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Loudoun Resident Appointed to National Land Conservation Group(Washington, D.C.) March 2, 2006 – The Land Trust Alliance, a national network of private land trusts working to conserve land in their communities, today announced the appointment of Round Hill resident Michael Dennis to its Board of Directors. Mr. Dennis said he was proud to be asked to serve in this position because “This group is the national leader in facing the biggest conservation challenge in America – the loss of land to uncontrolled development which is occurring at a pace that is threatening the quality of life in many communities.” The Land Trust Alliance provides training and national representation to the nation’s 1500 land trusts, operating in every state. Land trusts are private nonprofit organizations that work to conserve land important to each of their communities through various means including conservation easements and the acquisition and management of conservation lands. The Piedmont Environmental Council, an Land Trust Alliance member, is the most active land trust in the Loudoun County area. At the national level, land trusts have conserved more than 34 million acres, more land than in all of the national parks in the lower 48 states combined. A western Loudoun County resident since 1980, Mr. Dennis cited local development as typical of national trends. “I have seen the incredible growth and change in the Loudoun County landscape bring a diminution in the quality our life over the past 20 years. Technically capable and well-run land trusts are critical to reverse this trend and to help protect this nation’s valuable natural resources.” One role of the Land Trust Alliance is to provide the tools and training that these land trusts need to succeed including the development of standards and best operational practices. On February 15th, Land Trust Alliance also announced the creation of a new independent commission to bring a system of accreditation, the first of its kind, to qualified land trusts. Dennis has had extensive experience with land trusts, both in his professional career and in a volunteer capacity. For over 2 decades he served as General Counsel for The Nature Conservancy, the largest and best-known land trust, which focuses on conservation of biodiversity at the state, national and international level. He is currently the Conservancy’s Vice President and Director of Conservation Real Estate and Private Lands. Working on the board of Land Trust Alliance, Mr. Dennis says he feels right at home since he was involved in its initial development in the early 1980s, when the group was called the Land Trust Exchange. Mr. Dennis is one of the founders of the Malpai Borderlands Group, which during the past 12 years has helped protect over a million acres of conservation lands in Arizona and New Mexico. As the counsel for this group, Dennis cites its close cooperation with ranchers as the key to its success. He also serves as council member for the North American Wetlands Conservation Council which now grants $75 million per year to protect wetlands in North America. He explained, “This program directly involves hundreds of conservation partners—state, federal, land trusts, private individuals and businesses. The more partners, the more successful the project, particularly since the grants are leveraged by a 1 to 1 match requirement.” Locally, Mr. Dennis and his wife Diane have been involved in many civic projects. Together they were among the founders of the Loudon Ballet Company, which recently celebrated its 15 th anniversary. Diane is a 5 th grade teacher at Hamilton Elementary School, and has been a teacher in Loudoun County for the past 18 years. Their daughter Abigail is a resident at the University of Virginia Medical Center and their son Eben teaches classical guitar in Greensboro, North Carolina. Mr. Dennis has also served on the board of directors of the Loudoun Country Day School and currently is on the board of LAAF, an art school and gallery located in Leesburg, Virginia. Mr. Dennis can be reached for comment at 540-338-6794.
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