What Westchester Land Trust does

Westchester Land Trust is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit land conservation organization founded in 1988 by Louis McCagg and headquartered at 403 Harris Road in Bedford Hills, New York. It serves private landowners, municipal governments, and the general public across Westchester County and eastern Putnam County by permanently protecting natural and agricultural land from development. The organization accomplishes this through two principal instruments: conservation easements (voluntary legal agreements that bind future land use while the landowner retains ownership) and outright land purchase, the latter frequently funded by state or local partners and often transferred to municipalities for long-term management. WLT also conducts hands-on stewardship across its preserves, including invasive species removal, trail maintenance, pollinator and bat habitat restoration, and forest health initiatives, supplemented by a food pantry garden at its Sugar Hill Farm headquarters that distributes roughly 10,000 servings of fresh produce annually.

The organization's operating portfolio is substantial for a regional land trust: 9,622 acres protected in perpetuity, 1,360+ acres of publicly accessible preserves across 40+ sites, 16 farmland protection projects covering over 925 acres of agricultural land, and conservation easements held on behalf of partner land trusts including Bedford Audubon and Yorktown Land Trust. Strategic differentiation rests on early and continuously maintained Land Trust Accreditation Commission accreditation (achieved 2008, reaccredited 2026), a 35+ year operating history, and a diversified capital stack spanning individual donations, recurring memberships, planned giving, foundation grants (including a $123.5K bat conservation grant, $200K pollinator grants from the NY Attorney General and NY Community Trust), and New York State agency grants ($2M Farmland Protection, $1.35M DEC Water Quality Improvement Project).

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue structure with no pricing for services or land access. All preserves are free and open year-round, and there is no fee for volunteering or educational resources. Revenue mechanics rely on community-led growth: direct donor cultivation through newsletter, social media, and board networks; annual benefit events such as Fields of Gold (which raised $540,000 in 2025 versus $440,000 in 2024) and Reggae in the Barn; competitive state and foundation grant applications; and partnership agreements with municipalities that provide matching funds and post-acquisition stewardship. Governance is by a volunteer Board of Directors chaired by Nanette Bourne, with Kara Whelan serving as President and a small professional staff operating across conservation, operations, and preserve management functions.

Name

Westchester Land Trust

Legal name

Westchester Land Trust

Website

https://westchesterlandtrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Westchester Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1988 and headquartered in Bedford Hills, NY, that permanently protects natural and farmland in Westchester and eastern Putnam counties through conservation easements, land acquisition, and stewardship of 40+ public preserves.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Land Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Support Activities for Forestry (115310), Landscaping Services (561730)

SIC

Real Estate (6500), Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH), Conservation & Protected Land Brokerage (Easements, Land Trust Sales) (BPAJADAH)

Keywords

• Land conservation services
• Conservation easement programs
• Farmland protection programs
• Habitat restoration services
• Nature preserve management

Headquarters

HQ city

Bedford Hills

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations and Memberships: Individual donors contribute one-time and recurring gifts to support land conservation. The organization maintains a donor database and sends newsletters and mailings to supporters.
2. Government Grants: Major grants from New York State agencies including DEC WQIP grants ($1.35M), Department of Agriculture and Markets Farmland Protection grants ($2M), and Attorney General pollinator conservation funding ($200,000).
3. Foundation Grants: Funding from charitable foundations including Sarah K. de Coizart Article TENTH Perpetual Charitable Trust ($123,500 for bat conservation), The Nature Conservancy Climate Resilience Grants, and The New York Community Trust ($200,000).
4. Annual Benefit Events: Annual fundraising events including Fields of Gold benefit (raised $540,000 in 2025, $440,000 in 2024) and Reggae in the Barn fall fundraiser.
5. Planned Giving: Legacy giving programs including conservation easements that extend protection beyond the landowner's lifetime.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Westchester Land Trust permanently protects land in Westchester and eastern Putnam counties through voluntary conservation easements with private landowners and outright acquisition of nature preserves and farmland. It manages 40+ public preserves free of charge, delivers hands-on ecological stewardship and habitat restoration (pollinator meadows, forest health, invasive species removal), and runs community programs including the Sugar Hill Farm food pantry garden that donates 10,000+ servings of produce annually to local food pantries.

Product overview

Westchester Land Trust is a land conservation nonprofit offering a portfolio of interconnected conservation services rather than a technology product. Core offerings include Nature Preserves (publicly accessible protected lands) and Conservation Easements (legal land protection instruments). These are supported by specialized programs including Farmland Protection, Stewardship Programs, and Forest Health Initiatives. The organization operates Sugar Hill Farm as a community food-growing program, conducts Pollinator Habitat Restoration, and engages in Urban Conservation efforts. Volunteer Programs enable public participation in conservation work. The organization does not offer a technology platform or software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nature Preserves WLT-owned publicly accessible nature preserves across Westchester and eastern Putnam counties offering free year-round access for hiking, birding, and nature observation, protecting forests, wetlands, meadows, and stream corridors.
• Conservation Easements Voluntary legal agreements that permanently protect private and public land from non-farm development while the landowner retains ownership; WLT holds easements on properties throughout the region and monitors them annually to ensure perpetual protection.
• Farmland Protection Program Program that protects working agricultural land from development through conservation easements and partnerships with farmers and landowners, preserving prime farmland soils and supporting local food systems.
• Sugar Hill Farm Food Pantry Garden Community garden at WLT's headquarters property that grows vegetables for donation to local food pantries, producing 10,000+ servings of fresh produce annually for Westchester families in need.
• Pollinator Habitat Restoration Initiatives to restore and enhance habitat for native pollinators including meadow restoration, native wildflower planting, and invasive species management across protected lands.
• Forest Health Initiative Programs focused on maintaining and improving forest ecosystems through native tree planting, deer management, invasive species control, and forest regeneration efforts.
• Stewardship Programs Hands-on land management activities including trail maintenance, invasive species removal, ecological restoration, and forest health initiatives across WLT's protected lands.
• Urban Conservation Program Efforts to provide nature access and conservation benefits in urban communities, including urban forest preservation and restoration projects in areas such as Mount Vernon with limited access to green space.

Named customers8 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

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Town of BedfordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership spanning 30+ years for land conservation. Town provides matching funds for land purchases (e.g., $340,000 for Muscoot Reservoir parcels) and holds easements on WLT preserves. Currently developing drinking water wells at Guard Hill Preserve.
• Bedford Village Fire DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFour reserved parking spaces at rear of fire department parking lot for Guard Hill Preserve visitors, demonstrating community partnership for public access.
• Dominican Sisters of HopecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWLT holds conservation easement on 34 acres of the 61-acre Mariandale Center along Hudson River. Sisters own and operate the retreat center; WLT ensures permanent protection. Honored at 2026 Hope on the Hudson benefit.
• Bedford Riding Lanes Association (BRLA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShared trail use agreement at Guard Hill Preserve. BRLA members use Sam Pryor Trail for horseback riding; WLT maintains trail for all users.
• Swiss ReminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate volunteer group from Armonk created new trail at Hemlock Brook Preserve in June 2010, demonstrating community corporate engagement.
• Fat and Sassy GoatsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcological goat grazing partner for invasive plant management. Herd deployed at Tom Burke Preserve to clear multiflora rose, barberry, and buckthorn for pollinator habitat restoration.
• NYNJ Trail ConferenceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional trail organization with which WLT volunteers and board members collaborate on trail maintenance and conservation projects.
• Putnam County Land TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal land trust that participated in early conversations about Ryder Farm protection and submitted prior application to State for the project.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Open Space Institute: Regional conservation organization protecting landscapes across the Northeast, with active NY land-protection work. Comparable in transaction style and partnership-based funding, though at meaningfully larger scale.
• National Audubon Society: National bird and habitat conservation organization; WLT partners with its Bedford chapter on stewardship. While operating at vastly greater scale, shares the habitat-protection and conservation-easement toolkit.
• The Nature Conservancy (NY Chapter): Global conservation organization with active NY operations; an existing WLT partner that co-funded the Cortlandt 40-acre donation. Operates at far greater scale but shares the conservation easement, climate resilience, and stewardship playbook.
• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit focused on land conservation for public benefit, including parks and working lands. Highly comparable in methodology (conservation easements, public access preserves) but with much larger geographic scope and program budget.

Direct peers

• Mianus River Gorge Preserve: Long-established regional land trust in Westchester/Connecticut focused on conservation easements, preserve management, and ecological research. Closest match in mission and operating model for a Westchester-based land trust.
• Bedford Audubon Society: Local chapter holding a conservation easement on WLT's Pine Croft Meadow Preserve. A grassroots peer organization with comparable mission and overlapping geography.
• Putnam County Land Trust: Adjacent county-level land trust operating in Putnam County, NY, with overlapping mission of conservation easements and preserve management. WLT has partnered directly with them on Ryder Farm protection, making them a direct operational peer.
• Yorktown Land Trust: Small municipal land trust in northern Westchester that holds a co-easement with WLT on Hunter Brook Preserve. Highly comparable in size, geography, and programmatic scope.

Regional players

• Scenic Hudson: Major regional land trust operating along the Hudson River Valley in NY, with similar mixed model of preserves, easements, and advocacy. Comparable scale and program breadth, though with a larger geographic footprint than WLT.
• Housatonic Valley Association: Regional watershed conservation organization in western Connecticut and adjacent NY. Comparable in combining land protection with watershed-quality advocacy, though operating across a different state.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/WLT_NY
• Facebookfacebook.com/westchesterlandtrust
• Instagraminstagram.com/westchesterlandtrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/westchester-land-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Westchester Land Trust