What’s a Land Trust?

Land trusts, like the Upper Trinity Conservation Trust, are charitable, nonprofit organizations whose mission is to preserve land and water resources for the benefit of society as a whole. With 83% of Texas land in private ownership, working with and assisting landowners and the land they manage is critical for preserving the integrity of our state’s natural resources.

Land trusts can help Texas landowners meet their long-term land management goals primarily by partnering with landowners to acquire perpetual conservation easements, which are private, voluntary agreements between the landowner and land trust. Conservation easements offer a solution to keep private lands undeveloped to protect drinking water sources and to preserve agricultural production and wildlife habitat for generations to come. Land trusts also commit to the long-term stewardship of conservation easement lands, depending on the landowner’s current and future management goals.

Land trusts frequently partner with other nonprofits, public agencies, and private entities to advance common conservation goals for the region and the state. The Trust has partnered with organizations such as the Dixon Water Foundation, Texas A&M AgriLife County Extension offices, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the University of North Texas, in addition to its Watershed Partners.

More than 30 land trusts operate across Texas. Land trusts may differ in the types of easements they acquire and may focus on certain areas. For example, the Upper Trinity Conservation Trust focuses on the Upper Trinity River Basin and North Sulphur River Basin in Denton, Collin, Wise, Montague, Cooke, Grayson and Fannin counties. To find a land trust in your area, visit the Texas Land Trust Council.