Attorney and Conservationist Andrew Dana Receives Kingsbury Browne Distinguished Practitioner Award

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Land Trust Alliance are pleased to announce that Andy Dana has been presented with the 2026 Kingsbury Browne Conservation Leadership Award at the Alliance’s annual national land conservation conference, Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference, held this year in Denver, Colorado.

Andy Dana is a giant of the conservation community and one of the most respected minds around private land conservation, not only in Montana, but nationwide. Dana is the founder and principal of Conservation Law Associates. A graduate of Stanford Law School in 1989, Dana has practiced land conservation and open-space real-estate law since 1991, representing land trusts in Montana and offering unparalleled legal expertise nationally in the field of conservation easements and federal and state policy. He was a founding member of the Land Trust Alliance’s Conservation Defense Advisory Council and has written and spoken on conservation easement drafting and enforcement at Rally and other venues for more than 20 years.

[Watch: Kingsbury Browne Award video from Rally 2026.]

The Kingsbury Browne Conservation Leadership Award is presented annually and honors those who have enriched the conservation community through their outstanding leadership, innovation and creativity in land conservation. Named for Kingsbury Browne, a Lincoln Institute fellow in 1980 and the conservationist who inspired the Alliance’s founding in 1982, the award ranks among the organization’s highest honors.

[Watch: A Tribute to Kingsbury Browne.]

Along with his brothers, he also owns a working ranch on the Yellowstone River that is protected by a conservation easement placed on the property with the assistance of Montana Land Reliance.

Described by his peers as “a quiet but transformative force in private land conservation, providing expert legal guidance to land trusts and shaping national conservation policy,” Mr. Dana will serve as the Kingsbury Browne Distinguished Practitioner for the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy for 2026-2027.

“Andy Dana has been an invaluable contributor to the integrity and durability of land conservation in Montana, the Northern Rockies and throughout the United States,” said Chandni Navalkha, director of conservation and stewardship at the Lincoln Institute. “His leadership, long-standing dedication to the conservation movement, and remarkable legal expertise have left a lasting mark on private land conservation policy and practice and on land trusts and practitioners across the country. We look forward to the insights Andy will share as the 2026–2027 Kingsbury Browne Distinguished Practitioner at the Lincoln Institute.”

“Andy has been an anchor for private conservation law in Montana and beyond and continues to be a selfless mentor for the next generation of private conservation leaders,” said Ashley Demosthenes, CEO of the Land Trust Alliance. “His connection to the Land Trust Alliance goes back decades, both as an early voice for an accreditation system that would uphold the public trust and ensure perpetuity, and playing a large role in the feasibility, formation and problem-solving that ultimately led to the creation of Terrafirma, a unique charitable risk pool designed by and for land trusts that helps its members uphold the promise of lasting conservation. We are honored to present Andy Dana with the 2026 Kingsbury Browne Conservation Leadership Award.”

Lead image: 2026 Kingsbury Browne Conservation Leadership Award winner Andy Dana (left) receives the award from David Calle, board chair of the Land Trust Alliance. Credit: DJ Glisson II / Firefly Imageworks.