how conservation works

Natural Lands has been protecting open space since the early 1950s. In that time, we have completed hundreds of conservation projects, each one unique it its own way. So how does it all work? Here’s a peek under the hood.

an aerial view of a vast landscape of lush, green trees and fields with a road running through the middle

land acqusition

Natural Lands is unique among the region’s conservation organizations because of our large network of nature preserves. Our network currently includes 40+ nature preserves and Stoneleigh: a natural garden, across two states and 13 counties, totaling 23,000+ acres. We also help other organizations acquire open space by buying it and then “flipping” the land to them. We do this most often for state parks and forests, and for municipalities.

find a place to explore

an aerial view of a vast landscape of trees with fall color and brown and green agricultural fields

conservation easements

Many times, the land we save remains in private ownership, but we place it under a conservation easement. Easements are legally binding agreements that permanently limits a property’s use and bind all present and future owners of the land.

We currently hold 500+ easements on more than 26,000 acres. Our staff monitor these properties regularly to ensure the terms of the easements are being upheld.

more easement info

dangling yellow flowers with a bee in the foreground with grass and trees blurry in the background

municipal open space

A huge part of the work we do at Natural Lands is helping other non-profits and government agencies with their open space goals. In addition to buying land on their behalf, we also help our partners manage the land they own using smart, sustainable, tried-and-true practices.

We also help townships raise money for open space, revise their zoning codes to help them retain open space during development, develop park master plans, and build trail systems.

More than 140 municipalities have achieved their own open space goals in consultation with our conservation services staff.

our consulting work