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Description:
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In 2006, the Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance will celebrate its 10th anniversary. It is an exciting time for the organization which is transitioning from a vibrant, grassroots group to a more mature and efficient establishment, building its capacity to preserve and protect more of Hunterdon County's precious natural resources and special rural landscape.
In the spring of 1995, a group of concerned citizens from across Hunterdon County convened a meeting to discuss their mutual concern for the future of Hunterdon County's rural character and heritage. Faced with increasing development pressures and the encroachment of suburban sprawl, these citizens shared frustration as they watched family farms and woodlands consumed by development. As a result of that meeting, thirty-four citizens representing local, county, regional and state organizations formed a Steering Committee to develop a mission statement, bylaws, a board of trustees and a work plan of both short and long term goals for a county-wide land trust.
In 1996, the Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance incorporated as a nonprofit, countywide conservation organization. Governed by a Board of Trustees that represent a broad cross-section of the county population and its 26 municipalities, the Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance is committed to preserving the natural resources and rural landscapes that make Hunterdon County so special.
At first an all-volunteer effort, the Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance has grown over the years, building support and establishing its reputation as an effective and experienced land trust. In the fall of 2003, the organization hired its first full-time Executive Director to expand the land preservation efforts of the organization in furtherance of its mission. |