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.
Wyckoff Ranch
In growing Osage County, northwest of Tulsa, Lydia Wyckoff and her brother, Roger Lloyd, made what is believed to be the first use of the easement act in late 2000 to preserve the rolling hills and hollows of their 760 acre ranch. read more »Yeon
Norman Yeon purchased 110 acres at Sunset Beach on the Oregon coast in 1962. He left it to The Trust for Public Land when he died, ensuring that it would remain protected and open to the public forever. read more »Yuba Highlands
Once approved for 5,000 new homes, the Highlands property contributes to over 34,000 acres of protected, contiguous open space in the Yuba Foothills. read more »Zack Woods
Situated to the south of Green River Reservoir State Park in Vermont, the 339-acre Zack Woods property is considered a Lamoille Basin gem by both scientists and local residents. read more », spirits, and communities and foster a healthy, vibrant agricultural system.
