The last several months have been a time of great growth and development for the Land Trust. In December, we held a Christmas Fundraiser that raised a years’ worth of rent for our new office in Old Town Pocatello! Thanks to help from dedicated volunteers and Board members, we are moved in, organized, and enjoying our new

space overlooking Main Street. In February, we hosted the First Friday Art Walk featuring original art of Idaho’s native wildflowers and fish by Land Trust member, Ellery Maughan. We are looking forward to new art work each month featuring natural land-scapes, wildlife, wildflowers, and farms and ranches. In January and February, we prepared for an organizational assessment through a Land Trust Alliance grant program. The assessment evaluated every aspect of the Land Trust’s operations in the context of how well our work meets the Standards and Practices developed by the Land Trust Alliance, and land trusts from across the country. This is an important step towards Accreditation, and we are pleased that the assessment outcomes were very positive. The extensive process gave us a unique opportunity to evaluate our programs, our development, and our how we are positioning ourselves for a successful and sustainable future. Using the Assessment results as a guide, we updated our strate-gic plan at a Board retreat this March. Key goals identified in our 2011 Strategic Plan are to develop our capacity by hiring second full time staff member in the next year, to gain more input and engagement from community members and stakeholders, to fin-ish a conservation plan that identifies critical areas in need of pro-tection to improve our impact, and to increase our membership base and business sponsorships. These are in addition to devel-oping and completing conservation projects across SE Idaho. Looking towards the warm months ahead, we are really excited to get out and enjoy our conservation projects. The back page of this newsletter has a schedule and description of our spring and summer events. Hope you’ll join us!

Spring 2011Newsletter

From the Director

Photo above. Joselin and Carol Matkins and Annual Fundraiser. Photo above. Board and staff at recent strate-gic planning retreat. From top to bottom and left to right, Bob Flandro, Lance Bethke, Bill Davidson, Marjanna Hulet, Jessica McAleese, Heidi Albano, Deb Mignogno, Tom Lucia, Martha Wackenhut, Joselin Matkins, and Garry Ratzlaff.

sagebrush steppeLAND TRUST

www.sagebrushlandtrust.org

Bob is a Land Trust member and leader in our community. His contribution to Southeast Idaho is extensive and includes positions as past presi-dent of the Portneuf Health Care Endowment Board, the ISU Bengal Foundation, the Pocatello Chiefs and the

Bob Flandro Joins the Board Pocatello Regional Medical Center Foundation. He also served on the Board of Directors for the ISU Alumni Association and the Greater Pocatello Chamber of Commerce. Bob is excited to be the newest member of the Land Trust Board and is already active in the Board Development and Budget and Finance Committees. Bob enjoys spending time in Idaho’s great outdoors golfing, hunting, fishing raft-ing, and skiing with his wife Jude.

The Land Trust at a Glance Our mission is to protect and enhance wildlife habitat, natural lands, and working farms and ranches, now and for future generations. The Land Trust is a community based, non-profit, non advesarial organization founded in 2004 to facilitate permanent land protection through conservation easements and fee title purchases. We work with willing landowners to protect habitat for wildlife and fish, to sustain working farms and ranches, to improve water quality and watershed integrity, and to provide access to public land. Our projects contribute to the maintenance of our region’s unique character and high quality of life. To date, we have completed 14 conservation proj-ects protecting 1940 acres in the Bear, Blackfoot, and Portneuf River watersheds. These projects include 12 conservation easements, 2 fee title preserves, and 2 stream restoration projects. The Preserves are owned by the Land Trust and open to the public for hunting, fishing, and recreational access. See the last page of this newsletter for details about project tours and volunteer opportunities.

Land Trust Honors Heidi AlbanoHeidi first learned about the Land Trust when she noticed our news-letter while shopping at the Raven’s Nest. That was 2 years ago this April and her work has already left a lasting mark on the development of the Land Trust. From helping to coordinate our annual fundraisers and outreach events, to using her skills as a biologist to monitor our

conservation properties, we would not be were we are today without her hard work and dedication. While we have been able to partially fund Heidi through capacity grants, Heidi has donated countless hours of her time. To acknowledge this incredible contribution, we honored Heidi with the First Annual Conservator Award in 2011. Thanks for all your hard work Heidi!

After living in Hailey and Ketchum, Idaho for 9 years, Vicki decided to return to her southern roots in Atlanta, Georgia to be with family. It took her only 9 months to realize how much she missed Idaho and all that the West has to offer. She decided to move back to Pocatello in October of last year. Vicki lived

in Pocatello from 1991-1992, and is very happy to be living amongst her good friends again. While living in the Wood River Valley, Vicki worked with many local non-profits and served in various positions, her last as Executive Director of Croy Canyon Ranch Foundation. Vicki is now working as a con-sultant with non-profits here in Pocatello, and we are glad that she has volunteered to share her extensive knowledge of donor management with us and to help us build our donor base.

Welcome Vicki!

FIND USOffice: 123 N Main, Suite 4 PocatelloMail: PO Box 1404 Pocatello, ID 83204Email: joselin.ssrlt@gmail.comWeb: sagebrushlandtrust.orgPhone: (208) 241-4662

Learn more about the Board, staff, and volunteers by visiting our web-site. See more online!

sagebrushlandtrust.org

LAND TRUST BOARDLance BethkeBill DavidsonBob FlandroMarjanna HuletJessica McAleeseDeb MignognoGarry RatzlaffMartha Wackenhut

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORJoselin Matkins

SPECIAL PROJECTSHeidi Albano

Annual membership contributions are critically important to the operations of the Land Trust. We rely on your annual membership to pay our staff, monitor our easements, and develop our conservation programs.

With your annual Land Trust membership, you will receive Land Trust newsletters, announcements, invitations to activi-ties and events, and acknowledgment in newsletter and annual report.

Visit our website for description of membership giving levels

BECOME A MEMBER ONLINE TODAY!

Join or Renew your Membership!

$10,000 - $24,999PacifiCorp Energy

$5,000 - $9,999Anonymous DonorDucks UnlimitedHeart of the Rockies InitiativeIntermountain West Joint VentureLand Trust AllianceThe Norcross FoundationThe Wilburforce Foundation

$1,000 - $4,999Bob & Betti Bohus Bob & Jude Flandro Tim & Jessica LindstromMonsanto Fund Garry & Teresa RatzlaffBabette Thorpe

$500 - $999Alpine Enterprises Inc.John & Kathy AlbanoAnonymous DonorGate City Fine ArtsJune HeilmanTom LuciaDeb Mignogno Scaup & Willet LLC Bonnie & Jim Shaw

$250 - $499Robert Brown & Sandra Thorne-BrownAllen & Mary Eng Frank & Judy HarmonRick NordsethBernard & Beverly O’DohertyAndrew PiersonMike Thomas & Alissa SalmoreMathew & Hannah Sanger

$100 - $249Vicki Abrams Ben & Heidi Albano Dale AzevedoLance & Karen BethkeBernd Beutenmuller & Margaret Hudson

Jessica Buckles & Jay RoutsonRandy & Becky Budge Kate Delate & Bob BloxhamBill & Jean DavidsonEd & Marsha DeSanoFrank & Susan FarnsworthFirst Congregational Church of ChristPete & Cathy FrischmannNiccole and Wylie FuhrimanPatricia Isaeff Floyd & Ruth JohnsonPaula JonesRichard KnudsonElizabeth LovellJohn & Carol MatkinsRalph and Jackie MaughanMark & Eva NyeMichelle Pak Jerry & Wendy RansbottomDale & Holly Reavis Muriel RobertsRocky Mountain EnvironmentalTim & Lisa Safford David & Stella Sandquist Archie ServiceDaniel SpurlockChuck Trost Rick Williams & Rosemary SmithPaul & Martha Wackenhut

$50 - $99Carl AndersonBill & Wendy ArmstrongFred Belzer &Theresa KaufmannTom & Julie CookGeorgann DudashLarry Ghan & Carol DillonClyde & Lee Ann GilbertDaniel & Melissa GreenPriscilla HearstKarl & Ardys Holte Barry & Marjanna HuletMichelle & Leroy JonesRobert & Pamela Kennedy Kevin Marsh & Erika Kuhlman Marilynne Manguba

Every effort has been made to ensure accurate representation of contributions. If you find an error, please let us know.

Thanks to all those that have contributed in the last year!Jim & Sharon ManningBob MarcinkoKevin Marsh & Erika KuhlmanJohnny MendiveWayne & Judy MinshallTim & Elaine Medel John & Kathleen MooneyRyan & Kim PetersonPorter’s Office ProductsDarrell & Barbara ScottBud & Ann Smalley Bruce ThomasKevin & Pamela Ward

$49 and underDoug & Suzanne BalfourCali BellTerry & Kathryn BrowerThomas & Nancy BurkhartStar CoulbrookeAmy Cunningham & Brian HolmesSandi FisherMike & Millie FlandroTim FlandroRichard & Peggy GarvinElizabeth GerardMatt Germino Gene & Sue Ann HogeBetty HolbrookMelinda JahsmanVirginia KellySteven & Leeann KenisonJoe & Kathleen LehmanMelinda Lowe

Welcome Vicki!

Destiny LynchWillis & Mary McAleeseBob & La Voy MyersDouglas NilsonBarbara NorthJane Matkins Dana Olson Willard PetersonKayo RobertsonJay SperryJohn & Betty SiglerDeb & Scott StoneAlicia TauscherCoby & Linda TigertRichard & Pam TuckerLindell Turner & Kim ShirleyUnited Way of SE Idaho

Memorial DonationsBlaine GasserShea ServiceJune Dudenak

Planned Giving and BequestsPriscilla Hearst

Special Thanks to our Volunteers that helped with our new office Vicki AbramsBob BloxhamKate DelateCathy FrischmannPam ReschkeMuriel RobertsSandra Thorne-BrownBill Waterfield

See more online!sagebrushlandtrust.org

Upcoming Activities

Portneuf Environmental FairOptimist Park, Saturday April 23, 11am-3pm

May First Friday Art WalkOld Town Office, Friday May 6, 5-8pm

Deep Creek Wildflower HikeDeep Creek Preserve, Saturday June 11, 8am-3pm

Cedar Creek Restoration WorkdayCedar Creek, Saturday June 18, 9am-1pm

Kackley Springs Restoration TourKackley Preserve, Saturday June 25, 9am-2pm

Annual FundraiserMink Creek Group Site, Thursday July 7, 6-9pm

Revive @ 5Old Town Pocatello, Wednesday August 17, 5-8pm

FUNDRAISERThursday, July 7 from 6-9pm

Please join us at the Mink Creek Group site, for great food, beer and wine, a silent auction, and great live music.

Tickets at the Raven’s Nest starting May 1

Save the Date!

Join us this summer to tour some of the special places we’ve protected. On Saturday, June 11, join us for a wildflower hike at our newest property, the Deep Creek Preserve near Franklin Idaho. Dr. Karl Holte, botanist and retired ISU professor will be there to discuss the flora of the area and help identify unique plants. On Saturday June 18, get your hands dirty dur-ing the 3rd Annual Restoration Workday along Cedar Creek, a tributary of the Blackfoot River. This res-toration project, started in 2006, recreated a stretch of Cedar Creek that had been filled in and diverted into a ditch in the 1940’s. The new reach of stream was restored to improve habitat for Yellowstone cutthroat trout. These days, the willows that were planted back in 2006 are 10 feet tall in places. On Saturday, June 25, we are excited to share another restoration success story at Kackley Springs. The Kackley Preserve, which is owned by the Land Trust, is just downstream of Black Canyon on the Bear River near Grace Idaho. This restoration project is very unique. The entire reach of Kackley Springs has been restored and will be managed for Bonneville cutthroat trout (BCT). This trout species is unique only to those areas once associated with Lake Bonneville. Today the native species is in peril, and its long term survival is threatened. Last fall, in partnership with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, PacifiCorp Energy, and others, we installed a fish trap that will keep non-native fish out of Kackley

2011 Land Trust

Springs, and provide spawning and rearing habitat for BCT. During the tour, we will walk the length of the stream, check out the restoration work, discuss future work, and get a good look at the fish trap. On Thursday, July 7 don’t miss our Annual Fundraiser at the Mink Creek Group Site south of Pocatello. The event features great food, great music, great fun, and a silent auction. This year’s fundraising goal is $10,000. Tickets are available at The Raven’s Nest starting May 1, or by calling the office (208)241-4662. Finally, on Wednesday, August 17 stop by Revive @ 5 in Old Town Pocatello. We are the featured non-profit that evening and hope everyone will stop by and say hello.

Special thanks the 2010 Sponsors!Ace Hardware and Outdoor StoreBarrie’s SportsCostcoDexter PitmanElectric ServiceEllery MaughanHailey PaintHenry’s Hair DesignIdaho UnlimitedIntermountain DistributingISU Outdoor ProgramJuniper Hills Country ClubKZBQ and KORR104LadyBird FarmsLand Trust Board membersPam Lawson

Paula Jones Pebble Creek Ski AreaPocatello Co-opPocatello Parks and RecreationRocky Mountain EnvironmentalSandtrapScott’s Ski and SportsSLT GraphicsSteelhead ReddT-Shirts PlusThe Bag LadyThe Paperwork PlaceThe Raven’s NestTown and Country GardensVital Ground FoundationSee more online!

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