Acquisition Funds Approved!
In fall 2003, WLT was awarded a $2 million acquisition fund by the Preserving
Wild California Program of the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation for the purpose
of eliminating inholdings in proposed wilderness in the California Wild Heritage
Act. This fund and a $200,000 acquisition fund from the Catto Foundation,
awarded in 2002, are the first of their kind for WLT and are a significant
aid to the organization in achieving its mission. This fall, WLT also received
an additional $3.23 million grant from the Preserving Wild California Program
of the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation for land purchases in the Beauty
Mountain Wilderness Study Area, located in Riverside County, California.
WLT is grateful for these acquisition funds,
which are allowing the organization to aggressively address
the issues of wilderness inholdings in California and other
parts of the country.
Expansion Funds Generated!
During the 2003-04 year, WLT was able to generate a $682,000 fund which will
be used to expand its work over the next three years. In the coming year
we will work to increase our ability to purchase a greater number of inholdings
and to transfer these to the federal government. Our strategy will be to
build private support for these efforts, as well as to advocate for greater
federal Land and Water Conservation Funds for wilderness inholdings. The
expansion funds generated during the 2003-04 year will be used to build the
organization’s capacity to achieve this goal. With greater private
and third party funding The Wilderness Land Trust aims to open a full time
office in Washington state and hire an additional staff member dedicated
wholly to the work of eliminating inholdings and ensuring that an enduring
resource of wilderness will be available for all Americans.
