We can resist the exploitation of nature for personal gain, instead preserving wild places for animals and the community.
Choose to Preserve Your Wild Place For Others
Sell your Land to a Public Entity
Open green space is valuable to developing communities. This space can be used as a public park, community garden, or other outdoor recreation area - freely accessible for everybody. Green spaces contribute invaluable benefit to local humans, plants and animals alike while also enhancing the value of nearby homes.
Your neighbors, town, county or state may be interested in purchasing your natural land in order to permanently preserve it and offer it for public use. Check your municipality’s website for contact information- you’ll probably want to contact somebody with the Parks & Recreation and/or Planning division. It’s always worth an ask!
For particular properties of high conservation value for wildlife, especially protected species, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Realty Division may also be interested. These properties may help expand the National Wildlife Refuge System, which protects iconic species and provides outdoor recreation opportunities for the public. Contact information can be found here.
Additionally, there are many non-governmental land conservancies/land trusts across the nation that will pay a fair market value for properties of conservation value. Think abundance of wildlife, threatened species, old growth trees, access to fresh water, old growth trees, historical or agricultural value, scenic views and the like.
Reach out to a local or national land conservancy and see if they’re interested. You can start with checking for a conservancy near you with the Land Trust Alliance search tool.
Donate your Land to a Public Entity
The same way you can sell your land to the local government or nature conservancies above, you can also donate your land to these same entities for the same value.
We get it- why should you have to turn down a huge profit when most people take the money and run?
The truth is, time has run out. For far too long, we have been putting personal gain and greed ahead of what’s right for the environment, our neighbors and generations to come. Even though the land may not always look the same around your property, you can ensure that your slice of heaven remains a wide-open sanctuary for years to come. We can’t rely on the government and corporations to do the right thing. We must take matters into our own hands and lead by example, using our resources to preserve every last bit of nature that we can. It does make a difference.
No property is too small. Together, we can help protect nature and defend land from needless development.
No more strip malls and cookie cutter condos. Now is our time to take back what belongs to all of us.
The critters, the trees, the children of tomorrow- they’re all counting on us. Let’s lead by example.
Plus- donations can benefit you, too. You can reduce your taxes owed and possibly even establish a gift that will continue paying you income.
As Gandhi once said,
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
“The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.”
-Gaylord Nelson