This probably comes as no surprise to anyone reading this but good work costs money. When the entity doing the work is a nonprofit, those involved with the entity must get creative to find grant funding to not only sustain the organization, but grow its ability to accomplish its mission through time. Aiken Land Conservancy is no exception.
Over the last year, ALC has pursued grant funding for various elements of its mission. Grants come in all kinds and, now that we have several grant projects in varying stages of completion, we thought that this would be a good time to update our supporters about these projects while also saying thank you to those that have helped to support our efforts.
First and foremost, ALC protects land. As we all know, land doesn’t come cheap and the activities inherent to land protection deals don’t come cheap either. Fortunately, funds were secured from The Longleaf Alliance (TLA) and International Paper to help cover costs related to the Shaws Creek Preserve Conservation Easement, and nearly $30,000 was awarded from the Lowcountry Land Protection Capacity Fund to cover costs related to our protection of the Korn Tract. Then, of course, the South Carolina Conservation Bank has graciously awarded ALC nearly $3,000,000 in grant funding in the past year for these two land protection projects. Without this kind of support, the nearly 3,000 acres we have protected so far this year would simply not have been possible.
The buck doesn’t stop at conserving land. Active land management must be implemented here in the Southeast to ensure that the conservation values of natural habitats persist through time. ALC has been active with managing its own properties this year, and has been fortunate to have The Longleaf Alliance as a partner to support this work. They have provided funding towards midstory reduction work on our Foxchase and Garvin Tracts, helping to allow light to hit the forest floor on these properties that sit too close to neighborhoods to be managed with prescribed fire. TLA has also provided cost-share for prescribed burning on our Thomas Tract property in Barnwell County, where prescribed fire was reintroduced after an absence of more than twenty years.
Many of our conservation easement landowners actively manage their land, and part of our stewardship responsibility includes helping find funding for these landowners whenever possible. In addition to The Longleaf Alliance’s support, we are fortunate to have the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as a key land management partner. Cornell’s Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative provided nearly $10,000 via the Burning for Birds Conservation Collaborative, that ALC is a member of along with four other Southeastern land trusts. The funds have been used to install fire breaks, implement prescribed burns, plan an outreach event, and cover the time to complete these tasks. Another, separate, grant from Cornell is helping to fund the restoration of 50 acres on the Shaws Creek Preserve to longleaf pine, along with an interpretive sign and outreach event. All of these activities will help to support declining bird species, while engaging volunteers in the process. Collectively, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has awarded ALC with nearly $35,000 in funding over the past year.
Aiken Land Conservancy staff are also pursuing grants to help fund activities here in Aiken. We have applied for nearly $30,000 in funding to help our partners enhance the parkway on the north side of Aiken, and have applied for nearly $9,000 to install pollinator plantings on the weedy fringes of Winthrop Polo Field in partnership with Augusta-Aiken Audubon Society. Though announcements about these recent grant applications have not yet been made, we are excited by their potential.
Grants help us to accomplish our mission, plain and simple. However, we couldn’t apply for these funding opportunities without your support. Thank you for your contributions, and let us know if you’d like to be involved with any of our many projects!