Restricted Box 5 Stewardship

Ecological Stewardship & Land Conservation

Stewardship Element

Part of preserving a healthy trail system is protecting the integrity of the natural environment. Through our commitment to creating high-quality trail experiences, the Trail Conference has become a regional leader in conserving both trail corridors and native habitat. Donations to our Ecological Stewardship and Land Conservation programs are investments in protecting the land you love.

Where does my money go?
Donations to Ecological Stewardship Fund support our leading efforts to eradicate high-priority emerging invasives in the region including Invasives Strike Force surveyor programs, ISF removal crews and the Aquatic Invasives Strike Force. They fund our innovative Conservation Dogs program—the first of its kind in the Northeast. They also support our native habitat restoration efforts including our Habitat Helpers crew.

The Trail Conference has been actively purchasing land for the protection of trails since 1939. These days, we purchase trail lands with funds from the Trail Conference’s Land Acquisition and Stewardship Fund (LASF). It’s a revolving, donor-supported fund. When we sell land we have purchased to the state for permanent protection, the proceeds are returned to the fund, so your donation is always being put to work to protect the land you love. We work with other land conservation partners whenever possible, allowing us to stretch our funds and preserve more trail miles.