OREGON WOMEN'S LAND TRUST INVITES BEQUESTS
To learn more and to request bequest brochures please send an email to owlt [at] live [dot] com
Oregon Women's Land Trust, P.O. Box 1692, Roseburg, OR, 97470
“I have named OWL Trust in my will because I have loved trees and women's lands for most of my adult life. I am delighted to be part of the OWL Trust Bequest Campaign to help preserve our forests and safe spaces for women beyond my lifetime.” –Susannah Malool
“I believe in OWL Trust's work, and I share in the vision of multiple lands stewarded under an OWL Trust umbrella, for the future of women and the environment. I have arranged for a bequest of Steppingwoods, the womyn's land I have owned since 1971, to be gifted to Oregon Women's Land Trust upon my death, along with resources for its care and with a Land Management Plan in place.” –Jemma Crae
Oregon Women’s Land Trust was founded in 1975 as a nonprofit organization and was the first women's land trust in the world. In 1976, the Trust purchased OWL Farm, 147 acres of wondrous forest and meadow, enacting commitment to preserve the natural environment and to hold land as safe and growthful space for women—regardless of their financial resources. Scores of women donated funds for buying this land, in the spirit of ownership by the female public.
THE LAND ENDURES
And with it so do the practices of ecological feminism. The desire to create space where women can feel empowered and in rhythm with nature sparked the beginning of OWL Trust in 1975 and has sustained its ability to hold land as an oasis for women and wildlife in the middle of clear-cut country.
OWL Farm is part of a constellation of Oregon women's lands, a mix of privately held lands and small nonprofit land trusts, most established in the 1970s. Many women moved to the region to pioneer land culture, self-sufficiency, collective living, creativity, spirituality, and country stewardship skills free from the densities of urban life. Over time, hundreds of women have visited and/or made home on the lands in small or large groups or as sole caretakers. While so many women-centered enterprises created with lesbian feminist fervor have not survived (e.g., bookstores, clinics, publications), Oregon women's lands continue to serve as sanctuary for women, forest, and wildlife.
It is time to realize the vision of growing OWL Trust’s capacity as an umbrella organization for holding multiple women’s lands. Expanded resources can consolidate and energize support for the landdyke network. Many founders of women's lands want to secure their land-based legacy; a new generation of women passionate about tending the earth is on the rise. OWL Trust can become the guarantor of women's lands into the far future—able to secure and manage financial resources for care of the lands. It will continue its work to nurture land wisdom, with trainings in forest ecology, nonprofit management, and sustainable shelter/energy/food systems.
INCLUDE OREGON WOMEN'S LAND TRUST IN YOUR ESTATE PLAN OR WILL!
Women's lands are among the most remarkable achievements of the lesbian feminist movement. Whether or not you have personally been involved with the lands, your legacy gift can help ensure that these life-changing, earth-protecting places continue to thrive. We cannot know precisely what's ahead for this rapidly changing planet, her ecosystems and creatures. Take comfort: let your final gifts rest on sacred ground.
Bequests can be made in different forms: specific amounts of money; all or a part of your estate; particular assets like property, possessions, or investments. Oregon Women's Land Trust can also be named as a beneficiary or a contingent on a life insurance policy, retirement plan, or an annuity.
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