WHAT IS A LAND TRUST?

Land trusts are private, nonprofit organizations established to protect land and water resources for the public benefit. Land trusts may be community-based, state-wide, regional or national in scope. Community-based land trusts, such as Drumlin Area Land Trust, permanently protect important resources in their local communities. A land trust is an independent, non-governmental organization whose mission is determined by its members.

Land trusts work with private landowners to protect and preserve land for its natural, recreational, scenic, historic or productive agricultural value. Donations of land and of conservation easements on land can be made to land trusts. Land trusts can also accept bequests of land, purchase land directly and purchase the development rights to a property. The landowner and the land trust decide together what is required to protect the land’s conservation value, while meeting the financial and personal needs of the landowner.

Land trusts can also partner with local government to conserve land and water resources.

In Wisconsin there are over 50 local land trusts that protect in total over 135,000 acres of farmland, natural areas and open space. Nationally, over 1,600 land trusts, with trust activities in every state, are responsible for the preservation and protection of over 9 million acres of land. Although a few land trusts in the Northeast US are more than 100 years old, most trusts are younger and reflect the fact that land trusts are the fastest growing conservation movement in the US.

For additional information on land trusts, please visit Gathering Waters Conservancy at www.gatheringwaters.org and Land Trust Alliance at www.lta.org