Your Vote Will Help ORLT Win $10,000!

Serenity: the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled... In the woods of the Ozarks, what some might call a "deep holler," you can truly escape and find serenity among the sights, sounds, and creatures of nature. Where worries become memory and now is all that matters. Land is My Serenity...

A beautiful Ozark sunset with storm clouds on the horizon

A button to "Vote for this Video" Land is My Serenity

The Land Trust Alliance has a new video contest, and ORLT's entry is now live! The contest theme is: "Land is My . . . ."  J.P. Scott, the creator of the  video above, has selected ORLT to receive the $10,000 grand prize should his video win top honors.
 
LTA invited people from all over the country to participate in this fun community project by having them upload a brief video of what land meant to them.  J.P. interviewed one of ORLT's very own landowners, John McGee, and from that interview, developed the theme for his entry for ORLT to "Land is My Serenity".
 
Watch the Video and Vote Every Day Until the End of the Competition.

Vote Every Day Until the End of the Competition

We can't do it without your help! We need votes to get into the final round of judging. You can vote every 24 hours until November 18th. Click on the video above or here to vote: https://www.landismy.org/content/land-my-serenity/

The contest ends November 11 and voting continues until the 18th. The public will vote for their favorite videos until the end of the contest. The top 10 videos with the most votes will be judged by an independent contest panel and award the top three prizes.

 

A panoramic view from atop Arkansas bluffs overlooking beautiful hilly green fields and woodlands

Over 1000 Acres of Ozark Land Protected So Far in 2016

Our mission is to protect the nature, history, and heritage of the Ozarks forever. So far in 2016 we have saved over 1000 acres of land from all over the state. These newest additions bring ORLT's total acres saved to well over 28,000. That's as much land as there is in the city of Saint Louis or over 30,000 football fields. And, without your help and donations none of it would be possible. Thank you for being a part of this momentous endeavor to save this beautiful land for generations to come. Without you, it would not be possible.

McGee – 646 Acres Saved

Rolling Ozark Hills on a small cattle farm near Gsconade River

Travis McGee's 646-acre plot sits alongside the Gasconade river in Central Missouri and is home to a diverse population of native Ozark plants and animals.  The land is composed of approximately two-thirds woodlands with the remainder being primarily comprised of grasslands, beautifully carved with streams and rolling topography.

Travis operates the land as a working cow/calf operation with about 200 pairs on the property. With the conservation easement in place, Travis hopes to have this property be just as it is today 100 years from now.

"They are not making any more land. As the population grows and we use more and more resources, it is our responsibility to protect our natural landscape so they remain unpolluted and untainted by development. It is mine and my company's wish to help in any efforts to converse and protect this Ozark land for the future generations."

Dollard – 160 Acres Saved

Conservation Easement Complettion ORLT Missouri Land TrustEarlier this year, Robert Dollard signed the first of two conservation easements to permanently protect his 160-acre farm. Mr. Dollard’s farm has more than 1,700 feet of stream frontage on the Huzzah Creek, a major tributary of the Meramec River and a priority watershed for Ozark Regional Land Trust.

The property adjoins Mark Twain National Forest. More than half the property is forested, with a restored woodland, and the rest has important agricultural soils.  Because of the important soils, the Natural Resources Conservation Service helped to fund the first easement. ORLT's Abigail Lambert is working on conservation easement number two as Bob moves forward to permanently protecting all of his property on the Huzzah.

Marler – 200 Acres Saved

Marty Marler, conservation easement holder with son

Marty Marler owned forested land just south of Sullivan which contained vital habitat for the endangered Indiana bat. Mr. Marler was willing to permanently protect it with a conservation easement. This easement would be held and monitored by ORLT in perpetuity with the goal of maintaining and improving the available bat habitat on the property.

The USFWS, Menards, Mr. Marler, and ORLT negotiated a partnership and legal document (the conservation easement) that would assure Indiana bats will always have a home in Sullivan. It was a win-win for all the partners - especially, our winged friends, the Indiana bats.

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