Did you know that accredited land trusts monitor every property they protect every year? It is an essential part of fulfilling our mission to protect land in perpetuity. One of the most exciting advancements in land stewardship is the emergence of digital aerial monitoring. This technology allows NCLC, and our partner land trusts, to be both more efficient and thorough.

We are excited to announce that the Land Trust Alliance awarded NCLC $13,800 to establish a pilot program to train our partner land trusts to use a program called  LENS for aerial monitoring, outreach to landowners, and tracking changes over time. The program is open to every land trust in NCLC’s service area, and we appreciate the partnership with HVA Greenprint Collaborative on this project.

Participating land trusts will receive unlimited use of LENS for the 2021 calendar year, plus NCLC staff support as they begin their aerial inspection programs.  If land trusts choose not to use LENS themselves, NCLC can complete their monitoring for them on a fee-for-service basis.