Mission
The Minnesota Land Trust protects and restores Minnesota’s most vital natural lands in order to provide wildlife habitat, clean water, outdoor experiences and scenic beauty for generations to come.
Organizational Overview
A 501(c)3 public charity, the Minnesota Land Trust has been working with landowners and local communities since 1991 to protect and enhance Minnesota’s increasingly threatened lands and waters.
Strategies
- PROTECT: Permanently protecting land through conservation easements, land acquisition and effective land management.
- RESTORE: Building upon our current pioneering work in the St. Louis River Estuary, we are adding more restoration and land management projects to our work.
- ENGAGE: Helping to foster a culture of conservation, to support enhanced conservation legislation and funding, and to ensure the state has highly-skilled professionals. We’re currently working closely with the City of Duluth to help the city develop world class trails and recreational experiences. We expect this project to inspire more cities in reaching their outdoor livability goals.
History
The Minnesota Land Trust is rooted in a strong tradition of the land trust movement that began in Massachusetts in 1891 and now stretches across the country.
Minnesota Land Trust’s Founding Board: Standing left to right: Jane Harper, John Baird, Steve DeLapp, Jean Hamm, Dennis Atchison, Jim Erkel. Seated left to right: Sam Morgan and Bob Binger. Not pictured: David Hartwell and Lee Ronning.
In 1991, a group of Minnesota citizens committed to maintaining the rural character of their community formed the Washington County Land Trust, Minnesota’s first land trust.
By 1993, responding to the interest from citizens throughout the state, the Washington County Land Trust expanded its vision and mission, becoming the Minnesota Land Trust and offering its services to the entire state.
Since its earliest days, the organization has remained true to its mission, working hard throughout the state to protect and restore our most vital natural lands in order to provide wildlife habitat, clean water, outdoor experiences and scenic beauty for generations to come.
