Community has been at the heart of our work since Placer Land Trust’s beginning. Community members founded Placer Land Trust in 1991, and it is their input that continues to inform and guide us in our strategic planning to make the biggest impact possible. We have learned a lot over the past three decades and are proud of what we’ve accomplished together—staff, board members, volunteers, partners, and donors. With guidance and support from the community, we are energized to set our sights firmly on the goal to double our current impact and protect 25,000 acres by 2030.
At this juncture we have protected nearly 12,000 acres of agricultural and natural lands in Placer County, ensuring these lands remain undeveloped for multiple public benefits. Building on the strengths and breadth of experience we have developed, we are well-positioned to increase our pace and breadth of conservation, so that future generations will benefit from protected lands in Placer County as we do today. We see permanent conservation and responsible stewardship as the best ways to preserve Placer County’s unparalleled ecological, agricultural, and recreational land and resources for future generations, and we will strive to engage all who live, work, and play in the county in this mission.
We will employ strategic criteria to evaluate our potential projects, programs, and partnerships on a regular basis, to ensure that our work remains proactive, relevant, and impactful for today’s and future generations. Read more about our Mission and Values.
Goal 1: Expand Land Conservation with a Focus on Water, Climate and Connectivity
By 2030 PLT will protect and care for over 25,000 acres of important lands for multiple public benefits, with expanded focus on protecting water resources, mitigating dangerous climate change impacts, and protecting wildlife habitat connectivity. Projects will be prioritized based on a strategic conservation approach and data-driven project selection criteria. Land conservation will be done in partnership with willing landowners, local communities, tribes, public agencies, and other conservation organizations.
Goal 2: Ensure Effective Stewardship of Land to Protect Conservation Values and Communities
PLT is committed to the perpetual protection of the lands in its care. PLT will practice adaptive management on its preserves that addresses past harmful land uses and the challenges posed by climate change, particularly the risks of catastrophic fires in areas where communities may be impacted. The plans will incorporate evolving scientific understanding and traditional ecological knowledge.
Goal 3: Provide Meaningful Opportunities for People to Connect to Land
PLT will invest in facilitating partnerships and programs that promote meaningful opportunities for people to connect with land and each other. This will include providing carefully designed recreation access where appropriate, developing and maintaining trails and access to streams and rivers, strategically facilitating programming to engage with the land, expanded focus for youth and underrepresented communities, and cultural access for indigenous communities.
Goal 4: Engage with Community to Increase Awareness and Investment in PLT’s Mission
PLT will focus its outreach and communications to better understand and meet community needs related to conservation. Increasing name recognition and communicating about the effectiveness of PLT’s work will be the foundation of a strategic approach to expanding community support. Raising funds and support in an ethical and equitable way to meet PLT’s needs will be a top priority.
Goal 5: Maintain a Solid and Sustainable Organization
PLT will recruit, retain, and develop staff and Board with a focus on leveraging strengths, and seeking areas to improve, and will incorporate Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access to Land (IDEAL) strategies to achieve its mission. PLT will ensure a solid and sustainable financial foundation that provides the resources needed to achieve its conservation and stewardship goals and responsibilities today and in the future.