Land Conservation for a Healthy and Resilient Future

Nothing can quite compare to that first dip of your paddle in the fresh water of a cool lake. Or that first step on a trail, immersed with the sweet scents of ripening berries. Access to nature enriches our lives, awakens our senses and inspires a reverence for the beauty of the natural world. For many, it is where we go to relax and find peace, enjoy the company of family and friends and feel connected to the world that sustains us.

As our community grows and the threat of urban sprawl increases, land conservation has never been more important. Shasta Land Trust is proud to have protected over 46,000 acres of precious natural resources, wildlife habitat, farms and recreational lands in our region. Learn more about the vital importance of local land conservation for our community and the positive impacts for you and your family.

Protecting our region’s precious natural lands

In the United States, we lose roughly 150 acres of natural land and 40 acres of farmland every hour. Once that land is developed, it never returns to its natural state. Land conservation helps to safeguard our future and ensure a livable world for our children and future generations. In our community, Shasta Land Trust works to permanently conserve land and ensure that our natural spaces are protected for years to come.

The Shasta Land Trust works with willing landowners and partners to protect land through a tool called a conservation easement. Conservation easements protect a property from being developed in the future and ensure that the unique conservation values of the land are preserved forever. Once a property has a conservation easement in place, the land is then managed and monitored to maintain the health of its precious natural resources and ecosystems.

Community benefits of land conservation

Conserved land provides many benefits to our community. Clean drinking water, fresh air, carbon sequestration as a tool against climate change, strong local food networks and abundant recreational opportunities are just a few of the benefits seen in our lifetime, with an immeasurable impact on future generations. These lands are necessary for our survival, from the water we drink, to the food we eat. By protecting our region, rich with freshwater rivers, lakes, forests and farms, we can ensure a more resilient, healthy and inhabitable future.

Our health depends on access to nature

A connection to nature is an essential and invaluable human need. Access to the outdoors, with its innumerable mental and physical benefits, has been shown to lower stress, prevent chronic disease, improve physical health and increase mental wellness across all demographics.

In partnership with local organizations, Shasta Land Trust has protected over 19,000 acres of publicly accessible recreational land. These conserved lands, with lakes to paddle and trails to hike, will continue to exist so that future generations will have access to the natural spaces upon which their health and happiness depends.

Explore & learn at a local Wildways events

Children can get outside and explore nature in our local area with kid and family-friendly events available through the Shasta Land Trust’s Wildways series. Each Wildways season features outdoor educational nature events available for kids and families in our community. These free or low-cost events have an emphasis on getting outdoors, learning about local wildlife and plants, and inspiring a curiosity for nature. Visit the Shasta Land Trust website at Shastalandtrust.org to learn more and register to attend an upcoming Wildways event.

Nature needs your help

Support local land conservation efforts to protect wildlife habitats, recreational lands and working agricultural lands by attending an upcoming Wildways event or donating to the Shasta Land Trust. Visit Shastalandtrust.org to learn more about land conservation in our local area and view upcoming family-friendly nature events. (530) 241-7886   outreach@shastalandtrust.org

There are non-profit land trust organizations throughout California working to preserve lands and resources that benefit us all. For a list of California land trusts, go to calandtrusts.org/lt-member-profile.

Land Trusts in the North State

• Shasta Land Trust http://www.shastalandtrust.org
• Siskiyou Land Trust http://www.siskiyoulandtrust.org
• Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust http://www.sutterbutteslandtrust.org
• Feather River Land Trust http://www.frlt.org
• Bear and Yuba Land Trusts http://www.bylt.org
• Placer Land Trust placerlandtrust.org
• Northern California Regional Land Trust http://www.landconservation.org
• Sacramento Valley Conservancy sacramentovalleyconservancy.org