It is often noted and well remembered that Arizona is one of the states with the fastest growing population in the nation. The state's growth rate in the 1980s was third, once again behind Nevada, and Alaska. It is not necessary, however, for Arizona's residents to prod elected officials and bureaucrats into action in order to conserve the state's natural beauty. There is a long tradition, in this state and nationwide, of private citizens using private resources to conserve nature. Land trusts, as defined by the Land Trust Alliance, are nonprofit organizations that work to conserve land by undertaking or assisting direct land transactions.
Land trusts acquire, through purchase or donation, land or conservation easements on land.
The organization itself may hold these acquisitions, or transfer them to a public agency. Through various means, land trusts have conserved 3.2 million acres in the United States. Land in Arizona Before looking at how land trusts preserve open space, it is worth looking at the present situation on the ground. Figure 1 shows land ownership in Arizona. Roughly 16 percent of the land in Arizona is in private hands.