The Board of Directors and Staff of the Rensselaer Land Trust recently developed a new strategic plan to guide our intentions and actions for 2019 to 2021. The plan includes 24 activities under three priorities:

1) Protecting Key Lands
2) Stewarding Land and Water for Conservation and Community
3) Building RLT for the Future

It also includes a set of performance indicators, implementation schedules, and a set of organizational values to guide our work.

As has been our history over the past 31 years, we seek to engage our members, conservation partners and allied organizations, government at all levels, and the citizenry in protecting the important land and water in Rensselaer County and the surrounding area. Together we can ensure that the high quality of life in our region is maintained and that the protection of open space and biodiversity is balanced with the need for economic growth for our community.

We invite you to join us as a volunteer, donor, or to become a Board member to help.

Click HERE to DOWNLOAD our eight page Strategic Plan.

On December 4, the Hudson River Watershed Alliance awarded the Rensselaer Land Trust (RLT) with their 2018 Watershed WaveMaker Awards. RLT was selected in the small organization category because of their 31 years in conserving the open spaces, watersheds and natural habitats of Rensselaer County, for the benefit of our communities and future generations. RLT’s recent successes which made them key award recipients include:

• RLT completed a county-wide Natural Resource inventory and Conservation Plan, which puts climate resiliency and water quality front and center in the prioritization of future conservation efforts. This conservation plan will lead to the protection of county-wide water resources as its target of preserving 10,000 additional acres by 2030 is achieved.

• RLT finalized a Hudson River Access Plan for Rensselaer County, the first county-wide plan to advance the Hudson River Estuary Program’s goal of “getting people to the river." People are motivated to protect places that they love and have access to. This plan provides the blueprint to increase the connection between people and the river in this region.

• RLT implemented a citizen scientist water quality monitoring project in local streams and tributaries in Rensselaer County. Riverkeeper’s boat can’t go up Rensselaer County tributaries, but the Rensselaer Land Trust's many volunteers can! Partnering organizations involved on this project included Rensselaer County; the Cities of Troy and Rensselaer; Watershed Assessment Associates; United States Geological Survey; Riverkeeper; River Haggie, and Capital District Regional Planning Commission. In one case, the data collected led to citation and remediation of a sewage leak in the City of Rensselaer.

Read more: RLT Receives 2018 Watershed WaveMaker Award

At its Annual Conference, the New York Upstate Chapter of the American Planning Association recognized a series of projects and one individual in its 2018 Professional Awards Program. The Rensselaer Land Trust won TWO “Best Practice” Awards for the recently completed Hudson River Access Study and County Land Conservation Plan.

These awards recognize outstanding contributions to the field of city, town, and regional planning. The Professional Awards program recognized outstanding submissions in the following areas: comprehensive planning, best practice, implementation, public outreach, distinguished leadership, and Great Places in Upstate New York.

"The Upstate Chapter Awards Program has been a centerpiece of our Annual Conferences for years and once again we were thrilled to present our membership with 12 exemplary examples of recent projects completed by Chapter Members that are bringing about positive change and benefits for residents of Upstate New York."

Read more: RLT Awarded TWO “Best Practice” Awards