Public Access to U.S. Conservation Land Trust Properties: Results From a National Survey

Abstract

Problem: Land trusts are important influences on land conservation and providers of protected open space in the United States, having fostered the conservation of millions acres of land. These conserved lands provide public benefits ranging from clean water to scenic views. What policy changes might help land trusts provide the equally important, but more challenging, public benefits of broad and inclusive public access? Purpose: I explore how equitable land trusts provide access to their properties and recommend what planners and others can do to encourage public access to properties protected by land trusts. Methods: I conducted a national survey of land trusts in the United States, gathering data on their characteristics and their approaches to public access. I use descriptive statistics to document and explain the extent to which they allow public access to the properties they own and manage. Results and conclusions: The majority of land trusts (78%) provide public access to some or all of their properties. However, public access is not the top priority for most land trusts. Most acreage under conservation easement does not allow public access, and even on lands owned by trusts, only modest action has been taken to promote public access. In addition, only a small share of land trusts work in urban areas or focus on acquiring land near population centers, where demand for public access is likely to be greatest. These findings provide a starting point for a broader discussion of how to provide equitable public access to conserved land. Takeaway for practice: Land trusts should continue to conserve land for ecological protection, but should also emphasize land conservation in urban areas and for public access and recreation, which were goals of public programs in the 1960s and 1970s. A renewed emphasis on public access could help build public support for land trusts' work and broaden their constituencies, which many of their representatives have expressed desires to do. Research support: None.