KHLT

What KHLT does

Kachemak Heritage Land Trust (KHLT) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1989 in Homer, Alaska, and the first land trust established in the state. Its mission is to permanently protect important fish, bird, and wildlife habitat as well as recreational lands on the Kenai Peninsula. KHLT works with willing landowners through conservation easements, land donations, bargain sales, and tradeland programs, and it directly acquires and stewards fee-owned conservation properties. As of 2025 the organization reports 4,049+ acres under care, 28 conservation easements totaling 2,496.586 acres, and a portfolio that includes the Anchor River Watershed (800+ acres), the Cooper Landing Bypass mitigation footprint (200+ acres), Dragonfly Property, Two Moose Creek Conservation Area, and Inspiration Ridge Preserve. KHLT also operates three public trail systems — Poopdeck Platt Community Park Trail, Calvin & Coyle Woodland Park, and Effler Boardwalk — and runs educational programs (Fish Need Land Too field trips, Baby Salmon Live Here signage, audio interpretive recordings) plus annual recognition awards (King Maker and Land at Heart).

Name

KHLT

Legal name

Kachemak Heritage Land Trust

Website

https://kachemaklandtrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kachemak Heritage Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1989 that permanently protects fish, bird, and wildlife habitat and recreational lands on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula through conservation easements, land donations, and community partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Land Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Investors, Nec (6799), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH)

Keywords

• Land conservation trust
• Conservation easements
• Wildlife habitat protection
• Salmon habitat preservation
• Stewardship monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Homer

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations and Memberships: KHLT receives contributions from individual donors. Members give $1 or more annually and receive renewal reminders twice per year. Heritage Circle membership offers annual gifts of $1,000+ with exclusive benefits.
2. Business and Foundation Grants: The organization receives funding from the business community, foundations, and public and private organizations. Grants include Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund, US Fish & Wildlife Service Coastal Program, Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, and Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation Alaska Clean Water Actions.
3. Land Donations and Bargain Sales: Landowners can donate land, conservation easements, or sell property below fair market value (bargain sale). Tradeland donations involve non-conservation property sold to support KHLT's work. These may provide tax benefits to donors.
4. Event Revenue: Annual fundraiser gala with ticket sales ($200 per ticket for 2026 gala), sponsorships, and workplace giving programs. Kenai River Brewing Co. brewed a beer supporting KHLT with portion of sales donated.
5. Legacy/Planned Gifts: Bequests through wills, retirement plan designations (401K, IRA, 403b), and life insurance beneficiary designations. Legacy Giving Circle recognizes members who include KHLT in estate plans.
6. Workplace Giving Programs: Pick.Click.Give. program allows Alaskans to donate portion of Permanent Fund Dividend. Corporate matching gift programs supported.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kachemak Heritage Land Trust is a nonprofit land trust that works with willing landowners on the Kenai Peninsula to permanently protect fish, bird, and wildlife habitat as well as recreational lands through conservation easements, land donations, bargain sales, and tradeland programs. The organization maintains an active stewardship monitoring program for its protected lands and engages the community through educational field trips, public trail access, recognition programs, and planned-giving services.

Product overview

KHLT is a nonprofit land trust organization (not a technology company) offering land conservation services including conservation easements, land donations, and trail systems. The organization's primary offerings consist of trail recreation (Poopdeck Platt, Calvin & Coyle, and Effler trails), community education programs (Fish Need Land Too field trips, Baby Salmon Live Here signage), recognition programs (King Maker Award, Land at Heart Award), and publications (Landmarks annual magazine, eNews). Additional services include legacy/planned giving programs and community engagement events. There is no unified digital product platform—the organization is focused on physical land conservation rather than software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Land Conservation Services Core service offerings for landowners including conservation easements, voluntary land donations, bargain sales (sale below fair market value), and tradeland donation programs. Designed for private landowners on the Kenai Peninsula who wish to permanently protect conservation values of their property while retaining ownership or donating outright.
• Legacy Giving Circle Planned giving program allowing donors to include KHLT in their wills, retirement plan designations (401K, IRA, 403b), or life insurance beneficiary designations. Recognizes members of the Legacy Giving Circle who include KHLT in estate plans.
• Fish Need Land Too

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,049.795 acres permanently protected
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Conservation FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 November 2024TCF purchased the Dragonfly property in 2023 with grant funds and transferred ownership to KHLT in November 2024. TCF also acquired the Stariski Wetlands property to serve as a wetland mitigation bank site before transferring to KHLT for ongoing management.
• Alaska Department of Transportation & Public FacilitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020KHLT worked with ADoT&PF since 2020 to identify, evaluate, and secure lands for wetland conservation as part of the Sterling Highway MP 45-60 Reconstruction Project. KHLT completed the Cooper Landing Bypass mitigation, protecting 200+ acres.
• Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research ReservecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner20+ year partnership for Fish Need Land Too collaborative field trip program. KBNERR provides watershed ecology research, groundwater mapping, and educational programs that inform KHLT's conservation priorities. KBNERR received the 2025 Kingmaker Award from KHLT.
• Center for Alaskan Coastal StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Inspiration Ridge Preserve where CACS owns land (452.6 acres) and KHLT holds conservation easements on 469.88 acres. KHLT is responsible for permanent protection while CACS focuses on community education and outreach.
• Salmon SistersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHomer-based seafood company; co-founders Emma and Claire were early participants in Fish Need Land Too field trips. Salmon Sisters donates portion of proceeds to KHLT and sells co-branded hoodies with proceeds supporting KHLT's conservation work.
• US Fish & Wildlife ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Salmon Creek Conservation Area establishment in 2012 along with other agencies. USFWS provides funding and support for wetland habitat protection and public access projects.
• State of Alaska Department of Fish & GamecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Salmon Creek Conservation Area and Deep Creek EVOS project. ADF&G operates fish counting weirs and manages fisheries for salmon. Partner in Moose Habitat Inc. project for hunting and fishing access.
• Kenai Peninsula BoroughcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Salmon Creek Conservation Area. Borough land adjacent to protected wetlands provides additional conservation buffer.
• Cook Inlet Aquaculture AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoined the Salmon Creek Conservation Area working group in 2020, bringing expertise in aquaculture and fish habitat.
• Kenai Watershed ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKWF removed illegal fills from the Stariski Wetlands property to restore wetland functions before KHLT took ownership.
• City of HomercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Poopdeck Platt Community Park Trail development and Peatlands acquisition for green infrastructure stormwater management. Collaborated on climate action planning.
• Homer Independent Living CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in creating universally accessible Poopdeck Platt Community Park Trail for people of all abilities.
• Moose Habitat Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to conserve land and increase hunting and fishing access on the Anchor River. Federal funds from Pittman-Robertson Act combined with Moose Habitat Inc. funds for parcel purchases.
• National Park ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNPS Recreational Trails program provided funding for Poopdeck Platt Community Park Trail design and construction.
• Resurrection Bay Conservation AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Salmon Creek Conservation Area establishment in 2012 for flood mitigation and wetland protection.
• Seward - Bear Creek Flood Service AreacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Salmon Creek Conservation Area. SBCFSA funded four parcels for flood mitigation as part of the 2012 establishment.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Great Land Trust: Anchorage-based Alaska land trust that works with willing landowners on conservation easements and fee acquisitions; the most direct geographic and functional peer to KHLT within Alaska.
• Southeast Alaska Land Trust: Another Alaska-based accredited land trust focused on conserving fish, wildlife, and recreation lands; directly comparable in mission, structure, and revenue model, though operating in a different region of Alaska.
• The Conservation Fund: National nonprofit that acquires and transfers conservation properties; has been an actual transaction counterparty with KHLT (Dragonfly Property), and shares the model of buying land and transferring it to local stewards.

Broad incumbents

• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit that works with communities and landowners on land conservation projects; operates at a much larger scale but is highly comparable in service offerings (easements, acquisitions, community parks) and donor base.
• The Nature Conservancy (Alaska): Global conservation organization with an active Alaska chapter doing conservation easements and land protection across the state; broader portfolio but overlaps with KHLT in mission, funding sources, and easement stewardship.

Regional players

• Alaska Conservation Foundation: Alaska-focused foundation that funds and convenes conservation organizations across the state; KHLT is a grantee of ACF, and ACF is comparable as a funding and capacity-building intermediary for the Alaska conservation ecosystem.
• Alaska Land Trust (Hatcher Pass / Mat-Su): Alaska-focused land trust operating outside the Kenai Peninsula; comparable nonprofit land trust model but serving a different region of the state.

Emerging players

• Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies: Homer-based nonprofit that owns and educates on conservation land (Inspiration Ridge Preserve); direct operational and geographic overlap, and an actual collaboration partner of KHLT on easements.
• Kenai Watershed Forum: Water-focused nonprofit working on the Kenai Peninsula that collaborates with KHLT on wetland restoration; smaller and more focused on water quality, but highly comparable in geography and partnership network.

Others

• Land Trust Alliance: National umbrella and accreditation body for land trusts; KHLT is accredited by the Alliance, and the Alliance is the closest industry-association peer that defines standards, training, and federal advocacy for the entire U.S. land trust sector.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kachemakheritagelandtrust
• Instagraminstagram.com/kachemakheritagelandtrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kachemak-heritage-land-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 KHLT