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    Access to nature is not equitable.

    Nature’s benefits — clean air and drinking water, healthy food and green space for enjoying the outdoors — should be free and accessible to every person.

    • Nearly 75% of communities of color (compared with 23% of white communities) in the US lack access to safe and maintained outdoor spaces, a reality highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    • 54.4 million Americans live in low-income areas with poor access to healthy food.

    • Disability affects approximately one in four people in the United States. When land is not accessible, the person with a disability — as well as their companions — misses out on the activity.

    • Hiking and fishing are the two most popular outdoor pursuits for adults over age 55 if mobility, advancing age and type of residence accommodates access to such activities.

    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.

    Land trusts are gaining ground for everyone.

    From rural communities to densely populated cities, land trusts help ensure that every person —– regardless of race, culture, income, age or ability —– has equal access to green spaces, clean water, fresh air, nutritious food and many other benefits of nature.

    Together, let’s keep Gaining Ground.

    Land trusts at work

    Learn how land trusts across the country are gaining ground.

    “As a parent of an adult child with multiple disabilities and as someone who loves the outdoors, I can personally attest to the importance of accessibility so that everyone can benefit from spending time in nature.”
    — MaryKay O’Donnell