The Land Trust Alliance (Alliance) is a national conservation organization that works to save the places people love. Most recently, the Alliance has begun to focus on Community Conservation, listening to and engaging people from all walks of life in conservation work so that it addresses community needs and helps people experience a deep connection to the land. Now, the Alliance is hoping to monitor and evaluate what the impact of community conservation is on communities. National Land Trust Census data measures acres conserved, dollars raised, number of board members, and number of supporters, among many other things. The Alliance is seeking metrics, some of which can be included in the National Land Trust Census, that can tell the Alliance more about community conservation and its impact. Yellow Wood is working with the Alliance to develop these metrics, using a phased approach that will move from identifying appropriate metrics to pretesting metrics in the field, to full-scale implementation. Phase one of this work involves conducting background research and key informant interviews to gather up-to-date information on the community conservation movement and engaging with an Alliance-directed working group (through webinars and an in-person workshop) to understand the value of community conservation to the Alliance and its members, and will conclude with the development of draft proposed metrics.
Innovators in Rural Community Economic Development
