The Maui Coastal Land Trust (MCLT) is a non-profit organization that has been responsible for the permanent protection of more than 14,000 acres of land in Maui County from future subdivisions and developments. For the past 10 years, under the direction of Executive Director Dale Bonar and his board of directors, the MCLT has been working hard to ensure that the land is privately owned and managed, while still offering as much access as possible to the public. The MCLT's efforts have been so successful that they have now merged with three other Hawaiian land trusts, forming a single entity known as the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust (HILT). This new organization promises to be a stronger and more efficient collective, a nationally accredited land trust, whose efforts have resulted in the protection of more than 17,000 acres at 20 different sites. The MCLT works with state and private entities to raise funds and manage these protections.
They also bring groups of volunteers and schoolchildren to visit the sites, work the land, and learn. In addition, they are responsible for carrying out inspections and ensuring that the terms of the agreements are met. The MCLT has also been instrumental in helping land-rich but cash-strapped families reduce wealth taxes and allow land to be transmitted from generation to generation. Project director Scott Fisher, land manager James Crowe, and educational coordinator Denby Freeland-Cole are just a few of the talented, experienced and dedicated individuals who work at the Maui headquarters for this new state initiative. The MCLT's success story began when founders Nielsen, Bradford and de Naie realized that government agencies couldn't do much to protect important Maui lands and sites. They attended a training conference offered by the National Land Trust Alliance (NLTA) to learn more about how trusts are structured and decided that creating a land trust could be the way to save these lands. The MCLT has come a long way since then, and their efforts have been recognized with an art exhibition featuring a collection of works directly inspired by their decade of land conservation.
With their merger with three other Hawaiian land trusts, they are now part of an even larger effort to ensure a future for the conservation of public and private lands across the state. The Maui Coastal Land Trust has achieved remarkable success in its mission to protect Maui's precious lands from development. Through their hard work and dedication, they have managed to preserve more than 14,000 acres of land in Maui County. They have also merged with three other Hawaiian land trusts to form a single entity known as the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust (HILT), which has resulted in the protection of over 17,000 acres at 20 different sites. The MCLT works with state and private entities to raise funds for conservation efforts. They also bring volunteers and schoolchildren to visit the sites, work on them, and learn about conservation.
In addition, they are responsible for carrying out inspections and ensuring that all agreements are met. The MCLT has also been instrumental in helping families reduce wealth taxes so that land can be passed down from generation to generation. The organization is staffed by experienced professionals such as project director Scott Fisher, land manager James Crowe, and educational coordinator Denby Freeland-Cole. The MCLT's success story began when founders Nielsen, Bradford and de Naie attended a training conference offered by the National Land Trust Alliance (NLTA). After learning about how trusts are structured, they decided that creating a land trust could be an effective way to save Maui's important lands. Their efforts have been recognized with an art exhibition featuring works inspired by their decade of conservation.
With their merger with three other Hawaiian land trusts, they are now part of an even larger effort to ensure a future for public and private lands across Hawaii.
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