Greenbelt Land Trust of mid-Missouri<br/> <br/>

Accomplishments in 2007 <br/> <br/>

Part-time Project Manager <br/>
The Greenbelt Land Trust now has a paid, part-time Project Manager, thanks to a one-year grant from the Missouri Department of Conservation. A subcommittee of the Board interviewed several highly qualified candidates and selected Jeff Barrow for the position. Many of you know Jeff as the founder of the Greenbelt Coalition, and long-time Board member of the Greenbelt Land Trust. In keeping with the purposes of the grant, Jeff will be focusing on conservation activities in the Bonne Femme watershed. <br/> <br/>

Membership in the Land Trust Alliance <br/>
The Greenbelt Land Trust continued to develop professionally by joining the Land Trust Alliance (LTA). To do so, we reviewed and adopted a set of Standards and Practices that helps insure the professional integrity of our land trust. The LTA provides an excellent support structure for hundreds of land trusts nationwide, including workshops, publications, referrals and assistance. We are proud to be a member of the Land Trust Alliance.  <br/> <br/>

A little bit of politics <br/>
As a followup to our co-sponsorship of an Agricultural Preservation workshop last year, the Greenbelt Land Trust actively supported HB1110, a bill that would have made it easier for counties to develop and fund agricultural preservation programs. The bill died in committee, but we hope to see it re-introduced this year. <br/> <br/>

Working with MU students <br/>
The Greenbelt Land Trust initiated our first project with a student volunteer from MU’s Office of Service Learning this year. Senior business major Jeff Hershberger worked with us to improve our Web site. The Service Learning program enables students and community service organizations such as ours to develop projects together. Expect more benefits to our Land Trust and to service-oriented students this year. <br/>  <br/>

Stewardship activity and easement monitoring<br/>
We continued a program of what we believe is professional-caliber stewardship on our two properties, Hinkson Nature Area and Spring Valley Nature Area. We continue to follow our Management Plans for both areas. Invasive control remains a top priority, and has been the focus of numerous volunteer workdays in the past year. In addition, volunteers continue to monitor both our properties and our two easements, with any changes or concerns documented and filed in annual monitoring reports.<br/> <br/>

Easement activity <br/>
Although no new easements were filed this year, the Greenbelt Land Trust has responded to numerous inquiries, and we are actively working on several projects. Interest in conservation easements is growing in mid-Missouri, and will continue to put pressure on our limited staff and volunteer resources. <br/> <br/>

Board changes <br/>
Several Board members have resigned this year (amicably, we hope), including Jeff Barrow as he accepted the contract position of Program Manager. We appreciate the years of service from Jeff, Jan Thompson and Llona Weiss. The Board appointed Janet Hammen to fill a Board position, and we are actively seeking Board candidates who can further the goals and objectives of the Greenbelt Land Trust. Please contact the office or a Board member if you are interested in serving on the Board. <br/>