The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) has a program that functions as a land trust. We hold easements over more than 3500 acres, and own more than 1500 acres outright, spread over the 14 Trail states from Maine to Georgia. The ATC protected lands are designed to provide an additional buffer to the Appalachian Trail (A.T.).
A land trust is a nonprofit organization that actively works to conserve land by undertaking or assisting in land conservation through easements or simple acquisition. A conservation easement creates a legally enforceable land preservation agreement between a landowner and a government agency (municipality, county, state, federal) or a qualified land trust, for the purposes of conservation. These agreements restrict real estate development, and certain other activities on a property to a mutually agreed upon level. Essentially the landowner gives up a bundle of property rights and in return may receive tax benefits, and other incentives. The land remains the private property of the landowner. Conservation easements require the land trust to monitor these properties on a regular basis to ensure that the landowner continues to abide by the agreements set forth in the easement. Once land is acquired by either easements or simple acquisition, land trusts are obligated to stewards these conservation lands in perpetuity.
As a member of the Land Trust Alliance, the ATC is committed to the standards and practices designed for all land trusts. We strive to maintain relationships with land owners and work with them to preserve and protect the conservation value of the property. The ATC monitors all easements every year through a combination of volunteers, staff, and aerial photography, and we work to resolve any issues in collaboration with the landowners.
On lands owned by the ATC, boundaries are posted as necessary to prevent issues such as ATV access, illegal hunting and tree cutting. The ATC staff work with local volunteers, communities, and landowners towards use of the properties that is consistent with the conservation purpose.
The ATC also works closely with many local and regional land protection partners from Maine to Georgia. Our program partners are land conservation organizations whose area of focus overlap with priority conservation areas near the Trail and who recognize the value of the A.T. as an important resource to be protected. The ATC contributes and supports partners’ projects through advocacy, technical support, and small grants.
It’s impossible to acquire all important conservation lands. In recent years, the ATC has engaged in regional planning efforts, working with local communities towards land planning that helps to protect Trail resources as well as forests, water, and other natural resources. Visit our Regional Planning page for partnerships focused on community-based landscape planning for long-term sustainability and conservation.