We Are Northern Prairies Land Trust
“The thing to be prevented is destructive private land-use of any and all kinds. The thing to be encouraged is the use of private land in such a way as to combine the public and private interest to the greatest possible degree.”
Our Vision
Prairies are among the most threatened ecosystems in North America. Most remaining prairies are privately owned, making cooperation between landowners and conservationists essential for their preservation.
Northern Prairies Land Trust (NPLT) facilitates and encourages land and water conservation practices by private landowners. It is organized as a land trust in order to accept and hold conservation easements when private landowners choose that tool, but its activities go far beyond those of a simple land trust. NPLT is committed to the proposition that private lands can be managed in a way that achieves the goals of private landowners while simultaneously serving the public need to conserve natural resources and sustain rural and agricultural communities.
Our Mission
To educate and assist private landowners in South Dakota and Nebraska to conserve and restore lands for habitat, agriculture, water quality, and cultural protection by building conservation easements, providing a conservation toolkit, guiding landowners in conservation opportunities and enabling a land ethic.
Grassland Preservation A Priority. NPLT focuses on the native prairie ecosystems of South Dakota and Nebraska. With field crops, recreational development, and housing pressing on the remaining range, NPLT has a decades-long record of advocating for grassland protection.
Protect Agricultural Lands and Encourage Continuing Agricultural Production. NPLT prioritizes conservation projects that simultaneously maintain ranching and agriculture while protecting native grasses and wildlife. As climate change and soil degradation threaten agriculture’s economic future, NPLT is working with landowners to mitigate the impact through land conservation best practices, soil farming, and regenerative agriculture.
An Education Partner to Landowners, the Community, and Like-Minded Organizations. NPLT is a source of expertise and information on the full range of conservation tools, from the federal Farm Bill and conservation tax incentives to easement drafting and state law concerns.
Who We Are
We are part of the natural world and rely on its resources to grow our communities. It is our responsibility to protect and restore what has been lost. By using the earth's resources sustainably, we can ensure that our grandchildren reap the same benefits we enjoy today. Northern Prairies Land Trust was established in 1999 to preserve the unique ecosystems of the Upper Grasslands. We are a non-profit conservation organization that aims to provide land preservation tools to landowners in South Dakota and Nebraska. Since our inception, we have made great strides in securing easements on over 7,000 acres, including areas famously chronicled by the explorers Lewis and Clark. We continually work on new easements and use our conservation expertise as a referral source for other private and governmental organizations.
What We Do
NPLT works with private landowners one-on-one to provide long-term, legally sound conservation strategies to protect their land's natural and economic elements. Our primary tool for accomplishing our mission is the perpetual conservation easement, which allows a landowner to forever protect certain lands' unique values.
How We Do It
Although every easement has common elements, such as those precluding subdivision, commercial development, and other activities detrimental to soil, water, or wildlife habitat, each easement is tailored to the land's unique character and its owners' conservation goals. In addition, NPLT works extensively with governmental and private partners to enhance the availability of current conservation programs and develop new and innovative solutions for preserving natural resources.