Southern Plains Land Trust

What Southern Plains Land Trust does

Southern Plains Land Trust (SPLT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit land trust established in 1998 and headquartered in Lamar, Colorado, that acquires and holds conservation easements on shortgrass prairie in southeastern Colorado to create a connected network of prairie refuges. Its core product is land conservation services delivered through three owned preserves (Heartland Ranch Nature Preserve, Raven's Nest Preserve, Fresh Tracks Preserve) and two conservation easements (Wild Animal Sanctuary, Quail Ridge), collectively protecting over 60,000 acres and impacting more than 90,000 acres through the RESTORE Colorado fence-modification program. The organization has reintroduced keystone species—bison in 2015 and the endangered black-footed ferret in 2022—and applies Low-tech Process-Based Stream Restoration (LTPBR) techniques including beaver dam analogs, low-tech natural rock structures, controlled burns, and riparian planting to re-establish hydrology and habitat.

SPLT monetizes its mission across six primary revenue streams: individual donations (one-time, Monthly Prairie Protector recurring, stock, and cryptocurrency via Engiven.com), grants and foundation support (from Biophilia Foundation, Colorado Open Lands, Colorado Water Conservation Board, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Great Outdoors Colorado, and others), corporate sponsorship tiers priced from $5,000 to $30,000+, carbon credit sales through the Climate Action Reserve Grassland Protocol (15,000+ metric tons annually, sold via NativeEnergy and Rocky Mountain Wild), legacy/planned giving, and gift shop merchandise ($25–$50 per unit). Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, anchored by the annual Celebration of the Prairie gala in Denver, the Southern Plains Birding Festival, Toast to the Prairie, and Grassland Gazette newsletter, with ecotourism distributed through a Reefs to Rockies partnership.

The organization is accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, certified by the State of Colorado to hold conservation easements, and a member of the Land Trust Alliance, under the leadership of Executive Director Dr. Henry Pollock (Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, & Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). Headcount is reported at 1–10 employees, reflecting a lean operational structure. Primary customer segments are conservation-minded individuals, corporate partners, volunteers, students/educators, and carbon offset buyers.

Name

Southern Plains Land Trust

Legal name

Southern Plains Land Trust

Website

https://southernplains.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Southern Plains Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that acquires and holds conservation easements on over 60,000 acres of shortgrass prairie in southeastern Colorado, reintroducing keystone species and restoring habitat through low-tech stream restoration, funded by donations, grants, corporate sponsorships, and carbon credits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Land Conservation and Prairie Habitat Restoration

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biodiversity Conservation & Habitat Banking (AFAMAMAC), Grassland/Rangeland Management & Restoration (EUABABAF), Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH)

Keywords

• Land conservation services
• Prairie habitat protection
• Conservation easements
• Grassland carbon credits
• Wildlife habitat restoration

Headquarters

HQ city

Lamar

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting prairie conservation. Includes one-time donations, monthly recurring donations (Monthly Prairie Protector program), stock donations, and cryptocurrency through Engiven.com.
2. Carbon Credit Sales: Sale of carbon credits from enrolled preserves (Raven's Nest Nature Preserve and Heartland Ranch) under the Climate Action Reserve Grassland Protocol. Properties capture over 15,000 metric tons of carbon annually. Partnerships with NativeEnergy and Rocky Mountain Wild facilitate sales.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorship tiers (Bison $30,000+, Black-footed Ferret $20,000+, Pronghorn $15,000+, Swift Fox $10,000+, Prairie Dog $5,000+) with benefits including social media recognition, gala tickets, logo placement, staff presentations, and exclusive preserve excursions.
4. Legacy Giving: Planned giving through wills, trusts, retirement assets, life insurance, CDs/bank accounts, and real estate donations. These future commitments provide long-term funding stability.
5. Gift Shop Revenue: Sale of branded merchandise including bison hoodies ($50), t-shirts ($36), and caps ($25). All proceeds support SPLT's conservation mission.
6. Grants and Foundation Support: Funding from conservation organizations and government agencies including Biophilia Foundation, Colorado Open Lands, Colorado Water Conservation Board, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (RESTORE Colorado), Great Outdoors Colorado, and others for specific restoration projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Southern Plains Land Trust purchases and holds conservation easements on shortgrass prairie land in southeastern Colorado to protect and rewild native grassland ecosystems for species such as bison, black-footed ferrets, and prairie dogs. It supplements this core conservation mission with associated programs including carbon credit sales from enrolled preserves, corporate sponsorship tiers, planned giving programs, an online gift shop, signature events, volunteer weekends, and environmental education.

Product overview

Southern Plains Land Trust operates as a non-profit land conservation organization with a portfolio of interconnected programs and preserves. The core offering is prairie land acquisition and conservation easements, supported by complementary services including a carbon credits program (with Raven's Nest and Heartland Ranch enrolled under the Climate Action Reserve Grassland Protocol), three named preserves (Heartland Ranch, Raven's Nest, and Fresh Tracks), a gift shop, volunteer programs, signature events (Birding Festival, Celebration of the Prairie, Toast to the Prairie), environmental education, planned giving programs, and corporate sponsorship tiers. These offerings work together to advance the mission of protecting and rewilding the Southern Plains by creating a network of prairie refuges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Prairie Land Conservation Services Land acquisition and conservation easement services that protect and preserve shortgrass prairie ecosystems in the Southern Plains region, creating a network of prairie refuges for native wildlife.
• Carbon Credits Program Verified carbon sequestration credits generated through prairie preservation and restoration, enrolled under the Climate Action Reserve Grassland Protocol, sold to individuals and organizations seeking carbon offsets.
• Volunteer Programs Organized volunteer weekends at Heartland Ranch and other preserves for habitat restoration, fence removal, riparian restoration, and other hands-on conservation projects.
• Gift Shop Online gift shop selling branded merchandise including bison hoodies ($50), t-shirts ($36), and caps ($25), with all proceeds supporting SPLT's prairie conservation mission.
• Corporate Sponsorship Tiers Five-tiered corporate sponsorship program (Bison $30,000+, Black-footed Ferret $20,000+, Pronghorn $15,000+, Swift Fox $10,000+, Prairie Dog $5,000+) offering social media recognition, event tickets, preserve excursions, and assistance with carbon credit purchases and tax credits.
• Planned Giving and Legacy Programs Planned giving options enabling individuals to include SPLT in their estate through wills, trusts, retirement asset beneficiary designations, life insurance, CDs/bank accounts, and real estate gifts for long-term conservation funding.
• Environmental Education Programs Educational programs for schools, students, and community groups teaching prairie ecology and wildlife conservation through hands-on experiences and field trips to SPLT preserves.
• Southern Plains Birding Festival A signature two-day birding festival offering guided hikes and presentations at Heartland Ranch Nature Preserve, featuring grassland bird content and direct engagement with the Executive Director.
• Celebration of the Prairie Annual fundraising gala held in Denver featuring food, drinks, and silent auction to support SPLT's land acquisition and operational mission.
• Toast to the Prairie Casual annual outdoor event featuring appetizers and drinks that celebrates SPLT's prairie conservation efforts and community supporters.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60,000+ acres protected, including 50,000+ owned and 10,000+ under conservation easement
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Colorado Open LandscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organization supporting SPLT's land protection and restoration initiatives in Colorado.
• Colorado Water TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater trust supporting riparian restoration and water rights management for prairie ecosystems.
• Colorado Youth Conservation CorpsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth employment program providing conservation corps members for habitat restoration work.
• Defenders of WildlifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational wildlife conservation organization supporting prairie wildlife protection and biodiversity efforts.
• Ducks UnlimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWetland and waterfowl conservation organization supporting habitat restoration that benefits grassland species.
• National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency supporting conservation initiatives and potentially connecting SPLT preserves with broader protected area networks.
• Volunteers for Outdoor ColoradocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer organization providing crews for trail work, stream restoration, and conservation projects on SPLT preserves.
• NativeEnergycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCarbon credit intermediary through which SPLT sells verified carbon offsets from their enrolled preserves.
• Rocky Mountain WildcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConservation organization running Colorado carbon offset program. 80% of donations support SPLT's prairie protection, 20% supports Rocky Mountain Wild's climate-sensitive species work.
• Mile High Youth CorpsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth development organization providing conservation crews for habitat restoration projects on preserves.
• Reefs to RockiesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEcotourism company offering preserve tours and broader Colorado nature experiences as a way for supporters to visit SPLT lands.
• Land Trust AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational land trust membership organization providing advocacy, standards, and resources for land conservation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ducks Unlimited: Major nonprofit waterfowl and habitat conservation organization with significant prairie and grassland restoration programs. Already a strategic partner of SPLT; directly comparable in habitat restoration methodology and federal funding access.
• Wilderness Land Trust: Nonprofit land trust focused on acquiring inholdings in designated wilderness areas. Comparable 501(c)(3) land trust model with member-supported funding, conservation easement expertise, and small operational team.
• Prairie Plains Resource Institute: Nebraska-based nonprofit focused on prairie conservation, restoration, and education in the Great Plains. Highly comparable mission and scope as a regional prairie land trust performing similar land acquisition, prairie restoration, and bison/grassland species conservation.
• Colorado Open Lands: Colorado-based land trust protecting working landscapes and natural areas across the state. Already a strategic partner of SPLT, with overlapping conservation easement work and similar land acquisition model in the same state.
• American Prairie Reserve: Nonprofit land trust focused on creating the largest nature reserve in the contiguous United States on the Northern Great Plains of Montana. Directly comparable to SPLT as a prairie-focused land trust pursuing bison reintroduction and large-scale grassland conservation, though operating at much larger scale in a different geography.
• Natural Lands: Regional nonprofit land trust operating across the Mid-Atlantic and beyond, managing nature preserves and conservation easements. Directly comparable land trust business model with similar revenue mix of donations, grants, and land stewardship.
• Defenders of Wildlife: National wildlife conservation organization focused on imperiled species and habitat protection. Already a strategic partner of SPLT, with overlapping focus on black-footed ferret and prairie species recovery.

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy: Largest global environmental nonprofit with land conservation across all ecosystems including grasslands. Operates at vastly larger scale across broader geographies with deeper institutional funding; broadly comparable mission but not a niche prairie-focused land trust.
• National Wildlife Federation: Largest US private conservation nonprofit with broad wildlife and habitat mission including grasslands. Comparable in nonprofit conservation mission and donor/sponsor models but operates at national scale across many ecosystems.

Emerging players

• Ranchlands: Conservation-focused ranching company managing large working ranches in the American West and beyond with bison herds, grassland management, and ecotourism. Comparable business model combining land conservation, bison husbandry, and experiential/ecotourism revenue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SouthernPlainsLT
• Facebookfacebook.com/southernplainslandtrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-plains-land-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/southern_plains_land_trust
• Xx.com/SouthernPlains

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southern Plains Land Trust