Seed Fund Grantee, The LCA Trust: Emergency Funding, Legal Defense, and Advocacy

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January 30, 2012

“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” -  John Muir

By Ellie Lanphier

There are many organizations dedicated to land conservation, but not many are founded with the intent to act quickly when action is needed.  In 2011, the RSF Seed Fund provided start-up funding for The Land Conservation and Advocacy Trust (LCAT) of Framingham, Massachusetts. LCAT was founded by lawyer and environmentalist Steve Meltzer with the goal to protect and preserve natural spaces. During his time spent as a real estate development lawyer, Meltzer watched local land interests struggle and repeatedly fail to raise funds on short notice to protect their natural spaces. LCAT seeks to meet the need for immediate action and ready means to defend the environment from unrestricted, profit-driven development.  Able to provide emergency funding and legal support within 48 hours, LCAT also promotes smart-growth ideals that foster land conservation values in the long term.

Cattails have many lives - Photo by Steve Meltzer, LCAT Founder

Of the many programs LCAT facilitates, the RSF Seed Fund grant specifically supports the Community Food System Project and the Neighborhood Revitalization Program. Following their mission to preserve natural spaces, The Community Food Systems Project intends to turn a vacant land parcel in Boston’s MetroWest area into a year-round, sustainable garden. Hoping to involve the whole community, the project promotes employment of respite center clients, community volunteers and students from local schools. The garden’s harvest will remain in the community, being sold to local restaurants and farmer’s markets.  The Neighborhood Revitalization Program is working with local banks to review bank-owned properties that may be appropriate for donation and intends to partner with the local community to turn these properties into micro-parks or community gardens.

LCAT is playing an important role in ongoing struggle to preserve natural spaces.  To find out more about LCAT, visit their website, blog or Facebook page. You can also follow Steve Meltzer on twitter @preserveland.

To learn more about the RSF Seed Fund and how you can help support new and inspirational projects like this one, click here.

Ellie Lanphier is Receptionist and Administrative Assistant at RSF Social Finance.

• Published by Jillian McCoy
• Categories: Blog, Ecological Stewardship, Giving, Seed Fund
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