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    Gaining Ground

    West Virginia

    343,924

    Acres Protected

    That’s about 260,548 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.

    Demographics

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

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

    Active Land Trusts

    7

    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

    7

    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

    2

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

    Learn about land trust accreditation

    People

    • 61,150

    • 6,035

    • 63

    • 7

    • 70

    Land Trust Longevity

    • 41 years old (1982)

    • 21 years old (2002)

    • 29 years old

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

    60%

    Percent of Land Trusts Receiving Funding to Address Climate Change

    20%

    Land Protected

    There has been a 31% increase in West Virginia land protected by land trusts since 2010.

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

    2010
    2015
    2020
    Total acres protected
    262,340
    313,098
    343,924
    +31%
    Under easement
    33,914
    44,044
    58,593
    +73%
    Owned
    31,659
    71,891
    80,814
    +155%
    Acquired and reconveyed
    99,944
    104,891
    184,489
    +85%
    Protected by other means
    96,823
    93,487
    20,029
    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

    86%

    Source: 2020 National Land Trust Census

    Total Public Funding for Conservation From 1998-2017

    $181 million

    Source: Trust for Public Land's Conservation Almanac

    Acres of Land Lost to Development From 2012-2017

    9,500

    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

    West Virginia land trusts are gaining ground.

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

    • Protecting water quality: The accredited Cacapon and Lost Rivers Land Trust protects the farms and forests, water quality, wildlife and rural heritage of the 680-square mile Cacapon and Lost Rivers watershed. The organization's 2020-2025 Healing Waters Strategic plan benefits not only those who live, work and recreate at the watershed, but also the millions of people downstream who rely on the watershed for their clean water.

      Read more

    • Tackling climate change: The Nature Conservancy in West Virginia is implementing and supporting innovative programs that contribute to a world where people and nature thrive by leveraging the financial incentives of the forest carbon offset markets to make tangible, lasting conservation impacts on West Virginia and the entire globe.

      Read more

    • Providing access to land for all: The accredited West Virginia Land Trust partnered with the City of Oak Hill to purchase land from the Berwind Land Company to be the site of the Oak Hill Needleseye Boulder Park, to include rock climbing, hiking trails and mountain biking.

      Read more

    Land Trusts Working in West Virginia

    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
    40 acres protected in WV
    American Farmland Trust
    American Farmland Trust
    Northampton, MA
    Appalachian Trail Conservancy
    Appalachian Trail Conservancy
    Harpers Ferry, WV
    2,896 acres protected in WV
    Berkeley County Farmland Protection Board
    Berkeley County Farmland Protection Board
    Martinsburg, WV
    8,556 acres protected in WV
    Cacapon and Lost Rivers Land Trust
    Cacapon and Lost Rivers Land Trust
    Capon Bridge, WV
    13,953 acres protected in WV
    Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
    Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
    Memphis, TN
    7 acres protected in WV
    Fayette County Farmland Protection Board
    Fayette County Farmland Protection Board
    Fayetteville, WV
    Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board
    Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board
    Charles Town, WV
    6,540 acres protected in WV
    Land Trust of the Eastern Panhandle
    Land Trust of the Eastern Panhandle
    Martinsburg, WV
    4,837 acres protected in WV
    National Park Trust
    National Park Trust
    Rockville, MD
    56 acres protected in WV
    New River Conservancy
    New River Conservancy
    West Jefferson, NC
    1,324 acres protected in WV
    Potomac Conservancy
    Potomac Conservancy
    Silver Spring, MD
    11,286 acres protected in WV
    Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc.
    Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc.
    Signal Mountain, TN
    30 acres protected in WV
    The Conservation Fund
    The Conservation Fund
    Arlington, VA
    75,131 acres protected in WV
    The Nature Conservancy
    The Nature Conservancy
    Arlington, VA
    50,061 acres protected in WV
    The Trust for Public Land, National Office
    The Trust for Public Land, National Office
    San Francisco, CA
    74,229 acres protected in WV
    West Virginia Agricultural Land Protection Authority
    West Virginia Agricultural Land Protection Authority
    Martinsburg, WV
    West Virginia Land Trust
    West Virginia Land Trust
    Charleston, WV
    18,543 acres protected in WV