Land trusts are local, regional, or statewide non-profit organizations directly involved in protecting important land resources for public and environmental benefit. Land trusts may purchase land outright, accept donated land, or purchase or hold conservation easements or development rights on parcels owned by others. As one of the fastest growing conservation movements, over one thousand American land trusts have protected millions of acres including farms, wetlands, wildlife habitat, urban gardens and parks, forests, ranches, watersheds, coastlines, river corridors, and trails. 

The Trust for Public Land is a nonprofit land conservation organization working with government, business, and community groups to acquire and preserve open space to serve human needs, share knowledge of nonprofit land acquisition, and pioneer methods of land conservation and sustainable land use. 

The Land Trust Alliance is a national umbrella organization for land trusts that serves as an educator, coordinator, leader, and advisor to help land trusts save more threatened natural areas and open land.

American Land Conservancy is a national, non-profit organization that works in close parntership with communities, private landowners, local land trusts, public lands agencies, and elected officials to create effective conservation solutions for threatened land and water resources.

One of the best-known and largest land trusts is The Nature Conservancy, which protects land worldwide.

Many active and successful independent land trusts exist on the local, state and regional levels. Just a few examples are the Vermont Land Trust, Maine Land Trust Network, Gathering Waters Conservancy and Marin Agricultural Land Trust. The Land Trust Alliance website provides a listing of land trusts by state that can help in locating organizations active in a particular area.

Another type of land trust, typically known as a community land trust, maintains ownership of land where affordable housing is constructed. Separating the cost of the land from the cost of the homes built on that land helps keep home prices affordable. The concept was introduced by the Institute for Community Economics, which provides information on how community land trusts work. Some examples of this type of land trust are the Rondo Community Land Trust in Minnesota, the Rockingham Area Community Land Trust in Vermont, and Homestead Community Land Trust in Seattle.

Online Articles and References 

Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition provides an online Land Protection Resource Center that offers sample documents, success stories, legal advisories, white papers and fact sheets, financing information and additional links.

"Community Land Trusts: An Introduction," from Planning Commissioners Journal

"Land Protection Options," from Little Traverse Conservancy

Many land trusts also post their own newsletters online.

Publications 

Purchase of Development Rights: Conserving Lands, Preserving Western Livelihoods, Western Governors' Association, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, and the Trust for Public Land, 2001. (PDF)
Details how PDRs can help Western landowners achieve personal and financial goals while protecting open lands. The report explains how landowner-initiated PDR transactions operate and how communities can start their own PDR programs.

The Standards and Practices Guidebook: An Operating Manual for Land Trusts, The Land Trust Alliance, 1996. 
Provides guidelines for operating land trusts legally, ethically, and responsibly. This and several other useful references for land trusts are available for purchase from the Land Trust Alliance.

Exchange, the quarterly Journal of the Land Trust Alliance. 
Provides analysis of current land trust issues and trends. A sample issue may be downloaded free.

Land Protection Options: A Handbook for Minnesota Land Owners, The Nature Conservancy, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, The Trust for Public Land, & the Minnesota Land Trust, 1998.
A reference for landowners that describes different options that can be used to protect open space. The complete document is accessible online.

Handbook for Starting a Community Land Trust, E.F. Schumacher Society
The Society has been active in promoting and operating community land trusts, offering technical assistance and developing a handbook on starting a land trust.

Last updated: December 10, 2004

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