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Gaining Ground

Massachusetts

466,157

Acres Protected

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.

Visitors to Land Trust Properties

2.8 million

More and more people are enjoying the benefits of nature.

Percent of Land Trusts That Provide Public Access to Their Lands

82%

Land trusts provide opportunities to recreate and recharge.

Number of People Served

469,331

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

Miles of Trails

1,663

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

Miles With Universal Access

28

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

86%

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.

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

Active Land Trusts

130

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

73

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

12

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

    389,469

  • Volunteers

    17,913

  • Full-time staff

    721

  • Part-time staff

    610

  • Board members

    1,194

Land Trust Longevity

  • Oldest

    131 years old (1891)

  • Youngest

    14 years old (2008)

  • Median age

    39 years old

State Association
Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition
View website
State Association
The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, Inc.
View website
Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Focus on Climate Change in the Last Five Years

86%

Percent of Land Trusts Receiving Funding to Address Climate Change

31%

Sources of Funding to Address Climate Change

  • Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Program

  • Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management

  • Coastal Zone Management

  • MassWildlife

  • Division of Ecological Restoration

Land Protected

There has been a 35% increase in Massachusetts land protected by land trusts since 2010.

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

2010
2015
2020
Total acres protected
344,257
437,569
466,157
+35%
Under easement
79,737
104,257
117,774
+48%
Owned
122,216
142,200
154,166
+26%
Acquired and reconveyed
78,500
67,482
90,108
+15%
Protected by other means
63,805
124,151
104,111
+63%

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

31%

Source: 2020 National Land Trust Census

Total Public Funding for Conservation From 1998-2017

$1.6 billion

Source: Trust for Public Land's Conservation Almanac

Acres of Land Lost to Development From 2012-2017

24,600

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

Massachusetts land trusts are gaining ground.

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 more

  • Providing 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 more

  • Conserving 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 more

Land Trusts Working in Massachusetts

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

Access Fund
Boulder, CO
7 acres protected in MA
Acton Conservation Trust
Concord, MA
205 acres protected in MA
American Farmland Trust
Northampton, MA
2,509 acres protected in MA
Andover Village Improvement Society
Andover, MA
1,021 acres protected in MA
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Harpers Ferry, WV
2,084 acres protected in MA
Ashburnham Conservation Trust
Ashburnham, MA
3,655 acres protected in MA
Ashby Land Trust, Inc.
Ashby, MA
1,658 acres protected in MA
Attleboro Land Trust
Attleboro, MA
692 acres protected in MA
BTA/BOLT
Boxford, MA
1,465 acres protected in MA
Belmont Land Trust
Belmont, MA
25 acres protected in MA
Berkshire Natural Resources Council
Pittsfield, MA
44,313 acres protected in MA
Bourne Conservation Trust
Cataumet, MA
215 acres protected in MA
Boxborough Conservation Trust
Boxborough, MA
417 acres protected in MA
Buzzards Bay Coalition
New Bedford, MA
8,977 acres protected in MA
Chelmsford Land Conservation Trust
Chelmsford, MA
94 acres protected in MA
Cohasset Conservation Trust, Inc.
Cohasset, MA
100 acres protected in MA
Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust
Dartmouth, MA
5,523 acres protected in MA
Dover Land Conservation Trust
Dover, MA
441 acres protected in MA
Dunstable Rural Land Trust
Dunstable, MA
1,116 acres protected in MA
East Quabbin Land Trust
Hardwick, MA
4,766 acres protected in MA
Essex County Greenbelt Association
Essex, MA
18,526 acres protected in MA
Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, Inc.
Concord, MA
Grafton Land Trust
Grafton, MA
940 acres protected in MA
Great Barrington Land Conservancy
Great Barrington, MA
398 acres protected in MA
Groton Conservation Trust
Groton, MA
1,786 acres protected in MA
Harvard Conservation Trust
Harvard, MA
784 acres protected in MA
Harwich Conservation Trust
South Harwich, MA
407 acres protected in MA
Hilltown Land Trust
Ashfield, MA
5,085 acres protected in MA
Hingham Land Conservation Trust
Hingham, MA
177 acres protected in MA
Hopkinton Area Land Trust
Woodville, MA
855 acres protected in MA
Housatonic Valley Association
Cornwall Bridge, CT
Kestrel Land Trust, Inc.
Amherst, MA
27,000 acres protected in MA
Lincoln Land Conservation Trust
Lincoln, MA
1,560 acres protected in MA
Littleton Conservation Trust
Littleton, MA
606 acres protected in MA
Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust
Lowell, MA
38 acres protected in MA
Manchester-Essex Conservation Trust
Manchester, MA
1,437 acres protected in MA
Marblehead Conservancy, Inc.
Marblehead, MA
121 acres protected in MA
Mass Audubon
Lincoln, MA
38,928 acres protected in MA
Mattapoisett Land Trust, Inc.
Mattapoisett, MA
889 acres protected in MA
Metacomet Land Trust
Franklin, MA
1,857 acres protected in MA
Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust
Athol, MA
34,804 acres protected in MA
Nantucket Conservation Foundation
Nantucket, MA
8,947 acres protected in MA
Nantucket Land Council, Inc.
Nantucket, MA
1,500 acres protected in MA
Nashoba Conservation Trust, Inc.
Pepperell, MA
525 acres protected in MA
National Park Trust
Rockville, MD
23 acres protected in MA
New England Forestry Foundation
Littleton, MA
14,200 acres protected in MA
Newton Conservators, Inc.
Newton, MA
85 acres protected in MA
Newton Tree Conservancy, Inc.
Waban, MA
Nichols-Smith Conservation Land Trust
Hollis, NH
2,500 acres protected in MA
Nonquit Street Land Trust, Inc.
Boston, MA
1 acres protected in MA
North County Land Trust, Inc.
Leominster, MA
4,908 acres protected in MA
Northeast Wilderness Trust
Montpelier, VT
349 acres protected in MA
Northeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc.
Schoharie, NY
Opacum Land Trust
Sturbridge, MA
3,511 acres protected in MA
Pascommuck Conservation Trust, Inc.
Easthampton, MA
203 acres protected in MA
Princeton Land Trust
Princeton, MA
307 acres protected in MA
Rehoboth Land Trust
Rehoboth, MA
125 acres protected in MA
Richmond Land Trust
Richmond, MA
6,544 acres protected in MA
Seekonk Land Conservation Trust
Seekonk, MA
897 acres protected in MA
Sheffield Land Trust
Sheffield, MA
5,008 acres protected in MA
Sheriff's Meadow Foundation
Vineyard Haven, MA
3,212 acres protected in MA
Sippican Lands Trust, Inc.
Marion, MA
1,370 acres protected in MA
Southborough Open Land Foundation
Southborough, MA
183 acres protected in MA
Stow Conservation Trust
Stow, MA
542 acres protected in MA
Sudbury Valley Trustees
Sudbury, MA
8,695 acres protected in MA
The 300 Committee Land Trust
Falmouth, MA
3,219 acres protected in MA
The Conservation Fund
Arlington, VA
8,103 acres protected in MA
The Horticultural Society of Boxford
Boxford, MA
7 acres protected in MA
The Nature Conservancy
Arlington, VA
25,362 acres protected in MA
The Trust for Public Land, National Office
San Francisco, CA
10,744 acres protected in MA
The Trustees of Reservations
Boston, MA
74,500 acres protected in MA
Truro Conservation Trust
North Truro, MA
290 acres protected in MA
Tuckernuck Land Trust
Nantucket, MA
115 acres protected in MA
Upper Charles Conservation Land Trust, Inc.
Medfield, MA
300 acres protected in MA
Wareham Land Trust, Inc.
Wareham, MA
719 acres protected in MA
Wellesley Conservation Land Trust
Wellesley Hills, MA
55 acres protected in MA
Wellfleet Conservation Trust
Wellfleet, MA
410 acres protected in MA
Westborough Community Land Trust
Westborough, MA
196 acres protected in MA
Westford Conservation Trust
Westford, MA
367 acres protected in MA
Westwood Land Trust
Westwood, MA
200 acres protected in MA
White Oak Land Conservation Society
Holden, MA
1,447 acres protected in MA
Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation
Williamstown, MA
869 acres protected in MA