Land Trusts: Protecting the Land

When Little River Wetlands Project volunteers pull invasive garlic mustard or share information at a booth at a community event, such as the Monarch Festival, it may not always seem like you’re making a difference in efforts to protect land, plants and wildlife.

You are! 

Locally, volunteers’ work conserves and encourages the growth of a wide variety of plants and animals at LRWP nature preserves and lands protected by other area conservation organizations. LRWP and its volunteers also are part of a much larger land trust movement that works to preserve and nurture important natural areas around the country and across the globe.

In Indiana, at least 26 land trusts protect more than 176,000 acres in the state, according to the Indiana Land Protection Alliance (ILPA).

“The mission of the Indiana Land Protection Alliance is to champion land and water conservation for all of Indiana by uniting, empowering and elevating Indiana’s land conservation community,” the ILPA said on its website, www.protectindianaland.org. The alliance achieves that mission through advocacy, coordinating educational opportunities, encouraging collaboration, and creating meaningful communication, its website said.

The Indiana Land Protection Alliance’s (ILPA) member land trusts and conservation organizations currently protect more than 176,000 acres in the state. The ILPA’s Service Area Map shows the focus areas of its member organizations, including Little River Wetlands Project. (Map provided by Indiana Land Protection Alliance)

ILPA members include smaller organizations, such as LRWP and the local LC Nature Park, as well as larger nonprofits, such as the local ACRES Land Trust and the global The Nature Conservancy. Other ILPA-member land trusts working in northeast Indiana include Clear Lake Township Land Conservancy in Steuben County; Blue Heron Ministries in Steuben, LaGrange, Noble and DeKalb counties; and Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation in Kosciusko and Noble counties. Check out the ILPA website for more details about these and other Indiana land trusts.

ILPA also knows the work isn’t done. On its website, its Strategic Plan for 2025-2029 lists ambitious goals:

• Strengthen the organizational and financial capacity of land trusts around the state to increase their impact and long-term sustainability.

• Advocate for and build state leaders’ commitment to preserving natural resources that impact quality of life, including increased spending for land and water protection.

• Encourage and accelerate large-scale collaborations for land and water protection and for restoration projects.

• Grow ILPA’s ability to serve land trusts around the state and to boost their impact.

Nationally, the Land Trust Alliance supports the work of land trusts and conservation organizations through investments that address priority areas, the organization said on its website, landtrustalliance.org. Land Trust Alliance priorities include conserving wildlife habitat, ensuring clean drinking water, providing access to land for all, addressing climate change, saving family farms and ranches, and protecting land for future generations, the website said.

“Every piece of natural land that we protect means less carbon dioxide being pumped into the air we breathe, healthier soil for our crops, cleaner water from our taps, and more protected habitats for plants and wildlife,” the website said.

Land trusts and other organizations already protect more than 61 million acres in the United States, the website said. The Land Trust Alliance’s “Gaining Ground” initiative seeks to put another 60 million acres under protection by 2030.

That goal may seem daunting. But it’s doable if the thousands of conservation organization staffers, volunteers and donors keep moving toward it, step by step.

Every effort to protect land and nature makes a difference far beyond the moment. Pulling an invasive plant today makes room for a native plant or tree to grow tomorrow. That native plant eventually may provide food or shelter for pollinators, birds or animals. It also may filter impurities from water, control erosion and reduce flooding.

So, thank you to all who are making a difference now and creating a legacy for generations to come.