Today there dozens of land trusts working throughout the state to conserve the best of Texas’ precious lands and waters. To date, these land trusts have conserved over 1.5 million acres of forests and wetlands, farms and ranches, deserts and coastlines, hills and prairies.

A land trust is a local, state or regional nonprofit conservation organization involved in protecting land for its natural, recreational, scenic, historical, open space or educational value. These trusts actively work to conserve land through fee-simple acquisition or use of a legal tool called a conservation easement that limits the future development potential on a given property. Land trusts are working throughout Texas to assist landowners with their long-term conservation goals.

Land trusts work with landowners across the state to conserve lands by accepting donations of land, outright purchase of land, and by negotiating private, voluntary conservation agreements (termed conservation easements) on land. These land trusts then have the obligation and responsibility for stewarding those lands and easements they hold in perpetuity.

Most land trusts are connected to local communities and are very familiar with local issues and needs. They are eager to work with landowners in their regions to identify lands that are worthy of protection for their natural, cultural, agricultural, recreational or other conservation values. Let the Texas Land Trust Directory be your guide in locating a land trust in your community or region.

Types of Land Trusts

Conservation Land Trust: A land trust is a 501 (c)(3)nonprofit organization that, as all or part of its mission, actively works to conserve land by undertaking or assisting in land or conservation easement acquisition, or by its stewardship of such land or easements.

Alternative type of Land Trust: Another type of land trust is a method of holding real estate.  The reason for holding title this way is to allow the legal title of the property to be held by another person (a trustee) while the original owner retains all of the rights and privileges of property ownership. (Your Step-by-Step Guide to Land Trusts © 2000 Bronchick, William, J.D., published by Legalwiz Publications)  The Texas Land Trust Council is not involved with this type of land trust.


Community Land Trusts: A community land trust is a private, non-profit corporation, created to acquire and hold land for the benefit of a community, and provide secure affordable access to land and housing for community residents. The Texas Land Trust Council is not involved wtih this type of land trust.

For more information on land trusts involved in land conservation, please visit the national Land Trust Alliance website at: http://www.landtrustalliance.org/land-trusts