Photo: Geraint Smith
Our Mission
Taos Land Trust is a thirty-four year old non-profit that empowers people to protect the land and traditions they love through education, advocacy, and conservation.
Our Vision
A legacy of open, productive, and natural lands for future generations.
Our Accreditation
Taos Land Trust is an accredited member of the national Land Trust Alliance (LTA) in New Mexico and has formally adopted LTA Standards & Practices.
Our Story
Taos Land Trust was founded in 1988 by a group of community volunteers who watched a beautiful tract of open land get sold because the owners could not afford to pay exorbitant inheritance taxes. This group wanted to give local families another alternative. By saving the extraordinary landscape of northern New Mexico, these visionary community members were also helping save the distinctive qualities of our area that make it truly a “Land of Enchantment.” Since then, we have been helping landowners create voluntary conservation easements and using other creative approaches to permanently protect family lands, working with other organizations to buy and protect land for the public and staying involved in long-range land conservation planning at the local, county, and state levels. Overall, we have permanently protected more than 25,000 acres of irrigated farms and ranch lands, wildlife habitat, and beautiful open landscapes throughout northern New Mexico.