Land trusts partner with local communities throughout the country to preserve their most valued places. Those in urban areas face unique conservation challenges that require innovative approaches to community engagement and specialized skills and tools to safeguard land in dynamic and densely populated areas.

The Urban Conservation Peer Network is a professional forum for land trusts that work, or aspire to work, in urban areas to share ideas, build networks and grow skills that will enable them to succeed.

This network offers opportunities for land trust staff, board members and their affiliates to connect around crucial urban conservation issues such as centering community voices, promoting racial equity and inclusion, advancing climate solutions, working with municipalities, avoiding ‘green’ gentrification and more. It is also a forum where staff from all organizational levels can lend their expertise and receive mentorship for the broader conservation community. The Land Trust Alliance supplements network meetings with additional extracurricular learning opportunities such as individual and organizational consultations as well as an online forum where members interact with Alliance staff and each other. In-person gatherings are held as resources allow.​

Questions? Contact Andrew Szwak at aszwak@lta.org.

2026 schedule

Type
Date
Topic
Meeting
Feb. 4, 2-3:30 p.m. Eastern
Connecting with urban conservationists
E-news
March 16
Vacant land
Meeting
April 8, 2-3:30 p.m. Eastern
Strategies for preserving vacant urban land
E-news
May 18
Urban agriculture
Meeting
June 3, 2-3:30 p.m. Eastern
Advancing urban agriculture with land protection
E-news
July 15
Working with local governments
Meeting
Aug. 5, 2-3:30 p.m. Eastern
Working with cities and municipalities to conserve urban areas
E-news
Sept. 14
Cultural heritage
Meeting
Oct. 7, 2-3:30 p.m. Eastern
Preserving cultural heritage in urban communities
E-news
Nov. 16
Community engagement
Meeting
Dec. 2, 2-3:30 p.m. Eastern
The "how to's" of urban community engagement

Apply

Thanks for your interest in joining the Urban Conservation Peer Network. To begin, we’d like to learn more about you and your experience with urban conservation.

Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. We'll respond to you within two weeks following your submission.

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