North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) had the honor of hosting the National ALE (Agricultural Land Easement) Summit on June 7 -9, 2022. The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) helps landowners, land trusts, and other entities protect, restore, and enhance wetlands, grasslands, and working farms and ranches through conservation easements. U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides financial assistance to eligible partners for purchasing Agricultural Land Easements that protect the agricultural use and conservation values of eligible land. The Land Trust Alliance and NRCS, in coordination with NFLT, hosted the event in Jacksonville, Florida. The facilitated event was attended by 45 attendees including representatives of 24 land trusts and eleven NRCS national and state-based staff. The summit focused on strengthening ACEP-ALE program participation through solutions-focused dialogue on program policy and process and included activities to strengthen communications and partnerships. The next steps include establishing new working groups on identified program topics. A formal report will be prepared and shared with the Land Trust Alliance board, NRCS leadership, attendees, and other stakeholders. The Jacksonville conference was a huge success.
