PEOPLE & PLACES
T Moving Leaders of On: Three State Associations Retire
COURTESY OF GLENN MARX
By W E N DY N I N T EMA N a n d JE NNI F ER MI L L E R HERZOG
he Land Trust Alliance would not be nearly as effective at serving our members in the field without strong partnerships with land trust state associations. These collaborative relationships depend on solid teamwork, respect and trust. Our effectiveness rests on clearly defined roles and responsibilities, knowledge sharing and a lot of strategizing. Together, we celebrate the land conservation wins and we bemoan the losses. And thanks to people like Glenn Marx, Will Whelan and Rupert Friday, there are far more wins than losses. Glenn Marx is retiring after 15 years as executive director of the Montana Association of Land Trusts (MALT). How does one even try to describe Glenn Marx? He’s politically brilliant, diplomatic, compelling and convincing, smart and strategic, a gifted (and funny) storyteller who is deeply committed to the work of the Montana land trust community. He is the type of person who does most of the work while deflecting most of the praise. Marx’s impact on private land conservation reaches far beyond Montana’s borders. He has played critical roles in national policy efforts such as the Farm Bill, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Charitable Conservation Easement Program Integrity Act and more. “Glenn’s legacy is evident across Montana in local community parks, once-in-a-lifetime landscape scale projects like the Montana Legacy Project, and policy that enhances the pace, professionalism and permanence of private land conservation in Montana and
COURTESY OF WILL WHELAN
^ “For 15 years I’ve had the best job in Montana. Every day, land trusts make Montana a better place to live, work and play, and I’ve had the honor of helping them— just a bit—do that. How lucky can you be?” Glenn Marx
Will Whelan.
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EDUARDO RODRIGUEZ/TIVERTON LAND TRUST
Glenn Marx.
S AV I NG L A ND M A G A ZIN E FALL 2021
Rupert Friday.
