Wildlands
Why Is It a Focus Area?
Wildlands conservation recognizes that nearly all conservation land in our region is oriented toward active human management, and there are precious few conservation areas that are permanently dedicated to being left forever wild.
The purpose of the Wildlands Fund is to acquire and designate land to be protected in its natural condition, in perpetuity, as free from human manipulation and disturbance as possible. Many of these properties will allow minimal impact, non-mechanized recreation access such as walking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and canoeing.
Who Made This Happen?
MLT’s Wildlands Fund is inspired by and in memory of MLT board member and volunteer, Ken Hotopp. Ken was a naturalist, conservation biologist, and defender of wilderness and the climate. In his career Ken grew to understand how ecosystems and organisms thrived when left alone. He developed an appreciation for wildness and wilderness. He wanted future generations to know what it feels like to stand alone in a forest to feel the vitality and vibrance of a genuinely wild ecosystem.
MLT’s Wildlands Fund serves as a living tribute to Ken Hotopp—an esteemed MLT board member and volunteer. Ken was a naturalist and conservation biologist whose passion for protecting wilderness and the climate guided his life’s work. Through his career, Ken developed a deep understanding of how ecosystems and organisms flourish best when left undisturbed. This realization fostered in him a profound appreciation for the untamed beauty of wildness and wilderness. Ken’s hope was for future generations to experience the unique sensation of standing alone in a forest and feeling the vitality and vibrance of a truly wild ecosystem.
_JPG.jpg)
What Is The Goal?
To identify and conserve appropriate lands and put “forever wild” conservation measures in place so that the ecological integrity and wild character of the land will be preserved and protected in perpetuity.