A land trust is a private nonprofit organization that promotes and utilizes a variety of tools to help citizens and communities accomplish their land protection objectives. Land trusts demonstrate public interest in the goals of preserving open space, rural lands, and natural features.

The history of land trusts dates back more than 100 years; today there are more than 1,600 land trusts throughout the country. Minnesota is unique in the land trust community in that it is one of the few statewide land trust organizations in the country. Some statistics about Land Trusts:

• The nation's local and regional land trusts have protected more than 11.8 million acres of natural areas
  
• About one million people are members and financial supporters of land trusts
  
• More than 50,000 people are active volunteers of land trusts
  

To find out about other land trusts, visit The Land Trust Alliance's Web site at www.lta.org.