Western Reserve Land Conservancy

Natural assets conservation, restoration, and stewardship: Western Reserve Land Conservancy works with landowners, as well as municipalities and park districts, to conserve vibrant natural areas and working farms. The Land Conservancy has permanently conserved more than 770 properties totaling approximately 61,000 acres across northeast Ohio. The Land Conservancy has created 170 public parks and publicly-owned preserves totaling 10,700+ acres. Staff and expert volunteers monitor and steward each conserved property every year to ensure they remain protected.

Urban revitalization, reforestation, and greening: Western Reserve Land Conservancy's thriving communities program helps remove vacant and dilapidated homes, plant trees, and create parks and new green spaces in urban areas, transforming neighborhoods into safer, more attractive, and more vibrant places. Program initiatives include: establish Land banks - the Land Conservancy has helped establish and support 55+ county Land banks throughout Ohio. Land banks provide much- needed ability to quickly acquire foreclosed and vacant properties and return them to productive use. Urban reforestation and greening - the Land Conservancy leads efforts to restore urban tree canopy by offering expert assistance to cities, community organizations, and neighborhood groups; conducting tree inventories; and providing hands-on planting and maintenance training. Through this initiative, the Land Conservancy has planted and distributed more than 13,500 trees. Property inventories and vacancy research - the Land Conservancy conducts on-the-ground property inventories to provide cities with information about the current condition of parcels and their structures in order to most effectively target limited demolition and rehabilitation resources. Housing trends and vacancy research helps inform this effort. The Land Conservancy has helped raise funds for communities across Ohio to demolish 35,000+ dilapidated and vacant homes, making neighborhoods safer and more vibrant.