STEWARDSHIP REPORT Our Commitment to the Land

from 2022 Annual Report

2022 PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

Permanent stewardship of the lands GLT has conserved is at the very foundation of our work as a land trust Years of diligent, detailed, hard work goes into the initial conservation of a property Assuming responsibility for a conservation easement is a permanent commitment and a growing element of GLT’s ongoing work as our organization ages, development and populations increase and change around our protected properties, and the roster of conservation easements GLT holds grows While the stewardship of previously protected properties may not grab headlines or pique interest in the way that new projects do, upholding and enforcing conservation easements is perhaps the most critical part of our work This perpetual commitment to land conservation ensures that protected open spaces, wetlands, salmon streams, and wildlife habitats remain viable for this generation, the next, and each generation to come

As of the end of 2022, GLT holds 41 conservation easements covering 10,500 acres of land in Southcentral Alaska The success of our stewardship program is based on diligent monitoring of each conservation easement-protected property with an annual visit and through fostering and maintaining relationships with the landowners, neighbors, and volunteers who help us steward the land We take a proactive approach, working year-round to uphold our easements and prevent violations from occurring.

Eklutna River Estuary Restoration

We were lucky to have Javier Acuna and Cooper Arend both join us for a second year as Land Stewards in 2022

A recent example of the importance and effectiveness of our stewardship efforts is illustrated by the ultimate success we had in dealing with a major trespass violation to the land protected by the Eklutna River Estuary Conservation Easement

In 2017, GLT discovered that a trespasser severely damaged a large section of the Eklutna River Estuary conservation easement-protected property. In 2021, as a result of our persistence and hard work, GLT staff and our legal team were successful in reaching a substantial settlement that allowed us to recoup all legal costs as well as fund restoration of the conserved property.

While dealing with trespass damage and violations to conservation easements isn’t the most fun part of our jobs, it is the most important. We are thrilled to know that our work over the past years, and your continued support of our mission, enables us to uphold our promises to permanent conservation and to future generations.

In 2022, GLT staff worked with a restoration expert and an experienced landscaping team to develop a restoration plan which was implemented in September 2022. The restoration team spent two weeks preparing for and planting hundreds of native species of trees and plants, installing fencing to protect against moose browse, and preparing for irrigation over the next few growing seasons. We will monitor the restored area with extra attention over the coming years to make sure the newly planted trees and shrubs continue to grow and that the area is recovering

While complete restoration will take years, due to the severity of the trespass damage, the restoration plan and implementation has set the property on the path to full recovery, which would not have occurred without our persistence and diligence. We look forward to seeing the impacted area move towards full recovery and we are proud of the success of our work to uphold the conservation easement and honor our commitment – to our supporters, funders, and community - to permanently protecting these priority lands.