2024 ANNUAL REPORT
OUR MISSION & VISION
GreatLandTrust’smissionistoconserveandstewardthelandsandwatersessentialtothequalityoflifeandeconomic healthofAlaskans.
GreatLandTrust’svisionisthrivingpeople,landscapes,andwildlifeinAlaska.
OUR WORK
GLTisyourlocallandtrust–anonprofitorganizationfoundedin1995byAlaskansanddedicatedtoconservingthelands andwaterswelove.
GLT’sfocusisonlandconservationforcommunitybenefit–weworktoprotectwetlandsthatprovidecleandrinkingwater, toconservehabitatforsalmonandotherwildlife,andtobuildtrailsandestablishaccesstotheoutdoorsandopenspace.
GLTworksinvoluntarypartnershipwithlandowners,agencies,communitiesandotherpartnersthroughoutSouthcentral AlaskawithafocusontheMunicipalityofAnchorage,Mat-SuBorough,PrinceWilliamSound,CopperRiverBasin,and Kodiak.
Ourcorevaluesareintegrityandtrust,partnershipandcollaboration,stewardship,strategy,innovation,anddeliberative decisionmaking.
LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dear Friends,
As Great Land Trust embarks on our 30th year, we are delighted to share with you our 2024 Annual Report, highlighting our most recent successes permanently protecting the lands and waters that we all love.
This past year, we enthusiastically upheld our perpetual commitment to care for previously conserved lands that bring joy and adventure to our lives. We are so appreciative of the local governments, landowners, neighbors, and supporters who work with us to steward these precious places.
2024 has also been a landmark year as we worked together with partners, funders, and communities across Southcentral Alaska to both launch and complete new conservation projects, expanding our shared conservation legacy.
Our collective love of where we live, of the work we do, and the people we do it with makes us powerful and fierce as we firmly embrace our mission and protect the iconic treasures of Southcentral Alaska, like the newly established Potter Marsh Watershed Park.
We have so much to celebrate both looking back on the year behind us and looking forward to all that we will do together.
Your support has fueled GLT’s vision, hard work, and love – and made the past 30 years possible and the projects we have lined up in 2025 a reality. On behalf of the outstanding staff and our stalwart board, THANK YOU for working with us to protect the very best of Alaska for all of us now and for generations to come.
With warm wishes and deep appreciation,
Ellen Kazary Executive Director, Great Land Trust
2024
HIGHLIGHT
POTTER MARSH WATERSHED PARK
2024 closed out with a big win for conservation and the Anchorage community. On December 31st, GLT and the Municipality of Anchorage finalized the land deal officially establishing the Potter Marsh Watershed Park. After more than four years of negotiations and fundraising efforts where GLT secured $6 million for the project, the new 300-acre park is public land and its vital habitat is protected. The newly acquired land has now been transferred to the MOA Department of Parks & Recreation, where it will be managed as a public park, with a conservation easement held by GLT to safeguard its ecological values forever.
The project has been supported by a variety of funding sources, including two National Coastal Wetlands grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, the first-ever Community Forest Program grant from the U.S. Forest Service awarded in Alaska, and a grant from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. Additional financial support has come from the Rasmuson Foundation, Anchorage Audubon, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, ConocoPhillips Alaska, and Alaska Conservation Foundation, alongside over $240,000 raised from local community donors.
The outpouring of support from both the Anchorage community and beyond has clearly shown the public's enthusiasm for the project, and its completion would not have been possible without the contributions of so many individuals.
Wetlands and streams that flow through the now-protected property provide freshwater input to the south side of Potter Marsh, which in turn provides storm water retention and flood control, and supports the habitat of salmon, migratory birds, and other wildlife. The protection of this watershed that feeds Potter Marsh is essential for the future of the marsh, which is one of Anchorage’s most visited wildlife viewing destinations, attracting more than 200,000 visitors each year.
Potter Marsh Watershed Park is now open to the public, offering several miles of basic trails and creating new opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy outdoor recreation, healthy activities, and wildlife viewing in Anchorage. GLT and the MOA Parks & Recreation Department are planning to kick off a master planning process with the community in the next two to three years to determine the park’s future infrastructure and recreational offerings. Follow GLT’s Facebook or Instagram pages, or sign up on our website for our monthly e-newsletter for updates on this process, as well as information about a community celebration this summer.
IN THE WORKS
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON IN 2025
Our mission and strategic plan guide our conservation work, allowing us to strategically pursue conservation projects that safeguard lands and waters with significant natural and cultural value for public benefit - protecting vulnerable habitat and species, supporting ecological integrity, and increasing access to public lands. Through this work, we aim to inspire people to care for and enjoy the lands and waters of Southcentral Alaska. Read below about three projects we will complete in 2025.
O’BrienCreekEstuary-Knik
GLT is engaged in discussions with two longtime Mat-Su Borough families to purchase a 270-acre property at the mouth of O’Brien Creek to protect its valuable ecological and cultural features, including salmon habitats, wetlands, and native cultural sites. The project will involve transferring the land to the Knik Tribal Council for ownership and management, ensuring its preservation while allowing public access
LakeOne-Talkeetna
The Lake One conservation project involves a 40-acre property in Talkeetna, featuring a pristine lake, salmon stream, and forested land that is owned by John Strasenburgh and Ruth Wood who are donating a conservation easement on the property to Great Land Trust. This easement adds to a network of protected areas in the region, contributing to over 1,100 acres of conserved habitat near the Mat-Su Borough Numbered Lakes Natural Area.
ChugachAccessPotterValley-Anchorage
GLT is negotiating the purchase of over 100 acres in Potter Valley bordering Chugach State Park in South Anchorage. This conservation effort will protect undeveloped lands while preserving public access to the park and safeguarding vital ecosystems.
O’Brien Creek Estuary
Lake One
Potter Valley Chugach Access
CARING FOR THE LAND
Conservation easements are a key tool GLT uses to protect important habitats, open space and recreational areas. These customized legal agreements granted voluntarily by a landowner to a land trust, such as GLT, place permanent restrictions on how a property can be used. These legally binding agreements stay with a piece of land forever, even as ownership changes, to protect the property from activities that would change its characteristics and harm the natural habitat while allowing the landowner to continue day-today use and enjoyment of their property.
Conservation easements are valuable for protecting areas with important wildlife habitats, migration routes, salmon waterways, community ecological services (such as flood control, stormwater retention, water purification), recreational opportunities, or access to public lands like Chugach State Park.
GLT currently holds 42 conservation easements across nearly 11,000 acres, ranging from 1 to 5,000 acres each. We uphold our long-term commitment to these conserved lands by monitoring and protecting them through a variety of methods:
Letters to landowners: Each spring, we send a letter to landowners to let them know about our upcoming visit and ask about any changes, human or natural, to their property.
In-person visits: Our Land Stewards visit each property during the summer, meeting with landowners and checking for any changes.
Detailed documentation: During visits, we take photos and write reports to document the property's condition. These records help us monitor the land and address any violations.
Postcards to neighbors: To help prevent third-party violations, we send postcards to neighbors of conserved properties, educating them about the purpose of the protected land and encouraging them to keep an eye out for any potential issues.
Responding to issues: When necessary, we address minor issues like replacing signs or cleaning up trash. Other times, we need to handle larger problems, such as removing abandoned cars or taking legal action to stop damaging activities, such as unauthorized tree or vegetation clearing, and to recover restoration costs. Documenting and addressing these violations is a critical part of our stewardship responsibilities and our ongoing commitment to protecting these conserved lands forever.
This summer, Ben Goltz and Ethan Hodgin joined the GLT team as our Land Stewards. They did an excellent job conducting monitoring visits and stewarding GLT’s conserved lands.
Campbell Creek Estuary
Edgerton Pioneer Reserve
O’Brien Creek Homestead
THANK YOU TO OUR 2024 DONORS
Richard Abbott & Leslie Wing*
Kris Abshire
Macgill Adams
Kelsey Aho
Alaska Community Action On Toxics*
Carolyn & Jerry Allen
Monica Alvarez
Peggy Ammann
Thomas Amodio & Debra
Fitzgerald
Jim Anderson & Karola Moore*
Margaret & Richard Anderson
Paul & Karen Anderson*
Anonymous
Paul Arneson
William Ashton*
Pat Athey
Laura Atwood
Robert & Peggy Auth
Mélisa Babb
Adrian Baer
John & Lynda Baker*, **
Mary Banaszak
Pamela Barbeau
Frankie Barker
Daniella Barraza
Jessica Barry
Molly Bartel*
Alan Batten
Gary Baugh
Chris & Miriam Beck
Adrian & Brad Bell
Christi Bell*
Deidre Berberich*
BGES, Inc.
Patty Bielawski*, **
Dan Bilderback
Dan & Anne Billman*
Ann Binnian
John & Bernell Blaine
Kelly Blumer
Sarah Bobbe
Chris & Judy Bockmon*
Dan Bogan & Luise Woelflein
Donna & Jacques Boutet*
Lori Bradford
Erin Bragg
Charles Brasch
George & Judith Brendel
Peter Briggs & Tracie Krauthoefer*
Bill Britt & Nancy Nolan*
Phil Brna
Elissa Brown & Chris Pike
Ellen Brown
Ellyn Brown
Annie Brownlee
Nina Brudie
Sigrid Brudie & Jay Marvin
Lisa Bulkow
Bob Butera
Calais Company*
Judy Caminer & Roger Marks*
Michael Campbell
Ariel Cannon
Bryan Carey & Bronwen Wang
Daria Carle
Barbara & Michael Carlson*
Karla Carpenter
Terry Carpenter*
Mark Carter
Ken Cassity
Kelly Chang
Stephen Charles
Donna Cherrier
Patricia Chesbro
Tom Choate
Sandra & John Christopherson
Joel Cladouhos
Christopher Clark
Jo Clark
John Clark & Janis Skliar*
Michelle Coburn*
Maryann Cochran
Susanna Colloredo-Mansfeld
Jerald & Yvonne Conn
Erin Cooper
Lamar Cotten
Chris Cotterall*
Donald Crandall**
Peter Crimp & Paula Cullenberg
Terry Cummings
Harold Curran & Karla Kolash
Susan Dabelsteen
Anna Dalton
Mark & Cami Dalton*, **
Willie Dalton
Doug & Carol Damberg
Joe & Joan Darnell
Paula Davis
Karen Dechman Bond*
Dana & Daniel Deedy
Anthony DeGange & Emily Davies*
Christina Degernes**
John DeLapp & Martha Farris
Jeff & Lorri Denton
Joan Diamond
George & Brenda Dickison
Mike Dieni
Jessie Doherty
Joseph & Katherine Donohue
Sheryl Douglas
Terry Doyle
Louise Driscoll
Harriet Drummond
James Dryden & Stephanie Koonz
Adam Dubour
Jim Ducker
John Duffy & Pamela Bergmann**
Robert & Sherry Dugan*
Elizabeth Durnford
Cliff Eames & Ruth McHenry
Jean Eaton
Kenneth Eggers
Peek Ehlinger
Elizabeth Elliott
Nora Elliott*
Andy Erickson
Connie Ernst
David & Diana Evans
Ruth & Charles Fahl*
Scott Fahrney
Walter Featherly
Anne Fiedler
Genevieve Finseth
Susanne Fleek-Green
Barbara Fleek
Sue Flensburg
Shawn & Rona Florio
Keith & Cathy Foerster*
Mark Foster
Mollie Foster & Joe Meyer*
Keith & Jane Fountain
Fox Family Foundation*
James & Victoria Fredenhagen
Paul & Jackie Frederickson*
Hollis French
Robert & Gail French
Richard & Betty Friest*
Kay Gajewski
Joan Galt
Kari Gardey
Dale Gardner
Gwyneth Geiger
Richard Geiger
Marcus Geist
Rebecca Gerik
Sally Gibert & Dick Mylius*
Emma Giboney
Ayse & Chuck Gilbert*
MaryAnn Gilgallon
Nelson & Margaret Gingerich
Dan & Cathy Gleason
Ben Goltz
Jon & Else Goltz*
Keith Goltz
Penny Goodstein
Amanda Goss*
Marah Gotcsik & Laël Gordon
Brian Goudreau
Tim Grams*
Rachel Greenberg
Tom Griffin
Chelsea Grimstad
Mark Gronewald
Judith Haggar
Lynn Hallquist
Lesley Hammer
Martin Hansen & Deborah Lynn
George Harbeson
Sharon Harbuck
Mary Lu Harle
Tamara Harper
Alan Harris
Lesley Harrison
Rochelle Harrison
Larry Hartig*
Christie Haupert
Susie Hayes
Marilyn Heiman & Robert Anderson
Cynthia Hendel
Melissa Heuer & Ian Blake
Debbie Hicks
Ken & Cindy Higgins
Mary Hilcoske
Douglas Hill**
Fred Hirschmann
Carol Hoblitzell
Ethan Hodgin
Kirk Hoessle
Mimi Hogan
Laurie & Sean Holland
Andrew Hollingsworth &
Merijeanne Moore*
Charles Holmes & Dianne
Gudgel-Holmes
David & Mary Holmquist
Lisa Holzapfel
Natalie Hood
Russell & Julie Hood
Marilyn Houser
Joel & Unison Hubbard
David Hudspeth
Elise Huggins
David & Linda Hulen
Amanda & Chad Hults
Bob Hume
Robert Humphreys
Henry & Kathleen Huntington
Jerry Hupp & Gail Volt
Stephan Hyams*
Gail Irvine
Sara Jansen & Randy Jones*, **
Mike & Darlene Jens*
Michael & Katharina Jensen*
Tomas & Heidi Jensen
Barbara Johnson
Carl Johnson & Michelle Turner*
Charlene Johnson
Kirk & Leslie Johnson*
Peter Johnson
Steve & Barbara Johnson*
Brett & Martha Jokela*
Greg Jones*
Russell Joyce
Patricia Joyner
Becky Judd
Richard Judd & Lee Ann Gardner
Marc & Susan June
Rosemary Karish
Maya Kaup
Ellen Kazary & Chris Carlin**
Sharon & Robert Kazary
Taylor Keegan
Nathan Kehoe
Merideane Kennison
Richard Kenshalo
Daniel & Tressa Kentner*
Anne & Steven Kessler*
K Keusenkothen
Keystone Surveying & Mapping
Phyllis Kiehl
Patricia Kilmain
Janet Kincaid
Karen King
Patricia Kinnunen
Gerald W. Kintz
Timothy Kirk
Karen Kish
Susan Klein
Elizabeth Knapp & Mike Still
Robert Knapp
Steve & Katya Koteff
Mark & Leslie Kroloff*
Ken & Peggy Kugel*
Libby Kugel
Linda Kumin
Deb Kurtz & Dan Esler
Michael Lane
Andrea Lang
M Langdon
Janice & Jay Laxson
Michelle LeBeau
John & Claire LeClair
Dolly Lefever
Stuart Leidner & Nina Chambers
Lee Leschper
John LeTourneau & Donna*
Goldsmith
Leah Levingston
Konrad Liegel & Karen Atkins
Leonard & Patricia Linton
Dean Littlepage & Jeanne Moe**
Ruby Loso
Alysia Loughlin-Bushey & Rick
Bushey
Jeff Loughrey**
Mark & Cheryl Lovegreen
Kathleen Lucich
Marie Lundstrom
Judith & Dayle Lyke
Craig Lyon
Cynthia Lyons
Christine Maack
Amy Maclean*
Rob & Patricia MacNaughton
Jim & Dianne Mahaffey*
Patricia Mangiardi
Elizabeth Manning
Constance Markis
Joe Marsala
Julian Mason & Margie MacNeille*
Mark & Judy Masteller**
Warren & Donna Matthews
Susan Mauger
Robin Mayo
Eric McCallum & Robin Smith*, **
Molly McCammon*, **
Shirley McCormick
Colleen McDonald
Kevin McElhaney*
David McElroy**
Hope McGratty
Stephen McKeever & Nancy
Wainwright
John McManamin*
Robin McManamin & Jeffrey Leppo*
Rod & Pat McNaughton
Corinne & Michael McVee
Thomas & Jane Meacham
Kathy Means
Andrea Medeiros
Joe Meehan
Peter Melde
Eric Menck
Vivian Mendenhall*
Stefanie Miller
Julie Millington
Mark & Mary Miner
Dave Mitchell & Elise Gelbart
Ann & Jerry Mitchell
Brita Mjos
Leif Mjos
Peter Mjos & Karen Ruud*
Mark & Debbie Moderow
Steven Moffitt
Stanton Moll & Rosa Meehan
Douglas Molyneaux
Ted & Ginny Moore*
Lisa Moorehead & Bob Dittrick
Jack & Rosemary Mosby
Diane & Mike Moxness*
Nino Muniz & Laurie Silfven
Nancy Munro*
Eric Myers
Sarah Myers
Victoria Naegele
Paul Nagl & Susan Mermelstein
Ellen Nash
Max Neale
Harry & Leslie Need
Dean Nelson & Rhonda Roberts
Patricia & Andre Neptune
Bill Neumeister
Anne Nevaldine*
Anthony Newcomer
Kimberly Nielsen & Michael Maulding
Cherie Nienhuis
Tim Nixon
Genevieve Nolan*
Murph & Peggy O'Brien
Monica O'Keefe**
Ruth O'Rourke
Rollie & Mary Ostermick
Kyle Ostermick-Durkee
Mary & Gary Ott
Sylvia & Marius Panzarella
Mark & Katherine Parmelee
Jill M. Parson*
Jeremy Pataky
John & Kathy Patton
Eric & Harriet Paule
Nancy Pease & Daniel Hull*
Meg Perdue
Mitchell Perkins
Randi Perlman
Michael Peterson*
Bill Petrik
Idamarie Piccard
Becca Pilipchuk
Steve & Shannon Planchon
Rochelle Plotnick
Julia Plotnik
Rudy & Ruth Poglitsh
Sue Pope & Jim Thiele*, **
Caleb Pourchot
Pat Pourchot & Jennifer Johnson*
Shawn Pourchot
Carl Propes
Alyson Pytte*
John & Connie Quinley
Sandy Rabinowitch & Elizabeth
Barry
Taylor Raftery
John & Diane Ramey*
Ann Rappoport & David Irons
Gary Rasmussen
Julie Raymond-Yakoubian
Tom & Elaine Reale
Diana Redwood
Liana Rein
Laurel Renkert & Zak Melms*, **
Diana Rhoades
Bud Rice
Wilson Rice
Jeffrey Richards
Jill Rife
John Riley
Paul Risse & Nancy Darigo
Birgitt Robar
Sigrun Robertson
Tyler Robinson & Katie Bisson
Susan G. Rogers
Gregory Ronnback
Dennis & Annie Ronsse
Herb & Donna Ross
Ann & Thomas Rothe
Nick Rothman
Jonathan Rubini*
Susan Ruddy**
Larry Rundquist*
Ryan Rupert*
Marty Rutherford
Daniel Ruthrauff
Barbara Rydall
Matias Saari
Vincent Sanford
Traci Schacht*
Alan Schmitt & Linda Freed
Arlene Schmuland
Beverly Short & Joel Schmutz
Michael J. Schneider
Kelsey Schober
John & Mary Beth Schoen
Cynthia Schraer
Sandra Schubert
John & Carolyn Schultz*, **
Seattle Foundation*
Robert Senner
Stan & Pat Senner
Bill Sherwonit
Carl & Pixie Siebe*
Cathryn Simon
Theresa Slaven
Alan Smith
Alison Smith & Kurt Egelhofer
Corinne Smith & Paul Button
Kyle Smith & Renea Saade
LaVerne Smith
Linda & Michael Smith*
Michael Smith
Nancy Smith
Gillian Smythe
David Snyder
Kim Sollien**
David & Andy Sonneborn*
Gretchen Specht*, **
Holly Spoth-Torres*
Karen Stafford-Brown
Tim Stallard
Sierra Steele
Anjanette Steer
Leonard Steinberg
David & Heather Sterling
Brad & Denise Stern
Jared Steyaert
John Strasenburgh & Ruth
Wood*, **
Jim Stratton
Stacy Studebaker
Doreen Sullivan
Kevin Sullivan & Hannah Griego
Kathryn Sutton
Nancy Swanton
David Swarthout
Judy & Chip Sweeney
James Sykes
Bruce Talbot*
Nancy Tankersley
Ken Taylor**
Scott Taylor & Cami Oechsli Taylor*
The Denver Foundation*
The Foraker Group
The Frances & David Rose
Foundation*
Brenda Theyers
Lynn Thomas
Scott Thomas
Thais Thomas
Peg & Jules Tileston
Craig Tillery & Phyllis Johnson
Katriina Timm
Thede Tobish & Lisa Oakley
Dianne Toebe*
R & S Toussaint
Chad Trammell
Jan Trettner
Kenna Trickey
Tim Troll
Janice Troyer
Dave & Marcia Trudgen*
Monica Turrentine
Steve Tuttle
Ethan Tyler*
Mark Vail
Jeraldine Van Den Top
Dorn & Diane Van Dommelen
Lang Van Dommelen
Puck Van Dommelen & Kate
Paskievitch
Diana Van Vilet
Veronica Varela
Vicki Vermillion
Venable Vermont, Jr.*
Nancy Wade
Jack Wakeland*
Steve & Marcia Wakeland**
Bob Waldrop*, **
Patricia Walker
Deb Ward
Kevin Waring & Janet Hulbert*
Susan Warren
John Weddleton
Art Weiner & Carol Fries*
Jenny Weis*
Lynn & Dave Welbourne
Sandra Wicks
Marc Wilhelm
Elijah Williams
Margaret Williams
Paula Williams
Holly Withner
Connie Wolfe**
Helen Woodings
Chris & Beverly Wooley
Wendy Woolf
Mark Worcester
Ken & Chris Zafren
Eileen Zaiser
Jon & Stephanie Zuck
* - Raven Circle
** - Legacy Circle
FUNDERS
Alaska Conservation Foundation
Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund/ADF&G
Anchorage Audubon
Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund
ConocoPhillips Alaska
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council
Mat-Su Health Foundation
National Coastal Wetland Grant
North American Wetland Conservation Act
Rasmuson Foundation
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Coastal Program
U.S. Forest Service Community Forest Program
STAFF
Amanda Hults Lands Manager & Stewardship Director
Ellen Kazary Executive Director
Libby Kugel Communications Director
Dave Mitchell Conservation Director
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Sara Jansen (Chair)
Jon Goltz (Vice-Chair)
Traci Schacht (Treasurer)
Ethan Tyler (Secretary)
John Baker
Deidre Berberich
Mark Dalton
Larry Hartig
Leah Levingston
Becca Pilipchuk
Gretchen Specht
HONORARY DIRECTORS
Linda Kumin, John McManamin, Eric McCallum & Robin Smith, John Strasenburgh & Ruth Wood
EMERITUS DIRECTORS
Gary Baugh, Dick LeFebvre, Molly McCammon, Pat Pourchot, Susan Ruddy
POBox101727,Anchorage,AK99510
www.greatlandtrust.org info@greatlandtrust.org (907)278-4998
