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    Gaining Ground

    North Carolina

    1,523,393

    Acres Protected

    That’s about 1,154,086 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

    132,373

    Visitors in 2020, more than double that of 2015.

    Percent of Land Trusts That Provide Public Access to Their Lands

    79%

    Land trusts provide opportunities to recreate and recharge.

    Number of People Served

    59,628

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

    Miles of Trails

    109

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

    Miles With Universal Access

    11

    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

    91%

    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.

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

    Active Land Trusts

    28

    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

    26

    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

    18

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

    Learn about land trust accreditation

    People

    • 16,417

    • 3,799

    • 147

    • 35

    • 357

    Land Trust Longevity

    • 141 years old (1883)

    • 17 years old (2007)

    • 30 years old

    Percent of Land Trusts Who Increased Focus on Climate Change in the Last Five Years

    73%

    Percent of Land Trusts Receiving Funding to Address Climate Change

    64%

    Sources of Funding to Address Climate Change

    • United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service

    Land Protected

    There has been a 19% increase in North Carolina land protected by land trusts since 2010.

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

    2010
    2015
    2020
    Total acres protected
    1,280,688
    1,406,569
    1,523,393
    +19%
    Under easement
    199,078
    264,177
    328,746
    +65%
    Owned
    282,439
    323,135
    357,684
    +27%
    Acquired and reconveyed
    464,556
    475,992
    505,897
    +9%
    Protected by other means
    334,615
    383,301
    331,066
    0%

    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

    94%

    Source: 2020 National Land Trust Census

    Total Public Funding for Conservation From 1998-2017

    $1.8 billion

    Source: Trust for Public Land's Conservation Almanac

    Acres of Land Lost to Development From 2012-2017

    124,300

    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

    North Carolina land trusts are gaining ground.

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

    • Saving family farms: The North Carolina-based Black Family Land trust, which works primarily in the Southeast, works with Black land owners and farmers to preserve their land assets. The organization provides education and technical and financial support to landowners, while encouraging them to consider their land heritage in planning for the future. "We're one of the nation's only land trusts dedicated to the protection of African-American land and land owned by other historically underserved populations," says Executive Director Ebonie Alexander.

      Read more

    • Addressing community needs: After Hurricane Matthew in 2016, a flood shuttered Princeville Elementary School in eastern North Carolina. In 2020, after four years of renovations, the school reopened only to close again in a few months due to COVID-19. Students who returned this fall were greeted by some new updates — conservation projects installed by local teens.

      Read more

    • Weaving together community: Charlotte, ranked seventh in population growth among the nation’s metro areas, is expected to lose a quarter of its forestland by 2025. With major funding from the Foundation for the Carolinas and organizational leadership from the accredited Catawba Lands Conservancy, the Carolina Thread Trail, a regional network of greenways and blueways spanning 15 counties in two states around Charlotte, is a way to balance this growth one community at a time.

      Read More

    Land Trusts Working in North Carolina

    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
    114 acres protected in NC
    American Farmland Trust
    American Farmland Trust
    Northampton, MA
    9,459 acres protected in NC
    Another Perspective
    Another Perspective
    Wilmington, NC
    Appalachian Trail Conservancy
    Appalachian Trail Conservancy
    Harpers Ferry, WV
    8,536 acres protected in NC
    Blue Ridge Conservancy
    Blue Ridge Conservancy
    Boone, NC
    21,756 acres protected in NC
    Broad Water Innovations
    Broad Water Innovations
    Richmond, VA
    202 acres protected in NC
    Catawba Lands Conservancy
    Catawba Lands Conservancy
    Charlotte, NC
    17,184 acres protected in NC
    Conservation Trust for North Carolina
    Conservation Trust for North Carolina
    Raleigh, NC
    37,868 acres protected in NC
    Conserving Carolina
    Conserving Carolina
    Hendersonville, NC
    45,898 acres protected in NC
    Davidson Lands Conservancy
    Davidson Lands Conservancy
    Davidson, NC
    553 acres protected in NC
    Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
    Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
    Memphis, TN
    9,997 acres protected in NC
    Eno River Association
    Eno River Association
    Durham, NC
    7,547 acres protected in NC
    Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina
    Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina
    Morganton, NC
    68,291 acres protected in NC
    Georgia-Alabama Land Trust
    Georgia-Alabama Land Trust
    Piedmont, AL
    91 acres protected in NC
    Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust
    Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust
    Highlands, NC
    3,773 acres protected in NC
    Mainspring Conservation Trust
    Mainspring Conservation Trust
    Franklin, NC
    20,695 acres protected in NC
    National Park Trust
    National Park Trust
    Rockville, MD
    Naturaland Trust
    Naturaland Trust
    Greenville, SC
    New River Conservancy
    New River Conservancy
    West Jefferson, NC
    3,985 acres protected in NC
    North Carolina Botanical Garden Foundation
    North Carolina Botanical Garden Foundation
    Chapel Hill, NC
    306 acres protected in NC
    North Carolina Coastal Land Trust
    North Carolina Coastal Land Trust
    Wilmington, NC
    69,583 acres protected in NC
    Northeast New Hanover Conservancy
    Northeast New Hanover Conservancy
    Wilmington, NC
    1,504 acres protected in NC
    Outdoor Wellness League
    Outdoor Wellness League
    Denver, NC
    300 acres protected in NC
    Piedmont Land Conservancy
    Piedmont Land Conservancy
    Greensboro, NC
    22,307 acres protected in NC
    RiverLink, Inc.
    RiverLink, Inc.
    Asheville, NC
    190 acres protected in NC
    Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
    Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
    Missoula, MT
    Saluda Community Land Trust
    Saluda Community Land Trust
    Saluda, NC
    498 acres protected in NC
    Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
    Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
    Asheville, NC
    72,789 acres protected in NC
    Tar River Land Conservancy
    Tar River Land Conservancy
    Louisburg, NC
    22,415 acres protected in NC
    The Conservation Fund
    The Conservation Fund
    Arlington, VA
    224,183 acres protected in NC
    The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust
    The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust
    Washington, DC
    129 acres protected in NC
    The Nature Conservancy
    The Nature Conservancy
    Arlington, VA
    746,303 acres protected in NC
    The Trust for Public Land, National Office
    The Trust for Public Land, National Office
    San Francisco, CA
    16,472 acres protected in NC
    The Walthour-Moss Foundation
    The Walthour-Moss Foundation
    Southern Pines, NC
    4,121 acres protected in NC
    Three Rivers Land Trust
    Three Rivers Land Trust
    Salisbury, NC
    55,099 acres protected in NC
    Triangle Land Conservancy
    Triangle Land Conservancy
    Durham, NC
    20,121 acres protected in NC
    Unique Places To Save
    Unique Places To Save
    Chapel Hill, NC
    3,667 acres protected in NC
    Upstate Forever
    Upstate Forever
    Greenville, SC
    863 acres protected in NC
    Working Lands Trust
    Working Lands Trust
    Gold Hill, NC
    15,228 acres protected in NC