Land trusts can be invaluable partners with their public colleagues in conserving open space. In Montana, the Gallatin Valley Land Trust worked with the City of Bozeman to protect the last undeveloped ridgeline within the city limits. Now, thanks in large part to the land trust's efforts, one of the best places to view the sunset in Bozeman is permanently protected. As long overdue public investment in open space moves forward, that investment will return even greater dividends if it encourages and nourishes participation of the nation's land trusts. Moreover, they know the nuts and bolts of land conservation.
Land trusts are natural partners in preserving our nation's land legacy.
And the job at hand will require all the partners we can find. The Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust is a member of the Land Trust Alliance, the national umbrella organization for local and regional land trusts. The Land Trust Alliance, based in Washington, D.C. and founded in 1982, promotes voluntary land conservation by providing land trusts with the leadership, information resources, and skills they need to conserve land for the benefit of communities and natural systems.