Nomination Statement for Mary Margaret Lowe

Terrafirma Means Forever;

or Why I Would Like to Serve on the Terrafirma Members Committee

When I think of Terrafirma, the first think that comes to mind is “forever”; or in accreditation and legal terms, “in perpetuity”. As a board member of a land trust, I have a commitment to protect our local land and water during my lifetime and beyond. Terrafirma is integral to maintaining that protection, and I would be honored to be a part of that goal on a larger scale by serving as the Southeast Region representative on the Terrafirma Members Committee. 

My local land trust is Woods and Waters Land Trust (WWLT), founded in 2010. We are a very small land trust, with one part-time staff person, five easements, and a 34-acre urban forest nature preserve.  We depend on Terrafirma to help us ensure that the land under our protection will be safeguarded in perpetuity.

Some background on how I became interested in conservation defense: In July 2014, the Kentucky Land Trusts Coalition sponsored a legal update workshop, presented by an attorney who attended LTA’s Fourth Symposium on Advanced Legal Topics in Land Conservation in Reno, Nevada. I and two other WWLT board members attended this workshop and realized we needed to:     

1. Strengthen our commitment to conservation defense.

2. Begin the LTA process of “Assessing Your Organization”.
 

During the “Assessing Your Organization” process, we realized that WWLT was especially vulnerable to legal challenges to our easements. We quickly signed up for Terrafirma insurance. We completed the Land Trust Alliance’s Legal Defense Reserves Calculator and began the process of identifying funds for that purpose. With the WWLT Conservation Committee, we proposed the creation of a Conservation Defense Fund. In September 2015, the WWLT Board agreed to allocate 10% of our non-restricted donations every year to our Conservation Defense Fund. Although this fund is adequate for minor easement challenges, we rely on Terrafirma to advise and protect us should we have a major encroachment.   

I bring to the table extensive experience in strategic planning and accreditation; policy development and implementation; leadership and service on committees; management, budgeting, personnel, and public relations; teaching at the college level; and community service. I am also a passionate conservationist: in 2019, my husband and I received the Stewardship Award from the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Board.

I have the time, skills, energy, and passion, and would be honored to serve on the Terrafirma Members Committee. Thank you for considering me for this position.

Mary Margaret Lowe