Gathering Waters exists to support Wisconsin’s land trust community and our team is available every day to help address challenges unique to land trusts. As a statewide alliance, we work to make the land trust community stronger.
The Wisconsin land trust community is 40 organizations strong, working together to achieve lasting land conservation across the state. Members pay dues, which helps Gathering Waters provide Wisconsin land trusts with shared tools, expertise, and resources to be strong and effective organizations.
In 2022, our priorities include:
- Wisconsin Land Trust Conference: This year’s conference offers an in-person gathering, May 18 & 19 in Madison. We are excited for the opportunity to reconnect and strengthen relationships within the land trust community. Join us to discuss climate change communications, advocacy in Wisconsin’s changing political geography, preparing for landowner succession, engaging youth, and more.
- Climate change communications toolkit: Helping nature so it can help us is at the heart of what land trusts do. In a virtual series we convened earlier this year, staff and board members from 20 land trusts explored how land trusts are communicating that land conservation is climate action. We’ll build on these discussions to develop a toolkit to communicate the many ways land conservation is integral to addressing climate change.
- Advocacy for land conservation funding: The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program remains Wisconsin’s best source of conservation funding. With significant turnover in the legislature anticipated this year, Gathering Waters is committed to working with you on candidate education and championing the Knowles-Nelson program.
- GIS tools & resources: The conservation geodatabase of Wisconsin land trust holdings is now available to all Gathering Waters land trust members, including an easy-to-use interactive map. This is a terrific resource for staff and board members who are not GIS pros but want access to maps of land trust holdings, DNR lands, and more.
Thank you to all of our member land trusts for your contributions and commitment. If your land trust is not already a member, we hope you consider joining our community! Visit our Land Trust Membership page to learn more.
For information on these initiatives or questions about membership, contact Meg Domroese.
