Snow Creek Estuary Preserve by Heather Johnson.
Over the past several months, Jefferson Land Trust invited community input on our draft 2026-2030 Strategic Plan through a public survey, in-person conversations, and online interviews. More than 250 community members — including donors, volunteers, partners, landowners, and local residents — shared their perspectives.
We’re deeply grateful for the time, care, and thought reflected in this feedback. The final strategic plan is stronger, clearer, and more grounded because of it.
Several themes rose to the top.
Community members were clear that preventing land conversion is the defining challenge of our time. With rising land values, development pressure, rezoning, and climate migration reshaping our region, people consistently emphasized the importance of keeping working lands working, forests forested, and natural areas natural. In response, the final plan reaffirms land protection as Jefferson Land Trust’s core mission — with habitat protection and connectivity at its center.
Habitat and biodiversity emerged as the highest priorities, with strong support for protecting and connecting key habitat areas and conserving wildlife corridors such as the Quimper Wildlife Corridor and Cappy’s Trails. The plan reflects this by sharpening our focus on priority corridors and strengthening our role in advocating for conservation priorities in local land-use planning and implementation.
Community members also expressed strong support for working forests and farmland when they contribute to ecological health, climate resilience, and local livelihoods. At the same time, many emphasized realism: opportunities arise when landowners are ready, and conservation must be economically and operationally viable. The plan now more clearly acknowledges these realities and commits to pacing program growth responsibly.
Education and access were widely valued, especially hands-on, place-based programs that build real skills for stewardship. In response, the plan aligns education more explicitly with applied stewardship and forestry skills, developed in partnership with schools, workforce programs, and industry partners.
While on-the-ground outcomes ranked highest, many interviewees underscored that organizational strength is essential, championing stewardship capacity, financial sustainability, leadership continuity, and avoiding overextension. The final plan introduces clearer guardrails around growth and a new emphasis on organizational health and perpetuity.
Community members also asked for plain language and clarity, especially around terms like “resilience.” The plan now defines ecological, community, and organizational resilience in concrete ways.
Together, community input shaped a plan that aims to act boldly, but responsibly — protecting the lands that define east Jefferson County while building an organization strong enough to steward them for generations.
We’re grateful for the trust placed in us and remain committed to listening, learning, and adapting as this five-year plan is implemented.
Read the Executive Summary of the 2026-2030 Strategic Plan.
Read the full 2026-2030 Strategic Plan.
