Alachua Conservation Trust Receives $8,000 Grant from Land Trust Alliance and Open Space Institute to Help Plan for Climate Change

December 7, 2021

Gainesville, Florida – On Dec. 1st, the Land Trust Alliance (LTA) and Open Space Institute (OSI) announced that Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) was awarded $8,000 in grant funding and technical assistance in order to plan for climate change and its anticipated impacts in North Central Florida. In total, nearly $400,000 of funds were awarded to local land trusts and other nonprofits across the United States by the LTA and OSI for this critical work.

ACT will use the grant funds for its long-term planning and incorporation of climate change issues into its upcoming 5-year strategic plan.

ACT manages a diverse mix of ecosystems that have been and will continue to be impacted by climate change. These lands range from coastal beaches to forested inland habitats across Florida. Issues such as increased flooding hazards due to storm surges, sea level rise and invasive species introductions are already being seen across ACT’s working area.

The grant funds will incorporate climate change science and strategies into ACT’s strategic planning, enable ACT to identify goals for effective implementation of land acquisition and habitat management in its working area that mitigate the effects of climate change, and will support ACT’s current efforts to engage a qualified strategic planning consultant and provide them with the tools needed to advance climate science into ACT’s long-term efforts.

“The Land Trust Alliance and Open Space Institute are leading the way in climate change mitigation and adaptation. With their support, climate change will not be a stand-alone goal, but rather an integrated part of Alachua Conservation Trust’s work,” said ACT executive director, Tom Kay. “ACT has made a commitment to combating the effects of climate change through our conservation efforts, and these funds will allow us to move forward with this commitment in the most effective and informed way possible. We are grateful to the Land Trust Alliance and Open Space Institute for the financial and technical support provided by this grant award.”

According to the Land Trust Alliance, the grants were funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, J.M. Kaplan Fund, Jane's Trust Foundation, Volgenau Foundation, William Penn Foundation, an anonymous foundation and several generous individual donors.

For more information about Alachua Conservation Trust or our work, call (352) 373-1078 or email info@alachuaconservationtrust.org.

Banner image by Allison Blakeslee.