What is a land trust?
A land trust is nonprofit organization that purchases land or uses conservation easements to permanently protect natural areas including working farms and forests.
What does Columbia Land Trust do?
Columbia Land Trust was founded in 1990 to conserve and care for the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Columbia River region through sound science and strong relationships. Our work keeps wildlife corridors connected, restores ecosystems, and builds climate resiliency to ensure that our communities and region continue to thrive.
Where does Columbia Land Trust work?
Our service area follows the lower Columbia River for about 250 miles from outside The Dalles, Oregon to the Pacific Ocean. We work both north and south of the Columbia River in Oregon and Washington, and much of our conservation focuses on key tributaries of the Columbia River. We have offices in Astoria (OR) White Salmon (WA) and Vancouver (WA).
What makes Columbia Land Trust different?
We take a landscape scale approach to conservation to keep habitats connected and ecosystems healthy. To achieve this, we bring together Tribal Nations, farmers, foresters and rural and urban communities around the shared goal of protecting our region’s natural resources that we all depend on. When we conserve lands, we commit to caring for it forever. Guided by the expertise and strength of our Stewardship staff we’re out on our lands everyday, restoring ecosystems and strengthening their resilience so they can continue to thrive in a changing climate.
What is a conservation easement?
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and Columbia Land Trust that permanently limits certain types of development or land use while allowing the land to remain in private ownership.
Can I visit your conserved lands?
We invite you to explore some of the special places we’ve conserved. Some sites are easy to access, while others remain wild and require a healthy sense of adventure.
How is Columbia Land Trust funded?
We rely on both private donations and public funding to conserve and care for land. Community support is essential to our ability to conserve and care for land in Oregon and Washington. Visit our giving page to help support our work.
Do you work with private landowners?
Yes, we partner with landowners who are selling land, donating land, or hoping to establish a conservation easement. We evaluate each opportunity based upon its fit with our 25-year Conservation Strategy.
How do you decide which lands to protect?
We evaluate opportunities based on ecological importance, connectivity to other protected lands, and community benefit. We are guided by our 25-year Conservation Strategy
What is a working forest?
A working forest is an actively managed landscape designed to sustainably produce timber or other wood products while protecting ecological values like wildlife habitat, clean water, and air.
How can I get involved in conservation?
There are many ways to support and engage with our work, from donating to volunteering to attending events. Throughout the year we offer different opportunities to get involved. We also manage the Backyard Habitat Certification Program, alongside Bird Alliance of Oregon. This program helps people understand how to transform their yards with native plants to support birds and pollinators.