservation conference, thanks to the generosity of our sponsors. The series reached a live audience of 600 participants, plus more than 400 others who received session recordings afterwards…

On Monday May 18, Governor Baker announced a plan for phased reopening of the Massachusetts economy, with phases to be based on health and safety metrics. This plan includes detailed guidance related to outdoor recreation during the first phase of reopening, which can be found here. This guidance was developed…