Working Lands
Credit: Arna Johnson
The nation's farms, ranches, and forests yield food food and timber, support local economies, safeguard clean water, and comprise some of our most beautiful landscapes. A working landscape may be a Western forest of tens of thousands of acres, an emerald mosaic of ranchland in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, or the last farm in a New England town, supplying healthy food while linking the community to its rural past.
Such lands are too important to be lost to poorly planned development. The Trust for Public Land works with landowners, agencies, and communities to keep working lands working while preserving their environmental benefits—often through the use of conservation easements that prevent development while permitting ranching, farming, and sustainable forestry to continue. The result: lands that continue to support our bodies, industries, spirits, and communities, and foster a healthy, vibrant agricultural system.
Explore some of our working lands projects below. Choose a state to get started.
Reeb Mining Claims
In 2010, after some 10 years of negotiation, and with the help of The Trust for Public Land, nearly 1,500 acres of privately owned mining claims in the New World Mining District just outside Yellowstone National Park were protected. read more »Rodeo Grounds Ranch
The 157-acre Rodeo Grounds Ranch, located just 5 miles from the historic town of Stanley, served as the historic Custer County rodeo grounds for many years. With its stunning views of the entire Sawtooth Range, the property is extremely vulnerable to subdivision and development. read more »Rossview Farm
Farmed for more than 50 years by the Ross family, Rossview Farm draws many loyal local and area visitors to its scenic beauty and for the experience of buying fresh food and forest products from the farm. read more »Sabo Farm
When Harold and Doris Sabo approached retirement, they decided to sell their 2,500-acre Clearwater County farm bordering the Red Lake Chippewa Reservation in northern Minnesota. read more », spirits, and communities and foster a healthy, vibrant agricultural system.
