A land conservancy or land trust is a private nonprofit organization that promotes and utilizes a variety of tools to help citizens and communities accomplish their land protection objectives. Land trusts demonstrate public interest in the goals of preserving open space, rural lands, and natural features.
The history of land trusts dates back more than 100 years; today there are more than 1,700 land conservancies throughout the country.
Some statistics about Land Trusts:
- The nation’s local and regional land trusts have protected more than 37 million acres of natural areas
- Michigan land conservancies have protected nearly 600,000 acres of significant land throughout the state
- About two million people are members and financial supporters of land trusts
- More than 100,000 people are active volunteers of land conservancies
To find out about other land trusts, visit The Land Trust Alliance’s Web site at www.landtrustalliance.org.