Land trust conservation organizations and the growing business of managing privately owned natural areas

There’s a growing demand for highly trained ecologists—preferably cross-trained with social science skills—to manage diverse portfolios of privately owned natural areas.  Employment among land trusts has tripled over a decade to accommodate a growing trend of owners putting land into conservation easements, implementing sustainable practices, or out-right donating land to a conservation organization.  Over 50 million acres of private land in the U.S. are now managed among 1,700 land trusts, collectively wielding $1.7 billion in funding.  This is applied ecology at its most challenging and rewarding:  restoring, monitoring and protecting the “hidden gems” of our fragmented landscapes.