About Land Trusts

A conservation land trust is a non-profit organization that works hand-in-hand with landowners to conserve land. It is a charitable corporation under Federal tax laws. A land trust allows for the conservation or preservation of important natural, cultural and community resources, promotes sound land stewardship practices, and provides a means of carrying on the traditions of the land owner or community.

How Land Trusts Differ from Government Agencies

Land trusts are independent, non-governmental organizations that work with landowners interested in protecting open space. Land trusts often work cooperatively with government agencies in various ways, such as:

• Acquiring land or managing land already in conservation
• Researching open space needs and priorities
• Assisting in the development of open space plans
• Raising funds for joint protection projects
• Conducting public education programs on conserved land

How a Land Trust Conserves Land

Land trusts can use a variety of conservation tools, either as owners of the conserved property or as stewards, managing conserved land. A land trust may:

• Accept donations of land
• Accept donated or purchased conservation restrictions, which prohibit development while leaving the land in private ownership
• Purchase land for permanent protection, most often using donated funds or foundation grants

In addition, some land trusts:

• Acquire land and then convey it to another nonprofit organization or government agency for permanent protection and stewardship
• Provide funding to other groups for land acquisition
• Facilitate negotiations for other nonprofit organizations or public agencies that seek to acquire land for conservation
• Negotiate with conservation-minded individuals seeking to own property which they will also permanently protect in full or in part

Types of Land Trust Organizations

A wide variety of land trusts exist, from all-volunteer land trusts serving a single town, to national and international organizations working on particular aspects of land conservation, such as The Nature Conservancy, American Farmland Trust, and the Trust for Public Land. Hundreds of land trusts have been formed, working with a common vision to preserve the land for people, plants and wildlife.

Advantages of Working with a Land Trust

Land trusts facilitate responsible stewardship of land and shared resources. They foster a partnership of individuals and organizations that are committed to saving the resources and open spaces that make communities unique. For religious communities, land trusts may well be the contemporary way of connecting to an ongoing mission of land stewardship. In addition, because land trusts are private organizations, they can often act more quickly and be more flexible and creative than public agencies.

How Land Trusts Contribute to Successful Conservation

Since the first land trust was founded in 1891, the movement has grown in response to the public’s desire to preserve irreplaceable open spaces. Currently there are more than 1200 land trusts operating in the U.S. A recent National Land Trust Census conducted by the Land Trust Alliance found that local and regional land trusts were responsible for protecting more than 6.2 million acres of open space.