Connecting people to nature has never been more important.
Big or small, Montana land trusts increasingly are meeting the needs of their communities through partnerships, engagement and outreach.
That’s about 3,016,957 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.
Montana land trusts are community-led and supported and protect lands and waters that help the entire state.
241,514
11,656
207
33
131
50 years old (1972)
21 years old (2001)
32 years old
Acre by acre, land trusts are helping to conserve Montana 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 Montana's most pressing issues.
Conserving wildlife habitat: The accredited Vital Ground Foundation was founded by the bear trainers Doug and Lynne Seus to honor the animals they worked with. What grizzlies need is room to roam, and Vital Ground has worked with willing landowners to conserve over 618, 000 acres of grizzly bear habitat in Montana, Washington and Idaho. The organization also works to reduce conflicts between grizzlies and people.
Read moreAddressing community needs: The accredited Prickly Pear Land Trust partnered with National Guard training facility Fort Harrison and purchased 180 acres of land across from the fort and a Veterans Affairs hospital. They created Tenmile Creek Park, which helps soldiers, veterans, students, people with disabilities and others connect to nature with scenic picnic areas and trails that people who are not fully mobile can safely enjoy.
Read moreConserving family farms and ranches: The accredited Montana Land Reliance has worked with Montana's landowners to permanently protect agricultural lands, fish and wildlife habitat and open space. Since its founding in 1978, the organization has protected over 1 million acres.
Read moreLand Trust Alliance member land trusts, listed below, commit to adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices as their guiding principles.