- Natural Lands Trust
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The Natural Lands Trust, headquartered in Media, Pennsylvania, is one of the oldest regional land conservation groups in the United States. Founded by a group of avid bird-watchers in 1953, as the Philadelphia Conservationists, the Trust works in the suburban counties near Philadelphia to the Delaware Bay of the Jersey Shore to the Poconos.
The organization is a conservation group with expertise in land protection, conservation planning and land management. Its stated goal is to preserve natural assets from development in the Delaware Valley.
Philosophy
The organization believes that conservation and growth are both vital to healthy communities and that there should be an appropriate balance between the two. It works with local municipalities, developers and conservationists in five key areas.
- Land Protection - protecting land through direct acquisition (by donation or purchase) and with conservation easements.
- Conservation Planning - guiding land use and preservation.
- Green Growth - helping municipalities protect natural resources as they grow.
- Land Management - managing and restoring land to ensure long-term ecological health.
- Nature Preserves – promoting the natural preserves in the region
The trust purchases most of the land it seeks to preserve, including a network of 30 nature preserves totaling nearly 21,000 acres. These preserves can be found in 12 counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and includes many of the major ecosystems in the region. Much of the land has also been donated. It also purchases easements of privately held lands to prevent future development. It is not an advocacy group and does not get involved in specific issues with land developers.
Natural Lands Trust also holds more than 275 conservation easements and other restrictions on more than 19,000 acres of land, from private estates to former agricultural lands to historic properties.
See also
- Musser Scout Reservation
- Perkiomen Trail
- Resica Falls Scout Reservation
- Sustainability
- Biodiversity
- Global warming
- Ecology
- Earth Science
- Natural environment
- Natural landscape
- Recycling
External links
- Natural Lands Trust - official website
Categories:- Environmental organizations based in the United States
- Natural history of Pennsylvania
- Delaware Valley
- Organizations based in Pennsylvania
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