PRESIDENT'S LETTER

GEORGE OLSEN, PRESIDENT

The Montana Land Reliance (MLR) saw a year of significant change in 2011 and I am proud of the way our Board of Directors, staff, and supporters have collaborated to adapt and evolve. Then again, I can’t think of a single challenge the MLR team didn’t approach as an opportunity to strengthen this organization.

In January of 2011, I was honored to take the reins as President of The Montana Land Reliance Board of Directors, and would like to express my sincere thanks to everyone who helped make the transition so seamless.

My relationship with MLR stretches back over three decades to my first term serving as Secretary-Treasurer in 1979. In those early days my primary role was monitoring the fledgling organization’s financial condition from month to month, or even payday to payday. Now 33 years later, MLR is able to draw from a solid financial base, built by a decades-long fundraising effort, to work on complex land projects across the state. 

This past July the MLR board, staff, and a diverse group of supporters gathered in the Paradise Valley for a wonderful event at Ken Wilson’s EightMile Ranch. That evening we enjoyed Michael Keaton’s humor as he presided over the readings from prominent Montana authors Tom McGuane, Hugh Ambrose, Maile Meloy, and Carl Hiassen, who later signed books for more than 200 guests. Looking around at the crowd that had gathered for the occasion, it was evident just how far MLR has come, and how many strong relationships we’ve built over the years.

The depth of these relationships is exemplified by 2011 Conservation Award recipient, Andy Laszlo. For the past 27 years, Andy has served as MLR’s investment advisor, and has unquestionably done an excellent job in strengthening our portfolio. While MLR is certainly fortunate to have one of Montana’s top stockbrokers on our team, we are even more fortunate to count Andy as a long-time friend. The Laszlo family has four conservation easements on their property in the Madison Valley, and Andy has always made it known that his commitment to MLR’s financial success is tied to his commitment to MLR’s mission of conserving open space in Montana. 

My predecessor and friend, Jerry Townsend, was fond of saying that MLR operates like a “well run cattle ranch” given our conservative investment values and fondness for efficiency. I would agree whole-heartedly. The creation of the MLR Foundation in 2010 has added an additional layer of security for MLR’s financial assets, and will ensure our ability to carry out our responsibilities to landowners and supporters for generations to come. Thank you, Jerry, for your role in developing MLR’s long-term vision for fiscal responsibility, and for leading the continuing discussion about how we can best implement our mission.

We have a great deal to be proud of in all that we have achieved to this point, and can look forward to the many opportunities we’ll have in 2012 and beyond. Here’s to a great year ahead.

–George Olsen, President