Connecting people to nature has never been more important.
Big or small, Colorado land trusts increasingly are meeting the needs of their communities through partnerships, engagement and outreach.
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.
Colorado land trusts are community-led and supported and protect lands and waters that help the entire state.
24,298
910
123
41
269
55 years old (1967)
21 years old (2001)
30 years old
Acre by acre, land trusts are helping to conserve Colorado lands, waters and ways of life.
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.
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.
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 moreAddressing 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 moreSaving 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 moreLand Trust Alliance member land trusts, listed below, commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.