Welcome to the first ALC eNewsletter

As a benefit to members and friends of the Aiken Land Conservancy, we are initiating an e-newsletter. As an ALC member, you will receive periodic updates about matters pertaining to land conservation, primarily at the local and state levels.

Please forward this e-mail to your friends to encourage others to join and support the Conservancy and our mission of land conservation in Aiken County. If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter, please send an e-mail to mail@conserveaiken.org and put "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

Happy New Year from the Board and staff of the Aiken Land Conservancy!

Thanks to the support of our members, Board, and staff, the Aiken Land Conservancy had a truly eventful 2008. Our board members committed to financial support of the Conservancy at levels never before achieved. A "re-branding" of the land trust was undertaken in the fall, resulting in a new name, new logo, and new web site. Several events were held last fall at The Willcox for community leaders, the press, and selected members to introduce the "new" ALC and announce our continued commitment to preserving Aiken's natural heritage.

Your membership dues and donations allow the Conservancy to continue to assist landowners in conserving their lands, partnering with municipal leaders to conserve significant lands that can be enjoyed by the public, and providing sound stewardship in perpetuity for ALC's easements and fee-owned lands.

We invite you to join us in our mission to preserve Aiken's great spaces.

E-waste recycling scheduled for January 3, 2009

Don't miss a chance to recycle your old electronics. Back by popular demand, the City of Aiken Environmental Committee is sponsoring an electronic waste recycling day on Saturday, January 3, in the parking lot of Home Depot on Whiskey Road. From 9 am to noon you can recycle anything electronic--for a small fee these items will be collected and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. Also available will be FREE paper shredding. These efforts will reduce the amount of e-waste and waste paper sent to local landfills, while giving you the opportunity to get a head start on your spring cleaning.

Mark your calendars for the ALC 2009 annual meeting

Don't miss it! The 2009 ALC annual meeting is scheduled for Sunday, February 8, at 3:00 PM at The Willcox. Check out our web site later this month for more information on the guest speaker.

For the first time, ALC will have a silent auction fund raiser at our annual meeting. Be sure you don't miss out on some great auction items you can't live without!

News from the Land Trust Alliance: Voters Approve $8.4 Billion for Conservation in 2008

Despite tough economic times, voters have approved a record $8.4 billion in new funding for conservation in 2008.  Alliance board member David Hartwell helped to spearhead the biggest prize on Election Day: a sales tax in Minnesota that will provide $5.5 billion for conservation over the next 25 years. That’s nearly double the previous record for a single measure! For a complete rundown of state and local funding measures, visit The Trust for Public Land’s LandVote web site.