Mesa Land Trust Mission Statement:

To protect agricultural lands, wildlife habitat, and open space in and around Mesa County to benefit the community at large.

Mesa Land Trust (MLT) is a private, nonprofit organization based in Mesa County, Colorado.  Our office is located at 1006 Main Street in Grand Junction.  MLT was founded in 1980 by a small group of dedicated farmers concerned about increasing development pressures on the Western Slope. Since then we have grown to support six full-time staff and we work to conserve a variety of properties all over Mesa County.  Through partnerships with landowners, local governments, Mesa County, The Nature Conservancy and a variety of outside funding agencies, we now hold over 130 conservation easements and have conserved over 50,000 acres of land.  The protected properties contain important agricultural areas, including orchards, vineyard, cropland and grazing land, large working ranches, and many properties provide important habitat for deer, elk and the Gunnison Sage Grouse in addition to a variety of other species.  The conservation easements that we hold shall continue for perpetuity, and this open space will help maintain the unique character, agriculture and history of Mesa County. 

Mesa Land Trust's main tool for land preservation is the conservation easement. Landowners who choose to donate or sell a conservation easement agree to limit certain types of development on their land. Each easement is written to match the needs of the landowner and the conservation values to be protected, but conservation easements generally prevent farmland, wildlife habitat, or open space from being converted into residential subdivisions and commercial areas.