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    Gaining Ground

    Delaware

    91,050

    Acres Protected

    That’s about 68,977 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

    75,075

    More and more people are enjoying the benefits of nature.

    Percent of Land Trusts That Provide Public Access to Their Lands

    100%

    Land trusts provide opportunities to recreate and recharge.

    Demographics

    Every land trust is as unique as the community it serves.

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

    Active Land Trusts

    4

    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

    3

    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

    0

    Accredited land trusts undergo a thorough review of their practices in governance, finance, transactions and stewardship.

    Learn about land trust accreditation

    People

    • 2,950

    • 91

    • 5

    • 3

    • 58

    Land Trust Longevity

    • 63 years old (1961)

    • 19 years old (2005)

    • 46 years old

    Land Protected

    There has been a 4% increase in Delaware land protected by land trusts since 2010.

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

    2010
    2015
    2020
    Total acres protected
    87,303
    90,816
    91,050
    +4%
    Under easement
    5,195
    5,204
    5,221
    +1%
    Owned
    41,564
    44,531
    44,534
    +7%
    Acquired and reconveyed
    22,304
    20,316
    20,274
    0%
    Protected by other means
    18,523
    20,934
    21,021
    +13%

    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

    55%

    Source: 2020 National Land Trust Census

    Total Public Funding for Conservation From 1998-2017

    $487 million

    Source: Trust for Public Land's Conservation Almanac

    Acres of Land Lost to Development From 2012-2017

    11,400

    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

    Delaware land trusts are gaining ground.

    Land trusts across the state are helping find solutions to some of Delaware's most pressing issues.

    • Ensuring water quality: The Kent County Conservancy partnered with NREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation to secure two wetland parcels to become part of the Fork Branch Nature Preserve, in order to help protect and buffer the preserve’s wetland habitats, and the wildlife species the habitats support. The Fork Branch Nature Preserve is one of Dover’s last remaining natural areas, and is known to contain a unique stand of old growth American beech, a wooded stream corridor and several rare and threatened plant species.

      Read more

    • Conserving wildlife habitat: The Gardening for Water and Wildlife program, conducted through a partnership between the Delaware Nature Society and the National Wildlife Federation, provides official recognition for properties that meet five criteria necessary for wildlife: food, water, cover, places for wildlife to raise young and wildlife-friendly landscaping practices. These properties can get certified as Certified Wildlife Habitats™.

      Read more

    Land Trusts Working in Delaware

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

    Access Fund
    Access Fund
    Boulder, CO
    American Farmland Trust
    American Farmland Trust
    Northampton, MA
    Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art
    Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art
    Chadds Ford, PA
    1,862 acres protected in DE
    Delaware Nature Society
    Delaware Nature Society
    Hockessin, DE
    1,103 acres protected in DE
    Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
    Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
    Memphis, TN
    Kent County Conservancy
    Kent County Conservancy
    Dover, DE
    10 acres protected in DE
    Nanticoke River Watershed Conservancy
    Nanticoke River Watershed Conservancy
    Seaford, DE
    433 acres protected in DE
    National Park Trust
    National Park Trust
    Rockville, MD
    The Conservation Fund
    The Conservation Fund
    Arlington, VA
    18,822 acres protected in DE
    The Nature Conservancy
    The Nature Conservancy
    Arlington, VA
    29,197 acres protected in DE
    The Trust for Public Land, National Office
    The Trust for Public Land, National Office
    San Francisco, CA
    283 acres protected in DE