The majesty of this place

At Great Land Trust, working collaboratively with partners to achieve our conservation goals is the foundation of how we do our work. We were so excited to have an opportunity to tell the story of our work with the Eklutna Native Corporation through a Land Trust Alliance and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Coastal Program video project.

Using funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Coastal Program, we have been able to conserve thousands of acres of land owned by the Eklutna Native Corporation. Much of this land is still used for subsistence activities such as berry picking, trapping and for summer fish camps. These projects that we’ve accomplished with Eklutna are really a win-win: protecting land for the cultural benefit of the people who call this area home, all while securing the ecological benefits for the many species of wildlife that live in Southcentral Alaska.

We had a great time showing the film crew and visitors from the Alliance and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Coastal Program around our beautiful state. We sloshed through the wetlands, followed bear tracks along the river, watched fishermen wrestle salmon out of the water and spotted eagles’ nests high in the trees.

And we reminded ourselves why we love the work we do — and why it’s important to keep working toward our mission every day.

Libby Kugel is the communications and administration manager at Great Land Trust.

This story was originally featured on the Land Trust Alliance blog, Inside Dirt. Cover photo credit: DJ Glisson II/Firefly Imageworks