Forest Park Conservancy’s mission to protect Forest Park does not stop at the Park’s boundary lines. As part of its 20-year large landscape restoration effort, the Greater Forest Park Conservation Initiative (GFPCI), FPC and its partners are looking for collaborative ways to protect the surrounding 10,000 acres that are part of this larger landscape. One of the identified strategies to achieve these goals is the use of conservation easements and fee title acquisition.
Currently, the Forest Park Conservancy holds 13 recorded easements surrounding Forest Park. These easements mean that FPC is the steward for approximately 1,000 acres of permanently protected land for conservation.
Traditionally, the management of conservation easements and the stewardship of conservation lands is done by conservation-minded organizations called “land trusts”. In Oregon, these land trusts are organized under the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts (COLT). COLT provides the structure and support for its members to collaborate, connect and learn from each other, and thus strengthen the protection of critical landscapes in Oregon.
COLT and its 26 member organizations have been successful in protecting over 415,000 acres, implementing 720 conservation projects and engaging over 6,000 volunteers.FPC is excited to have joined COLT as an associate member during 2018, and to have been highlighted on its 2019 State of the Lands Report. Check out the report here and learn more about COLT and the work of Land Trusts in Oregon at www.oregonlandtrusts.org.