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Gaining Ground

Colorado

3,456,478

Acres Protected

That’s about 2,618,544 football fields!

Land trusts have already conserved 61 million acres of private land across the nation — more than all of the national parks combined. Help us conserve another 60 million acres by the end of the decade.

Together, let’s keep Gaining Ground.

Visitors to Land Trust Properties

3.6 million

Visitors in 2020, more than double that of 2015.

Percent of Land Trusts That Provide Public Access to Their Lands

100%

Land trusts provide opportunities to recreate and recharge.

Number of People Served

17,829

Land trusts provide programs and activities to get people outside and learn about the land.

Miles of Trails

335

Walking, hiking and other outdoor recreation improve people's health and well-being.

Miles With Universal Access

32

Universal access trails are designed to be used by all people, regardless of ability.

Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Community Engagement in the Last Five Years

89%

Land Trusts Are Deepening Relationships With:

  • People from various racial and ethnic backgrounds

  • Older adults or those living in retirement communities

  • People who identify as LGBTQ+

  • People living with disabilities

  • Veterans

Land Trusts Are Helping Address Community Needs, Including:

  • Youth education and development

  • Community and economic development

  • Food security and agriculture

  • Health and wellness

  • Social and environmental justice

Demographics

Every land trust is as unique as the community it serves.

Colorado land trusts are community-led and supported and protect lands and waters that help the entire state.

Active Land Trusts

23

A land trust is a nonprofit that conserves land by acquiring and stewarding land or conservation easements.

Learn more about land trusts
Alliance Member Land Trusts

21

Land Trust Alliance members commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.

Learn about the land trust alliance
Accredited Land Trusts

18

Accredited land trusts undergo a thorough review of their practices in governance, finance, transactions and stewardship.

Learn about land trust accreditation

People

  • Members/financial supporters

    24,298

  • Volunteers

    910

  • Full-time staff

    123

  • Part-time staff

    41

  • Board members

    269

Land Trust Longevity

  • Oldest

    55 years old (1967)

  • Youngest

    21 years old (2001)

  • Median age

    30 years old

State Association
Keep It Colorado
View website
State Association
Partnership of Rangeland Trusts
View website
Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Focus on Climate Change in the Last Five Years

72%

Percent of Land Trusts Receiving Funding to Address Climate Change

17%

Land Protected

There has been a 43% increase in Colorado land protected by land trusts since 2010.

Acre by acre, land trusts are helping to conserve Colorado lands, waters and ways of life.

2010
2015
2020
Total acres protected
2,410,669
2,841,722
3,456,478
+43%
Under easement
1,510,260
2,012,718
2,503,665
+66%
Owned
202,207
272,010
231,040
+14%
Acquired and reconveyed
408,225
358,794
484,134
+19%
Protected by other means
289,977
323,134
237,640
0%

Disclaimer: Land trusts conserve land in many different ways and every project is unique. Category totals may change depending on how acres are reported by survey respondents to reflect the most current data and minimize double-counting. In some instances, the total may be greater than the sum of the separate categories due to organizations that provided total acres not broken down by category.

Percent of Land Owned and Under Easement Held by an Accredited Land Trust

91%

Source: 2020 National Land Trust Census

Total Public Funding for Conservation From 1998-2017

$2.2 billion

Source: Trust for Public Land's Conservation Almanac

Acres of Land Lost to Development From 2012-2017

42,100

Source: NRCS - Natural Resources Inventory

This information reflects data collected in the National Land Trust Census, the longest-running comprehensive survey of private land conservation in America. Learn more about the Census and see which land trusts participated in the 2020 National Land Trust Census.

Making a Difference

Colorado land trusts are gaining ground.

Land trusts across the state are helping find solutions to some of Colorado's most pressing issues.

  • Tackling climate change: The accredited Southern Plains Land Trust manages the restoration and preservation of two Colorado ranches that sequester 8,000 metric tons of soil carbon per year. Their actions yielded the first grassland carbon offsets sold on the voluntary carbon market.

    Read more

  • Addressing community needs: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the accredited Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust partnered with the Windsor Hotel, Valley Roots Food Hub, High Valley Community Center, the Boys and Girls Club of the San Luis Valley and local agricultural producers to create Local Farms to Local Families, a program that provided supplemental meals to San Luis Valley families, youth and elderly who needed some extra help during challenging times.

    Read more

  • Saving family farms and ranches: Colorado Open Lands partnered with Poudre Valley Community Farms, a grassroots co-operative founded by local residents to protect the future of local food production. In 2021, the partnership permanently protected The Dixon Station in Wellington, Colorado, helping to provide fresh local foods to the community.

    Read more

Land Trusts Working in Colorado

Land Trust Alliance member land trusts, listed below, commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.

Access Fund
Boulder, CO
115 acres protected in CO
American Farmland Trust
Northampton, MA
16,199 acres protected in CO
Aspen Valley Land Trust
Carbondale, CO
44,447 acres protected in CO
Central Colorado Conservancy
Salida, CO
5,216 acres protected in CO
Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust
Arvada, CO
672,123 acres protected in CO
Colorado Headwaters Land Trust
Granby, CO
18,371 acres protected in CO
Colorado Open Lands
Lakewood, CO
495,860 acres protected in CO
Colorado West Land Trust
Grand Junction, CO
124,527 acres protected in CO
Crested Butte Land Trust
Crested Butte, CO
6,000 acres protected in CO
Douglas Land Conservancy
Castle Rock, CO
26,757 acres protected in CO
Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
Memphis, TN
24,360 acres protected in CO
Eagle Valley Land Trust
Edwards, CO
13,160 acres protected in CO
Estes Valley Land Trust
Estes Park, CO
9,921 acres protected in CO
La Plata Open Space Conservancy
Durango, CO
21,275 acres protected in CO
Montezuma Land Conservancy
Cortez, CO
46,102 acres protected in CO
Mountain Area Land Trust
Evergreen, CO
24,439 acres protected in CO
National Park Trust
Rockville, MD
23 acres protected in CO
Orient Land Trust
Villa Grove, CO
2,260 acres protected in CO
Palmer Land Conservancy
Colorado Springs, CO
138,474 acres protected in CO
Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust
del Norte, CO
28,194 acres protected in CO
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
Missoula, MT
179,049 acres protected in CO
San Isabel Land Protection Trust
Westcliffe, CO
42,442 acres protected in CO
San Miguel Conservation Foundation
Telluride, CO
8,162 acres protected in CO
South Metro Land Conservancy
Littleton, CO
72 acres protected in CO
Southern Plains Land Trust
Lamar, CO
32,824 acres protected in CO
The Conservation Fund
Arlington, VA
214,974 acres protected in CO
The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust
Washington, DC
518 acres protected in CO
The Nature Conservancy
Arlington, VA
1,028,771 acres protected in CO
The Trust for Public Land, National Office
San Francisco, CA
100,947 acres protected in CO
Wilderness Land Trust
Bainbridge Island, WA
5,672 acres protected in CO