Land trusts are nonprofit organizations which own and manage land, and sometimes waters. There are three common types of land trust, distinguished from one another by the ways in which they are legally structured and by the purposes for which they are organized and operated:
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. As of 2021, it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US.
The Trustees of Reservations is a non-profit land conservation and historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving natural and historical places in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is the oldest land conservation nonprofit organization of its kind in the world and has 140,000 dues-paying members as of 2018. In addition to land stewardship, the organization is also active in conservation partnerships, community supported agriculture (CSA), environmental and conservation education, community preservation and development, and green building. The Trustees of Reservations own title to 120 properties on 27,000 acres (11,000 ha) in Massachusetts, all of which are open to the public; it maintains conservation restrictions on over 200 additional properties. Properties include historic mansions, estates, and gardens; woodland preserves; waterfalls; mountain peaks; wetlands and riverways; coastal bluffs, beaches, and barrier islands; farmland and CSA projects; and archaeological sites.
The American Battlefield Trust is a charitable organization whose primary focus is in the preservation of battlefields of the Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, and the War of 1812 through acquisition of battlefield land. The American Battlefield Trust was formerly known as the Civil War Trust. On May 8, 2018, the organization announced the creation of the American Battlefield Trust as the umbrella organization for two divisions, the Civil War Trust and the Revolutionary War Trust, which was formerly known as "Campaign 1776."
The Trust for Public Land is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come". Since its founding in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has completed 5,000 park-creation and land conservation projects across the United States, protected over 3 million acres, and helped pass more than 500 ballot measures—creating $70 billion in voter-approved public funding for parks and open spaces. The Trust for Public Land also researches and publishes authoritative data about parks, open space, conservation finance, and urban climate change adaptation. Headquartered in San Francisco, the organization is among the largest U.S. conservation nonprofits, with approximately 30 field offices across the U.S., including a federal affairs function in Washington, D.C.
The Preservation Trust of Vermont, founded in 1980, is a nonprofit, charitable, organization designed to preserve and protect the architectural heritage of the U.S. state of Vermont. The Trust provides assistance to individuals, groups, and other organizations, involved in the historic preservation of Vermont's built environment. The Trust also provides educational programs, accepts gifts of property, and holds easements on properties.
The Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) is a non-profit environmental advocacy group headquartered at Montpelier in the U.S. state of Vermont. Founded in 1963, the organization works to protect Vermont's natural resources and environment through research, education, and advocacy.
The American Land Conservancy was an American non-profit organization who's goal was to protect the natural environment.
The Northeast Wilderness Trust is a non-profit conservation organization based in Montpelier, Vermont, working to preserve and restore forest landscapes in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Its mission is to conserve forever-wild landscapes for nature and people. It was founded in 2002.
The Upper Valley Land Trust (UVLT), headquartered in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit land conservation organization that serves over 40 towns in the Upper Connecticut River Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire. Founded in 1985, UVLT helps landowners and communities in its region protect lands that have important natural resource values and help define the rural character of the Upper Valley. UVLT works with willing landowners to protect working farms, forest lands, river and stream frontage, wildlife habitat, scenic landscapes, and recreational resources from future development. The primary tool that UVLT uses to conserve land is a legal document known as a conservation easement which runs with the land in perpetuity. As of 2008, UVLT had conserved over 37,000 acres (150 km2) in its region. In a recent Land Trust Alliance (LTA) census, UVLT was ranked 7th in the nation for the number of conservation easements it holds out of more than 1,600 LTA-member land trusts.
An open space reserve is an area of protected or conserved land or water on which development is indefinitely set aside.
Housing Vermont is a not-for-profit syndication and development company founded in 1988. It creates rental housing intended to be permanent and affordable for Vermonters through partnerships with local organizations, public agencies and the private sector. It has produced more than 4,000 apartments in 131 different developments. It is headquartered in Burlington, Vermont.
California Rangeland Trust is a conservation nonprofit organization founded in 1998. The Rangeland Trust is the largest land trust in California, having conserved over 371,000 acres (1,500 km2) of rangeland on 90 ranches across 26 counties.
Prospect mountain is a mountain located in the town of Woodford, Vermont in Bennington County, Vermont. The mountain is located in the southern region of Vermont's Green Mountains. It is home to the Prospect Mountain Nordic Ski Area, which has the highest base elevation of any ski area in New England, accounting for its abundance of natural snow. Prospect Mountain can be counted on to provide a long season for cross-country skiing.
Joshua's Tract Conservation and Historic Trust, or Joshua's Trust, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) land trust operating in northeast Connecticut. Joshua's Trust was incorporated in 1966 to help conserve property of significant natural or historic interest. As of 2011, the Trust protects more than 5,000 acres, maintains 42 miles of trails that are open to the public, holds educational outreach programs, and publishes the Joshua's Tract Walkbook.
The Columbia Land Conservancy is an environmental nonprofit organization and land trust located in Columbia County, New York in the greater Hudson Valley. Its mission is to conserve farmland, forests, wildlife habitat, and rural character of Columbia County, connecting people to the land.
The Land Trust for Tennessee is an American non-profit conservation organization working to protect Tennessee's natural, scenic and historic landscapes and sites. Since 1999, The Land Trust has partnered to conserve more than 131,000 acres (530 km2) of land across 65-plus Tennessee counties.
Pacific Forest Trust is an accredited non-profit conservation land trust that advances forest conservation and stewardship solutions. Its mission is to sustain America's forests for their public benefits of wood, water, wildlife, and people's wellbeing, in cooperation with landowners and communities.
Camp Plymouth State Park is a 295-acre state park on 96-acre Echo Lake in Ludlow, Vermont.
The Big Sur Land Trust is a private 501(c)(3) non-profit located in Monterey, California, that has played an instrumental role in preserving land in California's Big Sur and Central Coast regions. The trust was the first to conceive of and use the "conservation buyer" method in 1989 by partnering with government and developers to offer tax benefits as an inducement to sell land at below-market rates. Since 1978, with the support of donors, funders and partners, it has conserved over 40,000 acres through conservation easements, acquisition and transfer of land to state, county and city agencies. It has placed conservation easements on 7,000 acres and has retained ownership of over 4,000 acres.
