Advancing the Pace and Impact of Land Trust Protection and Stewardship Efforts Through Birds
Land Trust Grants
The Land Trust Alliance (LTA) is a nonprofit organization that educates, advocates for, and provides accreditation to hundreds of land trusts across the country. LTA was influential in helping us to build this initiative. Through our collaboration and partnership with LTA, we connect with and support land trusts in their efforts to protect bird habitat on private lands and for birds to help support land trust planning and stewardship efforts.
What Birds Can Do for Land TrustsBirds serve as important indicators of environmental health, provide ecosystem services such as pollination and insect control, and enrich our lives through recreation and beauty. The Cornell Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative seeks to understand, promote, and facilitate productive partnerships between land trusts and the bird conservation community.
- What Land Trusts Can Do for Birds
Research published in Science in 2019 finds a net population loss of almost three billion birds since 1970, with habitat loss as a leading driver of these declines. Land Trusts protect over 60 million acres of private land in the U.S., providing an ideal mechanism for conserving and stewarding our nation’s privately-owned ecosystems to increase biodiversity and limit bird declines on private lands.
Land Trust Grant Program
Learn how to apply for funding to help build capacity and partnerships with the bird community, and facilitate bird-focused habitat management/restoration on private lands.
Land Trust Success Stories & Collaboratives
Read about collaborative partnerships and success stories showcasing how land trusts have conserved both lands and birds and learn how to take the next steps.
Useful Resources
Find resources useful for land trust funding proposals, community outreach, conservation planning, land acquisition and easement justification, management plan development, and monitoring.
Learn about eBird Tools
Use online eBird tools to amplify land conservation efforts, capture critical data for science, engage with the birding community, and support land stewardship.
Funding Opportunities
Explore bird-specific funding sources which can help with the development of fundraising plans, outreach programs, land acquisitions/easements, and leverage additional funding sources.
Sign up to receive our eNews and stay connected
The Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative will send you updates about funding opportunities and ways to work with partners to protect birds and further your land conservation goals. We’ll highlight resources to assist with bird conservation on private lands, showcase tools and data visualizations to assist with planning and stewardship, and share success stories from the field.