About the Land Trust

OUR VISION

We envision a future with conserved lands throughout the county that engage and nourish human, plant, and animal life. These conserved lands include productive family farms and ranches that succeed from generation to generation, healthy habitat to sustain and harbor wildlife and plants, and beautiful trails and open spaces that provide recreational gateways accessible to all. We strive to engage with the multiple communities that make up our county, to adapt to changing conditions, and to maintain our capacity to address all conservation opportunities.

What we do

Since 1985, The Land Trust has worked with willing landowners, public and private grant agencies and other community organizations to protect, restore and manage open space, wildlife habitat and agricultural land in Santa Barbara County by:

Acquiring land and conservation easements through negotiation with willing private property owners, through charitable donation and purchase.
Creating conservation plans, restoration projects and incentives for landowners. Raising private donations and grants from government, foundations, and corporations to support land conservation.
Promoting the preservation, stewardship and restoration of wildlife habitat and watershed resources on the land we protect.
Educating both children and adults about ecology, agriculture, and conservation through programs and events at Land Trust preserves. To date, the Land Trust has protected over 57,304 acres of land and counting.

Partner With Landowners

Habitat Restoration

Manage Signature Preserves

Community Engagement

education

To date, the Land Trust has protected over 57,304 acres of land and counting.

Land trust ethics & Practices

The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County prides itself on a history of high professional standards and ethical practices. To ensure that this tradition of excellence continues, the Land Trust board, staff and volunteers are expected to uphold several policies adopted by the Board of Trustees. These include:

CODE OF ETHICS

DONOR’S BILL OF RIGHTS

POLICY ON CONFLICT OF INTEREST, BOARD COMPENSATION & INSIDER TRANSACTIONS

WHISTLEBLOWER POLICY

POLICY ON GIFT ACCEPTANCE

LAND CONSERVATION EASEMENT PROJECT SELECTION CRITERIA & CHECKLISTS

Financial Information

FYE 2023 Form 990

Impact Report Fiscal Year July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023

Since 2005, the Land Trust for Santa Barbara has been a member of the national Land Trust Alliance, adhering to stringent land conservation guidelines. For more detailed information on the Standards and Practices visit the Land Trust Alliance.

Accreditation

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, awarded accredited status to the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County in May 2009 and our accreditation has continued to be renewed at each of the Alliance’s five-year cycles.

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., awards the accreditation seal to community institutions that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. The Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance established in 2006, is governed by a volunteer board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts from around the country.

For more information, visit the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.