CLEVELAND, OH—Richard Cochran, president and CEO of the Western
Reserve Land Conservancy, will speak on the topic “Our Regional
Vision: Preserving the Land of the Western Reserve” at noon on
Tuesday, June 20, 2006, at The City Club of Cleveland.
On December 31, 2005, eight land conservancies operating in
Northeast Ohio voluntarily merged to create the Western Reserve Land
Conservancy (WRLC) in what many consider a practical example of
regionalism in action. WRLC's goal is to create a vast network of
preserved land—natural areas, working farms, urban parks, lakeshores,
and trail corridors. How will this vision benefit all of the region’s
4.2 million residents and generations to come? What will be its
positive ecological effects, and will WRLC’s environmental focus
hinder or help economic development initiatives?
In March 1996, Cochran was hired as Chagrin River Land
Conservancy’s first employee and its executive director. When the
Chagrin River Land Conservancy merged with other local land
conservancies to form WRLC, Cochran was named to head this largest
ever merger of land trusts. WRLC is led by a staff of 21 employees and
34 volunteer trustees, and is considered one of the top twenty-five
conservation organizations in the United States. WRLC serves fourteen
counties, more than four million people, and more than four million
acres of land.
Since 1996, the land trusts that merged to form WRLC have
preserved almost 9,000 acres valued at more than $100 million. They
pioneered several conservation strategies during that time, including
a conservation planning technique called the Anchor Methodology, a
Conservation Buyer Program, and a Public Land Program that generates
more than $10 million of revenue each year.
Tickets for this City Club Special Program are $15 for
members and $25 for non-members. Lunch is included. Reservations are
required at least 24 hours in advance of the event. They can be
purchased by calling The City Club at 216.621.0082 or visiting the
website at
www.cityclub.org. |
