Natural Lands

Saving Open SpaceNatural Lands is unique among the region's conservation organizations because of our large network of nature preserves. We know these lands will be protected and cared forever. Our network currently includes 40+ nature preserves and Stoneleigh: a natural garden, across two states and 13 counties, totaling nearly 23,300 acres and counting! Many times, the land we save remains in private ownership but we place it under a conservation easement, which is a legally binding agreement that permanently limits a property's use and binds all present and future owners of the land. We currently hold 466 easements on nearly 26,000 acres. Members of our staff monitor these properties regularly to ensure the terms of the easements are being upheld. We also help other organizations and government entities acquire open space. We do this most often for state parks and forests, and townships. We also help our partners manage the land they own using smart, sustainable, tried-and-true practices and we help townships raise money for open space, revise their zoning codes to help them retain open space during development, develop park master plans, and build trail systems.

Connecting People to the Outdoors...and to Each OtherThe future of conservation requires that there be passionate nature-lovers to carry on our work. That's why we're committed to creating opportunities for joy and discovery in the outdoors for everyone. Our nature preserves and public garden are open for everyone to visit, and are always free. In addition to places for exploration, our preserves allow us to host myriad events every year catering to different people with different interests. We also encourage people to develop a deeper connection to Natural Lands and, by extension, our preserves through our Force of Nature volunteer program. Force of Nature volunteers learn valuable land management and conservation strategies, hone outreach and leadership skills, and meet great people. In addition, we are committed to ensuring equitable access to nature to urbanized communities in our region.

Caring for NatureWe love saving land, but we think it's just the first step. In fact, our commitment to caring for nature is one of the reasons why Natural Lands owns so much land (and is always acquiring more): so we can actively enrich and restore our preserves, balancing the needs of nature and her visitors. Our land stewardship programs include: Returning former farm fields to forests by planting thousands of trees. Exploring and employing an array of techniques to control the spread of invasive plants on our preserves. Improving water quality of the creeks that meander through our preserves by planting trees and shrubs along them. Re-establishing once plentiful habitats by transforming retired farm fields to grasslands, restoring man-made ponds to wetlands, and supporting growing woodlands by controlling invasive plants and deer.

Conservation Efforts