The next meeting of the Board will be July 20 beginning at 9am at the Everson Ranch. This is our annual outreach meeting and we hope everyone will join us at the ranch for the meeting, free lunch at 12:30 p.m. followed by Q&A time with the Board and special presentations about holistic range management, water systems, permaculture gardens, and more! This is a great opportunity to learn about OLT, the Board of Directors and the Everson Ranch.

The Board is looking towards OLT's future and is happy to be nearing completion of our Conservation Strategic Plan. We still have lots of work to do evaluating and prioritizing the many goals that seek to achieve our mission. We would like to give a huge THANK YOU to the volunteer task force that spent countless hours brainstorming, researching and crafting a draft plan for the Board to complete. Also, we could not have gotten this far with the help of our facilitator, Edward Gray of Gray Matter Solutions. The following comes from our facilitator's report at the April 20 meeting of the Board.

"The future of the organization is the special concern of the board of directors. The strategic planning process is a concentrated time for the board and executive director to focus on impact and to develop the habits for managing and governing with the future (short-, middle-, and long-term) as the focus.

The Orient Land Trust Strategic Plan is a map showing the impact the Orient Land Trust intends to have and how it intends to accomplish this impact. Like any itinerary, it is a plan, not a prediction. Orient Land Trust is well on its way to developing and implementing a sound, comprehensive, and vivid strategic plan, which will lead to more focused energy, increased stakeholder engagement, and greater intended impact."

In July, we will celebrate the long time contributions and retirement of Dan Jones, Doug Bishop, and Mike Blevins. At that time, we will also be bringing in new directors to fill their seats and help us implement the strategic plan. Join us in July to meet the new leadership. Contact me or Suzanne Ewy, Executive Director (), to find out more about OLT's leadership and other ways you can contribute to our mission.

See you in July!
Jessica DuBoe
OLT Board Chair