New York

1,976,650

Acres Protected

That’s about 1,497,462 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

Visitors in 2020, more than double that of 2015.

Percent of Land Trusts That Provide Public Access to Their Lands

Land trusts provide opportunities to recreate and recharge.

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

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

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

85%

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

Youth education and development
Community and economic development
Food security and agriculture
Health and wellness
Social and environmental justice

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

Active Land Trusts

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

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

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

Learn about land trust accreditation

Members/financial supporters

1,863,000
Volunteers

5,936
Full-time staff

384
Part-time staff

163
Board members

1,047

Oldest

93 years old (1931)
Youngest

10 years old (2014)
Median age

34 years old

85%

31%

New York State Conservation Partnership Program
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Hudson River Estuary Program

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

2010

2015

2020

      Total acres protected
      
1,801,707
1,901,174
1,976,650
+10%

550,939

627,230

688,096

+25%

384,390

410,816

353,609

635,055

709,979

649,806

+2%

231,325

417,462

285,139

+23%

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.

Source: 2020 National Land Trust Census

Source: Trust for Public Land's Conservation Almanac

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.

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

Providing access to land for all: The accredited Grassroots Gardens of Western New York formed the “Gardening for All” accessibility task force in response to the needs of local gardeners living with disabilities and in recognition that all people should have access to the garden network, now and in the future.
Read more
Creating healthy communities: A prominent forested property on the Shawangunk Ridge in New York’s Catskill Mountains is now permanently protected thanks to a recent purchase by the Open Space Institute. The 228-acre property in the town of Mamakating is adjacent to five popular recreational trail systems and to the 3,300-acre Bashakill Wildlife Management Area.
Read more
Protecting land for future generations: Budding naturalists can check out nature in New York’s Hudson Valley with only a library card — and a sense of adventure. Libraries in Columbia County make nature-based Explorer Backpacks available free of charge, thanks to the accredited Columbia Land Conservancy.
Read more

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

25 acres protected in NY

26,710 acres protected in NY

26,540 acres protected in NY

9,249 acres protected in NY

22,833 acres protected in NY

3 acres protected in NY

75 acres protected in NY

5 acres protected in NY

55 acres protected in NY

3,813 acres protected in NY

3,200 acres protected in NY

1,983 acres protected in NY

1,087 acres protected in NY

875 acres protected in NY

33,793 acres protected in NY

55 acres protected in NY

3,058 acres protected in NY

2,190 acres protected in NY

43,766 acres protected in NY

161 acres protected in NY

25,233 acres protected in NY

101 acres protected in NY

64 acres protected in NY

300 acres protected in NY

14 acres protected in NY

6,045 acres protected in NY

34,058 acres protected in NY

258 acres protected in NY

18 acres protected in NY

950 acres protected in NY

26 acres protected in NY

351 acres protected in NY

4,570 acres protected in NY

Huyck Preserve and Biological Research Station

2,055 acres protected in NY

2,508 acres protected in NY

142 acres protected in NY

13 acres protected in NY

8,173 acres protected in NY

12,190 acres protected in NY

490 acres protected in NY

2 acres protected in NY

160 acres protected in NY

1,175 acres protected in NY

13,295 acres protected in NY

8,203 acres protected in NY

220 acres protected in NY

Nature Sanctuary Society of Western New York

8,575 acres protected in NY

1,319 acres protected in NY

1,062 acres protected in NY

8,697 acres protected in NY

93 acres protected in NY

759 acres protected in NY

1,257 acres protected in NY

147,977 acres protected in NY

6,749 acres protected in NY

11,541 acres protected in NY

11,038 acres protected in NY

50 acres protected in NY

560 acres protected in NY

1,243 acres protected in NY

51 acres protected in NY

12,358 acres protected in NY

Rev. Linnette C. Williamson Memorial Park Association

4,658 acres protected in NY

7,155 acres protected in NY

52,426 acres protected in NY

2,936 acres protected in NY

12 acres protected in NY

54 acres protected in NY

861 acres protected in NY

151 acres protected in NY

140 acres protected in NY

357 acres protected in NY

923 acres protected in NY

7,353 acres protected in NY

433,424 acres protected in NY

887 acres protected in NY

743,762 acres protected in NY

20 acres protected in NY

The Trust for Public Land, National Office

123,116 acres protected in NY

3,000 acres protected in NY

11,326 acres protected in NY

35 acres protected in NY

20,393 acres protected in NY

2,476 acres protected in NY

31,867 acres protected in NY

8,856 acres protected in NY

7,490 acres protected in NY

4,755 acres protected in NY

1,383 acres protected in NY

1 acres protected in NY

Gaining Ground

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