The Mississippi Land Trust (MLT) is a charitable, non-profit organization. Since 2000, we have been working with private landowners who want to find ways to preserve Mississippi’s landscape.
We cooperate with other land trusts, government agencies, and conservation organizations to help us meet our goals.
The purposes of the Mississippi Land Trust are:
- To improve the fish, wildlife and plant resources of Mississippi.
- To acquire and hold title to land and conservation interests in land in Mississippi. This may be done in cooperation with other land trusts and government agencies in order to ensure the benefits of land protected from industrial, commercial and residential development by private landowners.
- To educate the public about the conservation of fish, wildlife and plants and to encourage them to become responsible stewards of Mississippi’s natural resources.
- To develop incentive-based conservation programs.
- To work with the major conservation agencies that affect Mississippi to identify problems and target strategies so that the agencies have cost-effective and efficient programs to improve the state’s environment.
- To educate private landowners about the conservation options available to them.
Habitat Conservation
We encourage landowners in Mississippi to donate land and interests in land for conservation purposes. We also acquire and hold title to land and conservation interests to improve and protect water quality; to enhance and protect wildlife populations; and to improve local economies through nature-based recreation.
Our primary tool for land conservation is a conservation easement. It is an alternative to selling land for development. A conservation easement allows a landowner to retain ownership of the land, protect important environmental or historical assets of the land from future development, and obtain certain tax advantages.
Conservation Education
We promote a broader knowledge of conservation options and stewardship of the region’s natural resources through landowner workshops, field days and Internet resources such as the Conservation Finance Center.
Conservation Policy
We work with government agencies and other private entities to address and solve the region’s conservation challenges through legislation, federal appropriations and the development of innovative programs.