Stars out west, Money down east

A northern California land trust is getting a boost from Mr. Sundance himself (seems a little old to still call him the Sundance Kid). Robert Redford is joining the advisory board of the Land Trust of Napa County. The Napa News says Mr. Redford owns land in Napa, and has helped bring in big bucks in past fundraisers.
But star power doesn't equal good old fashioned cash, particularly in Maine. This article in the Bangor News details the latest deal by the Maine Coastal Heritage Trust. The trust just paid $1.6 million for an island that had been in the same family for 50 years. But read the article and you understand why Maine is prime land trust territory. The MCHT has successfully raised $70 million of a $100 million capital fundraising campaign. On top of that, it's trying to convince the legislature to try again on a $30 million dollar bond issue to buy up land. I seem to remember that Maine has the highest number of conservancies in the country... now I know why. By the way, the MCHT is advertising for a development director on its job page... looks like they're doing pretty well without one.
Finally thanks so much to Jon Christensen at Conservation News and Gary Jones at Crumb Trail for their truly nice write-ups and links. Made my day.