Land Conservation

What is a Land Trust?
A land trust is a nonprofit organization that, as all or part of its mission, actively works to conserve land by undertaking or assisting in acquisition of land or conservation easements, or by its stewardship of such land or easements.

Are land trusts government agencies?
No, they are independent, entrepreneurial organizations that work with landowners who are interested in protecting open space. But land trusts often work cooperatively with government agencies by acquiring or managing land, researching open space needs and priorities, or assisting in the development of open space or "green infrastructure" plans.

What are the advantages of working with a land trust?
Land trusts are very closely tied to the communities in which they operate. Moreover, land trusts' nonprofit tax status brings them a variety of tax benefits for donors. Your donations of land, conservation easements or money may qualify for income or gift tax savings. Moreover, because they are private organizations, land trusts can be more flexible and creative than public agencies - and can act more quickly - in saving land.

What does a land trust do?
Local and regional land trusts, organized as charitable organizations under federal tax laws, are directly involved in conserving land for its natural, recreational, scenic, historical and productive values. Land trusts can purchase land for permanent protection, or they may use one of several other methods including:

Ø  Accepting donations of land or the funds to purchase land,

Ø  Accepting a bequest, or

Ø  Accepting the donation of a conservation easement which permanently limits the type and scope of development that can take place on the land.

What has contributed to the huge growth in the number of land trusts?
People are tremendously concerned about the rapid loss of open space in their own communities. They see subdivisions filling the open spaces where they once walked and hiked, and they want to know how they can gain the power to save the green spaces that make their communities unique. So they turn to land trusts as the local entities that have been set up to conserve land.

-From The  Land Trust Alliance