At our last Board meeting, I commented to the other members of the Board that I had recently traveled to Fort Worth, Texas for a conference.
In travelling from the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport to downtown Fort Worth, I passed mile after mile of flat, fully developed suburbia passing one mini-mall after the other. Here and there were some smaller ponds which were difficult to make out between the parking lots and strip malls.

I wondered how many people living there wished that they could start all over again and develop the land in some meaningful, environmentally responsible manner. The words that went through my mind were: “when it’s gone, it’s gone”.

I then thought about how INLT has strived for years to work with willing landowners to help conserve valuable resources before they are gone. View corridors, wildlife corridors, wetland preservations, working farms and forests – they all are a critical and integral part of responsible land use planning and development. I am thankful for the many dedicated members, volunteers and staff persons who, through the years, have done so much to protect the resources of this area.

Peter Witherspoon
Board President
president@inlandnwlandtrust.org