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Who owns your favorite hiking trail? Who is responsible for the pristine mountain, valley, lake or stream that you see every day on your way to work, or where you go to get away from it all on the weekend? In the American West, the government owns millions of acres of public land, but in other parts of the country, most of the land that we use for hiking, scenic vistas, camping, fishing, birding, boating and generally rejuvenating the human spirit, has been preserved by land trusts. They also conserve historical sites, important wildlife habitats and even family farms. Do you know what land trusts have done to preserve land where you live?

In a country that places such a high value on personal property, land trusts are an aberration of sorts, almost—dare I say it?—a socialist system of land preservation. At its most basic, a land trust is a group of people, some wealthy, some not, who get together and buy land with the grand idea of doing nothing with it. Forever. No subdivisions, no strip malls, no McMansions. No mountain-top removal mining, no oil drilling. Some don't even allow hiking trails.

Little by little, piece by piece, land trusts (by which I mean We, the People, in cooperation with but separate from our government) are making sure the most valuable places in our country, and across the world, are preserved for future generations. Land trusts come in all shapes and sizes, and each has a particular focus.

There are large multi-national groups, like the Nature Conservancy and much smaller local land trusts, like Quoddy Regional Land Trust, which operates only in my state of Maine. Some buy large tracts of forest, while others are working to protect special places in a particular part of one town. Maine Coast Heritage Trust, which concentrates on state land near the shore or on coastal islands, has protected 125,000 acres of land and 250 entire islands in Maine.

All told, land trusts in the Northeast preserved over 3.5 million acres by the 2005 Land Trust Census. Across the country, they conserved over 37 million acres. That's more than 16 times the size of Yellowstone National Park! Admit it, you didn't know land trusts were making such a difference, did you?

The Land Trust Alliance is a great place to start learning which land trusts operate near your home or favorite place. Take a look at their search page. You might be surprised by all of the organizations that are working—sometimes quietly behind the scenes, sometimes as loudly as they can—to make sure we will always have some natural areas in which to lose ourselves, and where wild animals will always have a place to live.

Remember, too, that most land trusts are non-profits that operate on a shoestring budget. Even though they may spend millions of dollars on land, they sometimes resort to bake sales and book sales to raise a few dollars to heat their offices or buy stamps. Donate some money or your time to the land trust of your choice and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that some little piece of that hiking trail, scenic vista or peaceful cove you love will always be there thanks to you.

Updated 7/31/10; originally posted 5/23/09.

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