For Immediate Release

Land Trust Named Organization of theYear by Running Springs Chamber

October 20, 2012

The Running Springs Area Chamber of Commerce has named the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust as its Organization of The Year.  “The Land Trust has served the area for a long time (17 years); they buy private forest land that they give back to us, the community, by way of the public national forest,” said Chamber Board Member, Terisa Bonito, “they do great work.”

The  San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust evolved from a small group of residents in the mountain community coming together to preserve a pristine stream valley at the headwaters of Deep Creek.  During their campaign, the group realized the threat to Deep Creek was only one part of a much larger problem throughout much of the San Bernardino Mountains.

Most residents and visitors to the San Bernardino Mountains believe all the wildland they see is part of the National Forest and, therefore, protected.  The fact is, huge tracts of land within the National Forest are in private hands and vulnerable to development that can often be incompatible with the forest and its wildlife.  Members of this group founded the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust; the organization was established as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) in 1996 to ensure lasting public benefit of the natural mountain environment within the San Bernardino National Forest.

Buying land to protect natural habitat has been practiced for over 100 years.  However, it was not until the Nature Conservancy, the largest of all land trusts, began using this methodology in the 1970's that is gained prominence.  Now it has become widespread.

Employing this practice, the SBMLT together with the tireless collaboration of volunteers, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the business community has protected over 12,000 acres in the San Bernardino National Forest. 

The SBMLT has identified over 50 more wildland properties representing approximately 40,000 acres of the forest landscape in the San Bernardino Mountains that have outstanding conservation values, but are privately held.  As these private inholdings become available for sale, the SBMLT seeks to give landowners a choice of selling their forest property for continued conservation rather than for development.  Using a revolving acquisition fund, SBMLT is able to acquire land that can then be added to the National Forest for permanent conversation ownership.

Visit www.sbmlt.net to learn how you can become involved.

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