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    Gaining Ground

    Illinois

    253,491

    Acres Protected

    That’s about 192,039 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

    89,509

    Visitors in 2020, more than double that of 2015.

    Percent of Land Trusts That Provide Public Access to Their Lands

    82%

    Land trusts provide opportunities to recreate and recharge.

    Number of People Served

    26,740

    Land trusts provide programs and activities to get people outside and learn about the land.

    Miles of Trails

    130

    Walking, hiking and other outdoor recreation improve people's health and well-being.

    Miles With Universal Access

    3

    Universal access trails are designed to be used by all people, regardless of ability.

    Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Community Engagement in the Last Five Years

    79%

    Land Trusts Are Deepening Relationships With:

    • People from various racial and ethnic backgrounds

    • Older adults or those living in retirement communities

    • People who identify as LGBTQ+

    • People living with disabilities

    • Veterans

    Land Trusts Are Helping Address Community Needs, Including:

    • Youth education and development

    • Community and economic development

    • Food security and agriculture

    • Health and wellness

    • Social and environmental justice

    Demographics

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

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

    Active Land Trusts

    27

    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

    22

    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

    8

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

    Learn about land trust accreditation

    People

    • 19,080

    • 5,872

    • 96

    • 57

    • 371

    Land Trust Longevity

    • 127 years old (1897)

    • 17 years old (2007)

    • 40 years old

    State Association
    View website
    Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Focus on Climate Change in the Last Five Years

    71%

    Percent of Land Trusts Receiving Funding to Address Climate Change

    14%

    Land Protected

    There has been a 26% increase in Illinois land protected by land trusts since 2010.

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

    2010
    2015
    2020
    Total acres protected
    200,470
    232,054
    253,491
    +26%
    Under easement
    16,080
    23,652
    29,979
    +86%
    Owned
    57,473
    64,464
    71,481
    +24%
    Acquired and reconveyed
    57,321
    73,738
    79,274
    +38%
    Protected by other means
    69,596
    70,462
    72,757
    +5%

    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

    78%

    Source: 2020 National Land Trust Census

    Total Public Funding for Conservation From 1998-2017

    $1.7 billion

    Source: Trust for Public Land's Conservation Almanac

    Acres of Land Lost to Development From 2012-2017

    61,300

    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

    Illinois land trusts are gaining ground.

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

    • Tackling climate change: The accredited Openlands provides TreePlanters Grants to communities in Chicago and the near south suburbs to provide new trees. The grants encourage resilience through planting trees and creating a network of neighbors to care for the trees. Planting trees is one of the simplest nature-based solutions to climate change and is a tangible way for individuals to make a positive impact on the environment.

      Read more

    • Saving family farms: The accredited Land Conservancy of McHenry County has been holding workshops for women who own farmland. The concept came from an organization based in Iowa called the Women, Food and Agriculture Network. The workshops are meant to provide a crucial link between women farmland owners and the resources they need to achieve their conservation goals by holding women-only meetings.

      Read more

    Land Trusts Working in Illinois

    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
    47 acres protected in IL
    American Farmland Trust
    American Farmland Trust
    Northampton, MA
    80 acres protected in IL
    Barrington Area Conservation Trust
    Barrington Area Conservation Trust
    Barrington, IL
    540 acres protected in IL
    Citizens for Conservation
    Citizens for Conservation
    Barrington, IL
    441 acres protected in IL
    Clifftop NFP
    Clifftop NFP
    Maeystown, IL
    1,095 acres protected in IL
    Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
    Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
    Memphis, TN
    1,334 acres protected in IL
    Friends of the Sangamon Valley
    Friends of the Sangamon Valley
    Springfield, IL
    2,004 acres protected in IL
    Grand Prairie Friends
    Grand Prairie Friends
    Urbana, IL
    1,208 acres protected in IL
    Great Rivers Land Trust
    Great Rivers Land Trust
    Alton, IL
    1,942 acres protected in IL
    HeartLands Conservancy
    HeartLands Conservancy
    Belleville, IL
    9,847 acres protected in IL
    Illinois Audubon Society
    Illinois Audubon Society
    Springfield, IL
    5,289 acres protected in IL
    Illinois Climbers Association
    Illinois Climbers Association
    Makanda, IL
    Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation
    Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation
    Elizabeth, IL
    7,532 acres protected in IL
    Lake Forest Open Lands Association
    Lake Forest Open Lands Association
    Lake Forest, IL
    832 acres protected in IL
    Land Conservancy of Lake County
    Land Conservancy of Lake County
    Lake Villa, IL
    95 acres protected in IL
    National Park Trust
    National Park Trust
    Rockville, MD
    Natural Land Institute
    Natural Land Institute
    Rockford, IL
    19,222 acres protected in IL
    NeighborSpace
    NeighborSpace
    Chicago, IL
    13 acres protected in IL
    Openlands
    Openlands
    Chicago, IL
    77,997 acres protected in IL
    Parklands Foundation
    Parklands Foundation
    Normal, IL
    3,692 acres protected in IL
    Prairie Land Conservancy
    Prairie Land Conservancy
    Macomb, IL
    2,358 acres protected in IL
    Prairielands Preservation Foundation
    Prairielands Preservation Foundation
    Normal, IL
    900 acres protected in IL
    St. Clair County Greenspace Foundation
    St. Clair County Greenspace Foundation
    Belleville, IL
    70 acres protected in IL
    The Conservation Foundation
    The Conservation Foundation
    Naperville, IL
    38,302 acres protected in IL
    The Conservation Fund
    The Conservation Fund
    Arlington, VA
    50,987 acres protected in IL
    The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust
    The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust
    Washington, DC
    152 acres protected in IL
    The Land Conservancy of McHenry County
    The Land Conservancy of McHenry County
    Woodstock, IL
    3,210 acres protected in IL
    The Nature Conservancy
    The Nature Conservancy
    Arlington, VA
    57,407 acres protected in IL
    The Prairie Enthusiasts
    The Prairie Enthusiasts
    Viroqua, WI
    524 acres protected in IL
    The Sangamon Conservancy Trust
    The Sangamon Conservancy Trust
    Springfield, IL
    4,043 acres protected in IL
    The Trust for Public Land, National Office
    The Trust for Public Land, National Office
    San Francisco, CA
    4,275 acres protected in IL