The Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust was incorporated in 2000. It helped protect more than 23,000 acres of land through conservation and raising funds and purchasing private properties from owners who wish to see their lands protected for future generations. Last month, the heritage land trust received the national land Trust Excellence Award.
The Land Trust Alliance aims to conserve lands across the US. It states its mission is “to save the places people love by strengthening land conservation across America.” Land Trust Alliance acknowledges local groups that work to do the same on a state level.
The National Land Trust Excellence Award is given to one all-volunteer land trust and one staffed land trust. The organizations must have outstanding initiative to broaden support for land conservation, collaboration initiative and communications, education and outreach initiative.
Executive director of the Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust Tim Troll says the primary purpose of a land trust is to conserve land, but that’s not all it does.
“Other purposes are to protect land, protect habitats, and in our case it’s been mostly focused on protecting salmon habitats and subsistence resources.”
Troll says the land trust movement started 50 years ago and has since created between 1,200-1,300 trusts nationwide. The Land Trust Alliance sets standards for trusts to use as guidelines.
The Bristol Bay heritage land Trust was nominated because of its work in the Bristol Bay region. Troll says in the past few years there have been several projects the group is proud of.
“Several years ago the land tryst had a role in negotiating and facilitating a conservation easement in the Wood-Tikchick state park, working with Aleknagik Natives limited and the Conservation Fund that resulted in a 21,000 acre conservation easement over Aleknagik Natives Limited Land in Bristol Bay. That was one accomplishment that was cited for the award.”
The Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust has worked to protect the region’s water and fish as well as increase understanding the effects of mining and climate change on wild salmon. Troll says he’s excited for the projects to come and the work the group will do for Bristol Bay.