Non Profit Land Acquisition - what are your favorite organizations?

[Hydrophilic]

A few areas I hunt, fish, or hike used to be large parcels of private property. At one time these parcels were acquired by a non profit and either held as an asset, or donated to city / state / federal government. Because of these past actions I have been able to form memories which would otherwise have not happened.

My personal experiences with the Nature Conservancy are great. They have preserved a remnant Oak savanna in the heavily developed Willamette valley and have poured tons of labor, resources, and capital into this preservation, something not possible under government ownership. They also purchased Zumwalt prairie in NE Oregon - 33,000+ acres of the largest undisturbed, intact, bunchgrass prairie remaining in North America. They work with ODFW to provide an access lottery for elk hunting on this prairie.

Are there any non profits you hold in high regard for their contributions to conservation and our hunting, fishing heritage? Or maybe a generous family?

 

[Birddog916]

There are some great land trusts working to project habitat for multiple species throughout the west. Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, the American Prairie Reserve, to name a few... and many statewide and local land trusts have had a great impact on access to hunters, while not all land trusts support hunters with every project they do many do on specific projects where hunting fits in to the specific properties. Land trusts can often step in and move quickly to purchase a property, while state and federal agencies can't move fast enough. In this way the land trust can play a vital role in the acquisition process. Many of these land trusts are great partners with our state and federal wildlife agencies.

 

[Hydrophilic]

It seems like it can be a thankless endeavor if the land ends up under federal or state ownership. How will people really know the story behind the public land? It can be difficult to track down.

Here are some articles on Montana and TNC.

BLM purchase almost completes Nature Conservancy Blackfoot land transfer

BLM policy is to protect and conserve sensitive species and their habitats, although that might be difficult if mining operations or oil and gas extraction is allowed, as laid out in the recent BLM resource management plan.

missoulacurrent.com

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5681841a7086d78817c1b4dd/t/56e76e8a22482efe363e6a10/1458007690223/Plum-Creek-announces-details-of-largest-conservation-land-purchase-in-US-history-in-western-Montana.pdf

Another organization I’ve been looking into for future donations is Western River Conservancy.

Conservation Projects - Western Rivers Conservancy

View the work we are doing across the nation to conserve our natural environment. Learn more.

www.westernrivers.org

Land and Water Conservation Fund permanently secured

www.westernrivers.org

If you have any you like, or don’t like, I would be interested to hear more. Thanks.

 

[Irrelevant]

I've been a big fan of our local land trust, Chelan Douglas LT, TNC, and the Trust for Public Land.

 

[1_pointer]

Locally, both TNC and Sycamore Land Trust have bought some neat properties.

Nationally, I lean towards RMEF and TNC.

 

[Sytes]

TNC and RMEF. Two of the greatest among the greats.
TPL did some amazing work locally and they seem to always be a glue to generate the funds, pool together, and bring public lands to public hands, as RMEF.

 

[IsThisHeaven?]

Pheasants Forever