What Hudson Highlands Land Trust does

Hudson Highlands Land Trust (HHLT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit land conservation organization founded in 1989 and headquartered in Garrison, New York. Operating within the Hudson Highlands region roughly 50 miles north of New York City, HHLT acquires and stewards land permanently, holds conservation easements, and partners with state and federal agencies to expand protected acreage. Its core asset base comprises five owned properties totaling approximately 1,042 acres, 94 conservation easements protecting 2,594 additional acres, and over 3,600 total conserved acres when partner protections are included.

HHLT runs three public-facing nature preserves (Granite Mountain Preserve, Humble Bee Hollow, and Lane Gate Preserve) with a fourth (Canopus Creek Preserve, 240 acres) under development, plus education, volunteer, and regional advocacy programs. Revenue derives from five streams: individual donations, government grants (notably the NYS Environmental Protection Fund), corporate matching gifts via platforms like Benevity and EarthShare, planned giving including bequests and land donations, and 1% for the Planet member contributions. The organization holds continuous Land Trust Accreditation Commission accreditation (since September 2008, one of the first 39 nationally), a GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency, and BBB Accredited Charity status.

Operationally, HHLT runs a lean staff of under 10 full-time employees spanning executive leadership, conservation, easement management, public policy, operations, communications, and preserve management. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, anchored in volunteer stewardship, public preserves, and convening power through the New York Highlands Network consortium. The technology footprint is intentionally light — third-party GIS and citizen science platforms (iNaturalist, Avenza, AllTrails) rather than proprietary systems — consistent with a community-based nonprofit conservation model rather than a technology product business.

Name

Hudson Highlands Land Trust

Legal name

Hudson Highlands Land Trust, Inc.

Website

https://hhlt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hudson Highlands Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit land conservation organization founded in 1989 that permanently protects natural areas in New York's Hudson Highlands through land acquisition, conservation easements, public preserves, and regional partnerships with state agencies and peer land trusts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Land Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH)

Keywords

• Land conservation services
• Conservation easement management
• Nature preserve stewardship
• Environmental education programs
• Habitat restoration services

Headquarters

HQ city

Garrison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Direct charitable contributions from individuals supporting land conservation. Donors can give online, by phone, or by mail. Monthly giving options available.
2. Grants and Government Funding: Funding from government sources including NYS Environmental Protection Fund and partnerships with agencies like NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.
3. Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts: Bequests, retirement plan beneficiaries, land donations, and life insurance beneficiary designations. Members of the Hudson Highlands Legacy Circle are recognized for planned commitments.
4. Corporate Matching and Partnerships: Corporate matching gifts through platforms like YourCause, Benevity, and EarthShare. 1% for the Planet member organization accepting member company contributions.
5. Land Donations: Acceptance of real estate gifts for permanent protection. Properties may be held for conservation or sold to benefit the mission.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hudson Highlands Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit land trust that permanently protects natural areas, wildlife habitat, and scenic resources in the Hudson Highlands of New York. The organization owns and manages nature preserves, holds conservation easements on private land (94 easements protecting 2,594 acres), runs environmental education programs including guided hikes and citizen science BioBlitzes, and coordinates regional conservation advocacy and planning across more than 3,600 acres of protected land.

Product overview

Hudson Highlands Land Trust is a community-based nonprofit land conservation organization that operates primarily as a land trust and environmental education provider rather than a technology product company. Their core offerings include management of three nature preserves open to the public (Granite Mountain Preserve, Humble Bee Hollow, and Lane Gate Preserve), with a fourth preserve (Canopus Creek Preserve) under development. Additional services encompass land conservation and stewardship programs with 94 conservation easements protecting 2,594 acres, education and outreach programs including guided hikes and school visits, regional advocacy and public policy work, the New York Highlands Network consortium, community partnerships, volunteer programs, planned giving options, and an e-newsletter. The organization focuses on protecting natural resources and biodiversity in the Hudson Highlands region of New York State.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Granite Mountain Preserve 500+ acre public-access preserve in Putnam Valley, NY with 5+ miles of trails through northern hardwood forest featuring native oak, hickory, tulip, and sugar maple trees and habitat for Red-Spotted Newts, Spicebush Swallowtails, Little Brown Bats, and migratory songbirds; open to visitors for hiking, birding, and nature observation.
• Humble Bee Hollow 74-acre preserve in Garrison, NY being restored from a former golf course into healthy wildlife habitat, featuring northern hardwood forest with mature oaks and hemlocks, open fields for Northern long-eared bat foraging, streams, wetlands, and a 2-mile network of accessible trails for hiking, birding, and snowshoeing.
• Canopus Creek Preserve 240-acre preserve in Philipstown and Putnam Valley, NY currently undergoing clean-up and trail planning and not yet open to the public; provides habitat for bobcats, coyotes, fishers, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, wood turtles, and migratory birds, while Canopus Creek serves as a migratory fish run for American eel and is part of the Peekskill drinking water watershed.
• Land Conservation and Stewardship Core conservation program involving conservation easements (94 easements protecting 2,594 acres), outright ownership and management of five properties totaling almost 1,042 acres, and partnerships with NY State, National Park Service, and conservation partners to protect additional acres in the Hudson Highlands.
• Education and Outreach Programs Environmental education programs including guided hikes, wildlife workshops, hands-on conservation activities, talks and forums on local ecology, group and school visits, BioBlitz citizen science events, and inclusive programs welcoming diverse backgrounds and abilities.
• Regional Advocacy and Public Policy Public-policy program that works with municipalities on conservation planning tools and zoning, coordinates with partner organizations on key conservation projects, and advocates for legislation including the Highlands Conservation Act, NYS Environmental Protection Fund, and wildlife crossing legislation.
• Lane Gate Preserve Preserve in Cold Spring, NY hosting educational programs including guided plant ID walks, bird-watching events, and BioBlitz community science activities in partnership with groups such as the Wild Woods Restoration Project and Putnam Highlands Audubon Society.
• Conservation Easement and Land Donation Services Landowner services encompassing conservation easement placement, land donations, and estate and legacy planning designed to permanently protect properties from development, including recognition through the Hudson Highlands Legacy Circle.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,042 acres owned and managed; 2,594 acres protected through 94 conservation easements; 3,600+ total acres conserved in partnership with other organizations

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Woods End LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered to permanently protect 93 acres of ecologically rich land in Putnam County, now part of Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park. Multi-year collaboration involving complex subdivision process.
• New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic PreservationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner on land conservation projects including additions to Fahnestock Memorial State Park. Funded through NYS Environmental Protection Fund.
• Wild Woods Restoration ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for habitat restoration including native planting days at preserves and potting days for seedling cultivation. Led by Dr. Linda Rohleder.
• Lower Hudson PRISMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Regional Invasive Species Management, collaborating on invasive species removal and habitat restoration efforts across the region.
• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner that created virtual history hike content for Granite Mountain Preserve. Collaborates on educational programs and conservation initiatives.
• One NaturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on habitat restoration at Humble Bee Hollow, transforming former golf course greens and fairways into healthy wildlife habitat.
• New York Natural Heritage ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on biodiversity documentation, migratory bird monitoring, and citizen science BioBlitz initiatives. Identifies significant biodiversity areas.
• Putnam Highlands Audubon SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on bird walks and migratory monitoring programs at preserves including Lane Gate Preserve.
• Scenic HudsoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeer land trust and conservation organization working to protect habitats and scenic resources in the Hudson Valley.
• Open Space InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional land conservation organization and partner on protecting open space in the Hudson Highlands.
• Dutchess Land ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeer land trust organization in the Hudson Valley region.
• Putnam County Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeer land trust organization serving Putnam County.
• Westchester Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeer land trust organization in the region.
• Orange County Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeer land trust organization in the Hudson Valley.
• New York-New Jersey Trail ConferencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on trail management and stewardship, including conservation easement work.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal conservation organization active in the region.
• Hudson River Estuary ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYS program providing resources and funding for landowners near the Hudson River and tributaries.
• HudsoniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental nonprofit providing scientific expertise on biodiversity and natural areas.
• The Trust for Public LandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational nonprofit working to create parks and protect land for public use.
• Land Trust AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization supporting land trusts with standards, practices, and resources. HHLT follows LTA Standards and Practices.
• New York Highlands NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium managed by HHLT bringing together land trusts and government agencies to identify high-priority conservation projects and secure funding across the Highlands region.
• Hudson Valley Alliance for Housing and ConservationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of nonprofits balancing affordable housing needs with open space conservation in the Hudson Valley.
• Pollinator PathwayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional organization supporting native plant corridors and pollinator habitat.
• NYS Department of Environmental ConservationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency providing programs for forest management, wetland stewardship, and habitat improvement.
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency offering cost-share programs for landowners including EQIP and ACEP.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Scenic Hudson: Largest regional land trust operating across the Hudson Valley, including the Highlands; directly comparable as a 501(c)(3) conservation organization focused on land acquisition, easements, advocacy, and public preserves in the same geography.
• Putnam County Land Trust: County-level peer land trust operating in Putnam County alongside HHLT; listed HHLT partner offering directly overlapping conservation easement and preserve services in the same geography.
• Columbia Land Conservancy: Accredited land trust in Columbia County, NY operating a preserve network and easement program; directly comparable in nonprofit land trust operations, volunteer-driven stewardship, and Hudson Valley geography.
• Open Space Institute: Regional land conservation organization partnering with HHLT on Hudson Highlands open space protection; comparable in conservation finance, large-parcel acquisition, and easement structuring.
• Orange County Land Trust: Hudson Valley land trust listed as a peer partner of HHLT; comparable in scale and mission, focused on land protection, easements, and public preserves in a contiguous county.
• Westchester Land Trust: Accredited land trust serving Westchester County adjacent to HHLT's territory; directly comparable in nonprofit land conservation model, easement stewardship, and preserve management.
• Dutchess Land Conservancy: Hudson Valley land trust holding conservation easements and managing preserves in Dutchess County; a listed HHLT partner and direct comparable in mission, geography, and operational model.

Broad incumbents

• The Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit land conservation organization that creates parks and protects land for public use; HHLT lists it as a partner and it operates at significantly larger scale across the U.S. with overlapping land protection and conservation finance capabilities.
• The Nature Conservancy (NY): Global conservation organization actively operating in the Hudson Highlands and listed as a partner of HHLT; overlaps in easement work, biodiversity protection, and large-scale land acquisition but with a much broader geographic mandate.

Regional players

• Mohonk Preserve: Large New York preserve and land trust in the Shawangunk Ridge, NY; comparable as a member-supported nonprofit operating public-access natural lands with trails and educational programs in a similar upstate/downstate New York corridor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hhlt_org

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Hudson Highlands Land Trust