MMLT’s 2020 Annual General Meeting was held virtually, via Zoom, on Wednesday evening, March 31st.
More than 100 people registered to attend the presentation by Mike Daniels who was our guest speaker to kick off the meeting. Mike is Head of Policy and Land Management at the John Muir Trust in Scotland. His topic was John Muir’s legacy in the land of his birth – The John Muir Trust, wild land, communities, and conservation in Scotland.  He spoke about the history and legacy of John Muir, land ownership, challenges, and opportunities in Scotland’s John Muir Trust.
After Mike’s presentation, President Bob Betcher gave a report from the Board. He introduced two new directors to the MMLT Board. Welcome Rob Rainer and John Kittle. Bob also welcomed back Simon Lunn who is starting his second 3-year term on the MMLT Board.
The impact of COVID-19 was broadly discussed, and Bob was happy to report that both the volunteer base and membership had increased in 2020. Â It was a successful year in receiving grants. Donations had also increased. It was a memorable year as a record number of people accessed the trails during the COVID-19 pandemic.
MMLT expressed its gratitude to its donors for their generous financial contributions which are so essential to conservation work.
Although there were no new properties added to MMLT in 2020, there was progress on a conservation easement on a property near Keddy Nature Sanctuary, west of Carleton Place and on two properties on Carp Ridge. There was also progress on acquiring an ecologically important property in the Almonte area. There will be a need to build up our endowment and acquisition funds.
MMLT’s Vice President, Don Johnston, presented the 2020 “Year in Review”. He reported that we now have over 200 members and that 61 people volunteered their time to help MMLT this past year. Due to the pandemic, we could not hold fundraising events, but we did receive substantial individual, community, and corporate donations as well as being successful in receiving grants. We also held a fundraiser via radio on Lake 88.1.
Don introduced a new carbon offset initiative with other land trusts to certify and market carbon offsets earned by our properties. An incredible $2,000 in pledges were made during the AGM to help cover the upfront costs involved.
Our treasurer, Stephen Kotze, then summarized the 2020 annual financial statements which showed a surplus for the year. Â He shared that we were in a good financial position with increased membership and donors.
2020 AGM will follow the Presentation: John Muir’s legacy in the land of his birth – The John Muir Trust, wild land, communities and conservation in Scotland
- 7:00 Presentation
- 8:00 Annual General Meeting
Our guest speaker for the 2020 AGM is a little out of the ordinary for one of our AGM’s. Mike Daniels, head of Policy and Land Management at the John Muir Trust will speak to us from his home in Scotland, located not far from the small town of Perth, a few hours drive northwest of Edinburgh. Mike has graciously agreed to stay up late (7 p.m. our time being midnight in Scotland) to talk to us about: John Muir’s legacy in the land of his birth – The John Muir Trust, wild land, communities and conservation in Scotland
Mike will explore the conservation challenges posed in Scotland by concentrated private land ownership; the legacy of Victorian hunting estates; over-tourism and large scale windfarms in a wild landscape shaped by the continual influence of man. The opportunities posed by land reform and community ownership; natural carbon capture and increasing public concern about intensive hunting systems offer hope for the future.
Although Scotland is far from home, the conservation challenges faced by an organization with similar objectives to ours but in a very different landscape will, I’m sure, be of interest to all of us. And the photos that Mike will present of their unique properties, many in the Highlands, will amaze us as well.
Attendance by Registration Only:Â MMLT or other Land Trust Members Please Register by Phone at: 613-253-3733 or Email [email protected]
Members: Free   Non-Members: $10
John Muir’s legacy in the land of his birth – The John Muir Trust, wild land, communities and conservation in Scotland
A link to the talk will be emailed to you once payment has been received. Thank you!