Land Trusts
Maryland Environmental Trust’s Land Trust Assistance Program helps cultivate local land trusts for the conservation of open space, farmland, woodland, and other natural and historic areas. Through collaborative partnerships the Land Trust Assistant Programs seeks to build strong and sustainable local land trusts by increasing organizational capacity, developing community programs that support the diverse spectrum of conservation, implementing Standards and Practices and supporting activities to ensure the viability of Maryland’s land conservation community.
Our Land Trust Assistance Program offers local land trusts with cooperative agreements with Maryland Environmental Trust the following technical assistance, training, funding and cooperative land management services:
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE to support programming, innovation and to foster stronger, better connected land trust, including monitoring trainings and resources; record keeping guidance, publications and aids, including our model easement document; and capacity building mini-grants through the Land Trust Capacity, Excellence and Stewardship Grants. In addition, land trust representatives may sign up to receive informational emails and communications from the Land Trust Assistance Program.
WORKSHOPS AND TRAINING for staff, board members and volunteers to build land trust capacity and provide opportunities to grow as an organization, including Land Trust Roundtables, volunteer monitoring trainings and other workshops and events. For more information visit the Events page.
HOLDING CONSERVATION EASEMENTS JOINTLY with land trusts as Co-Grantee, allows property owners who donate easements to both trusts to be eligible for all benefits available to Maryland Environmental Trust donors; land trusts would also receive stewardship assistance for these easements; the cooperative agreement necessary for co-holding with Maryland Environmental Trust is also a legal requirement for participation in Maryland's Rural Legacy Program. For more information contact an easement planner in your region.
For information on the Land Trust Assistance Program contact the Land Trust Assistance Manager.
To learn more about local land trusts in your community download the 
Directory of Maryland Land Trusts.
LAND TRUST TOOLBOX