Connecting people to nature has never been more important.
Big or small, Massachusetts land trusts increasingly are meeting the needs of their communities through partnerships, engagement and outreach.
That’s about 353,149 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.
Massachusetts land trusts are community-led and supported and protect lands and waters that help the entire state.
389,469
17,913
721
610
1,194
131 years old (1891)
14 years old (2008)
39 years old
Acre by acre, land trusts are helping to conserve Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts' most pressing issues.
Tackling climate change: The accredited Nantucket Conservation Foundation, in collaboration with the Town of Nantucket Natural Resource Department, completed the final step in a two-year-long restoration project to create a new oyster reef in Polpis Harbor. The first reef of it’s kind in Massachusetts, this project will show one way to bring more stability and resilience to shorelines around New England.
Read moreProviding access to land for all: To ensure that everyone has an opportunity to connect with nature, many of the accredited Mass Audubon's wildlife sanctuaries feature universally accessible trails. These trails incorporate universally designed interpretive features including educational stops, wildlife viewing boardwalks and platforms, picnic and play areas, and navigation resources such as audio directions, guide ropes, curbing and handrails.
Read moreConserving wildlife habitat: Greenbelt, a land trust in Essex County, conducts osprey research to better understand the habitats and areas osprey use during their spring and fall migration, and protect summer breeding areas such as the Great Marsh.
Learn moreLand Trust Alliance member land trusts, listed below, commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.