WHAT ARE LAND TRUSTS?

If you have never heard of a “land trust” or “land conservancy”, these terms could be confusing. In a nutshell, land trusts are non-governmental, private, nonprofit, organizations whose purpose is to protect and preserve important land resources for public benefit. Yolo Land Trust, founded in 1988, is one of the oldest land trusts in the Central Valley. Our efforts are joined by over 1,500 other organizations that also work – at the local, regional, national or international scale - with private landowners and public agencies to protect working landscapes, open space, scenic and historic landscapes that give us a sense of place.

Important land resources encompass land with natural, scenic, historic, or recreational value based on the needs of the community or region.This may include agricultural land, wildlife habitats, open spaces, wetlands, historic/cultural sites, watersheds, and threatened ecosystems.

Land trusts come in all sizes. There are very large trusts with huge professional staffs such as the Nature Conservancy or the Trust for Public Lands. There are also smaller trusts that have a small staff and/or all volunteers such as the Yolo Land Trust. When evaluating a land trust, some things to look at are the diversity in the makeup of the Board of Directors, the degree to which the land trust is involved in the community, if there is broad community financial support for its activities, and if there is a strong track record of sound transactions and easement stewardship.

Some land trusts work alone. Some work in partnership with larger trusts or governmental agencies. Land trusts often operate in a fluid environment with many partners. California land trusts receive support and advice from two membership organizations that foster the sharing of information and organizational development.

• The Land Trust Alliance (http://www.lta.org) is a national “umbrella” organization that has over the years established a series of standards and practices (http://www.lta.org/sp/index.html) which are a guide for ethical and sound business practices.
   
• The California Council of Land Trusts (http://www.calandtrusts.org) works with more than 150 land trusts in California to develop a strong, effective land trust community with the financial and policy resources to protect California's landscapes.

Funding is always an important issue. Funds for land trust operations and land protection activities may come from several sources. Some funds may come directly from supporters of the land trust organizations in the form of membership dues. Other funds may come from individual donations, corporations, governmental sources, grants from businesses, as well as, other interested foundations.