Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead

Land Trusts have sprung up all over the country starting in the late 1800’s and the early 1900s when the Forest Society was founded. There are now more than 1,600 land trusts across the country ranging from all volunteer local groups to national professionally staffed organizations. Here in New Hampshire, there are 50 entries on the land trust list as of fall 2007. The pattern in New Hampshire has developed into a modest number of regional land trusts that cover most towns in the state, and a few single town or watershed land trusts. Whatever size they may be, land trusts can be extremely effective at protecting land through grass-roots campaigns.

If you are interested in protecting a special place in your town and would like the assistance of a land trust in your area, check the resources in your town page on this website to find a land trust near you. Chances are they are already familiar with the unique and significant resources in your area and would like to help you accomplish your land protection goals. There is no need to duplicate efforts if an established land trust is willing to work on land protection projects in your community.

Attempting to create a new land trust in an area where there is already an established land trust willing to work on land protection projects in your community is likely to be counter-productive. A new land trust may find that it is in competition with the existing one; seeking support from a finite number of funding sources including volunteers and members. New land trusts may have difficulty determining which conservation projects to work on if service areas overlap with other land trusts. This may have the effect of weakening the overall protection efforts in the community. It may be more effective for you to help the existing local land trust by becoming a member, recruiting other new members, or volunteering for office and land protection tasks. You can also help by being part of a local advisory committee and bringing new projects from your town to the attention of the land trust, or working on a committee to help promote proactive land conservation in your community through education and advocacy efforts.

If there is no local or regional land trust serving your town, it may be worth considering starting a new one to help protect the special natural resources in your community. This is a complex undertaking, and requires a substantial commitment of time and resources by a number of people. Land trusts are typically incorporated with the secretary of state, which involves creating by-laws and a board of directors. They also typically have non-profit tax status from the Internal Revenue Service, which involves a fairly lengthy application and great attention to financial details. Reports must be filed annually with both the secretary of state and the IRS. They must also concern themselves with financial management and insurance issues, create and sustain public support, and determine which land protection projects they are able to undertake.

It is also important to understand that land trusts are required by law to uphold the terms of the conservation easements they hold in perpetuity. This requires financial and human resources that must be considered long and hard with every land protection transaction. Creating a land trust requires a great deal of time, energy and financial resources. Without the support and involvement of a broad group of people in the community, land trusts have a difficult time sustaining their organizations. It is most important to have a group of diverse dedicated founding board members that can gain the support and interest of people that share their concerns.

If you are considering starting up a new land trust, please contact the Center for Land Conservation Assistance at to discuss your plans, and check the information about starting a land trust found at www.lta.org/conserve/about-land-trusts/start-a-land-trust.

Most reputable land trusts now operate under accepted standards to ensure that the organization and all its land conservation transactions are legal, ethical, in the public interest and able to be sustained permanently. The national coalition of land trusts, the Land Trust Alliance, has developed Standards & Practices as the technical guidelines for the responsible operation of a land trust. More information on LTA Standards and Practices can be found on their website www.lta.org/learning/sp/.