Public policy has an outsized impact on land conservation, ecosystem restoration, historic preservation, and sustainable agriculture. Sound legislation helps protect precious places, rehabilitate important landscapes, manage the looming impacts of climate change, and furthers our important work. At the same time, there are examples of misguided policies around conservation, recreation, and nature that have produced devastating setbacks.
The Trustees advances policy solutions through longstanding relationships with leaders at the local, state, regional, and federal levels; in fact, our organization was founded through legislation in 1891. Our advocacy team works with lawmakers to find points of connection between our mission and broader governmental policy goals, ensuring conservation has a seat at the table. We advocate with nonprofit partners and citizen groups to secure adequate public funding for land acquisition and restoration projects, and environmental agency budgets. We sometimes voice our opposition to bills that would prove detrimental to our priorities and we propose viable alternatives.
Recently, we’ve advocated for land conservation and restoration projects as key tools for mitigating climate emissions and managing climate impacts. We’ve contributed to pending legislation that incorporates nature-based solutions into new housing and transportation developments. We’ve urged Congress to make significant investments in green infrastructure. And we’ve pushed for innovative ways to incentivize communities, nonprofits, and private landowners to improve natural resource management and capture greenhouse gases fast enough to make a difference.
