Roxbury Land Trust, Inc.

What Roxbury Land Trust, Inc. does

Roxbury Land Trust, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit land conservation organization founded in 1970 in Roxbury, Connecticut, that preserves and manages approximately 4,000 acres (~18% of the town's 16,800 acres) across 32 preserves, 30 miles of public hiking trails, and 450+ acres of leased farmland operated by three working farms (Good Hill, Gavel Family, Orzech Family). Its mission centers on safeguarding rural character, water quality in the Shepaug River watershed, working farmland, and historic industrial heritage — most notably the 450-acre Mine Hill Preserve, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 for its 19th-century iron-making complex. The organization holds national accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission (2016) and runs guided hikes, bird walks, vernal pool programs, the annual RiverFest, Save Our Rail Trail fundraiser, Farm Crawl with Bridgewater Land Trust, and the Dave Beglan Memorial Walk.

The trust is operated by a three-person professional staff (Executive Director Lisa Roush, Director of Development Laurie Hughes, Land and Property Manager James Curren) under a volunteer board of directors, with no parent company or subsidiaries. Its technology stack is conventional nonprofit infrastructure — PayPal for online donations, Constant Contact for email, My Mail List for donor data, Google Analytics, Zeffy for ticketing, and Bonfire for merchandise — with no proprietary platform or AI/ML capabilities. There is no mobile app, API surface, or commercial distribution network; service delivery is direct public access to preserves dawn-to-dusk, plus event-based programming.

RLT's revenue model is donation-driven across five streams: recurring annual membership donations, one-time legacy gifts and bequests (wills, conservation easements, IRAs, 401(k)s), in-kind gifts of land and conservation easements, ticketed event fundraising, and state/foundation grants (notably the Connecticut DEP Open Space and Watershed Acquisition Fund). Customer/member base is approximately 450 households and the broader Roxbury-area community, with no anchor enterprise donors; commercial customer concentration is therefore low. Pricing is flexible for donations, with fixed event tickets ($75 Save Our Rail Trail, $25 Farm Crawl, $8 Mine Hill coloring book). The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, relying on volunteer engagement, earned media, partnerships with Bridgewater Land Trust and Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition, and a Will Power legacy-giving campaign.

Name

Roxbury Land Trust, Inc.

Legal name

Roxbury Land Trust, Inc.

Website

https://roxburylandtrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Roxbury Land Trust, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1970 that conserves approximately 4,000 acres across 32 preserves, 30 miles of trails, and 450 acres of farmland in Roxbury, Connecticut, serving roughly 450 members and the broader community through passive recreation, education, and historic preservation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Land Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Historical Sites (71212), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH)

Keywords

• Land conservation services
• Nature preserve management
• Conservation easement stewardship
• Outdoor recreation programs
• Environmental education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Roxbury

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Donations: Annual financial donations that make donors annual members. This is the primary revenue stream supporting operational costs. Gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
2. Legacy Gifts and Bequests: Gifts through wills, estate planning, bequests of property, conservation easements, and beneficiary designations from life insurance, charitable remainder trusts, IRAs, Keoghs, 401(k)s, and 403(b)s.
3. Land Donations: Accepts gifts of land in perpetuity and conservation easements. Property donors receive tax benefits while ensuring land is preserved.
4. Event Fundraising: Revenue from ticket sales to fundraising events such as the Save Our Rail Trail fundraiser ($75/person), Farm Crawl ($25/person), and RiverFest.
5. Grants: Funding from State of Connecticut DEP Open Space and Watershed Acquisition Fund, matching grants, and other conservation grants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Roxbury Land Trust preserves and manages approximately 4,000 acres of woodlands, farmland, waterways, and open space across 32+ preserves in Roxbury, Connecticut and neighboring communities. It maintains 30 miles of public hiking trails, manages 450+ acres of working farmland leased to local farmers, and operates the historic Mine Hill Preserve on the National Register of Historic Places. The Trust supplements land stewardship with environmental education programs, guided hikes, signature community events, and a donation-supported membership program.

Product overview

Roxbury Land Trust operates as a unified land conservation organization offering multiple interconnected services centered on preserving open space in Roxbury, Connecticut. Its core offerings include land preservation and stewardship of over 4,000 acres across 32+ preserves, maintenance of 30+ miles of public hiking trails, and management of 450+ acres of working farmland. Key assets include the historic Mine Hill Preserve featuring a 19th-century iron-making complex, supplemented by educational programs, seasonal events, and a merchandise shop. The organization does not operate a technology product platform but provides in-person conservation, recreation, and education services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Land Preservation and Stewardship Services

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Bridgewater Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 June 2026Co-sponsors the annual Farm Crawl event visiting farms in both Roxbury and Bridgewater. Collaborated on the Connector Trail opening between Town Line Farm Preserve and the Riverbelt trail system. Joint efforts expand recreational access and conservation impact across both communities.
• Pomperaug River Watershed CoalitionsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 April 2026Partners on the Vernal Pool-ooza educational program held at RLT preserves. Joint programming focuses on environmental education about vernal pools and local watershed protection.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy (Connecticut): Global conservation nonprofit with active Connecticut chapter preserving natural areas statewide; competes for the same state grants (CT DEP Open Space and Watershed Acquisition Fund) and major-donor bequests as RLT, but at vastly greater scale.
• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit land conservation organization that acquires and protects land for public use; directly comparable mission (conservation easements, land acquisition) and competes for the same philanthropic and public-funder capital pool.

Emerging players

• Connecticut Audubon Society: Statewide conservation nonprofit operating nature preserves, sanctuaries, and educational programming across Connecticut; overlaps with RLT in passive recreation, bird-walks, and environmental education rather than direct land-protection mechanism.

Direct peers

• Steep Rock Association: Washington, CT-based land trust protecting preserves along the Shepaug River with similar hiking, trail, and educational programming; same regional geography and member-supported nonprofit model.
• Cornwall Conservation Trust: Litchfield County land trust operating preserves and trails with a comparable small-staff, community-supported nonprofit structure and overlapping donor geography in northwestern Connecticut.
• Bridgewater Land Trust: Adjacent Connecticut land trust explicitly named as a co-programming partner (Farm Crawl, Connector Trail). Same nonprofit/conservation model, similar preserve-and-trail structure, and directly comparable community-led operating approach in a neighboring town.
• Weantinoge Heritage Land Trust: Northwest Connecticut land trust covering multiple towns (Kent, New Milford, Sherman, Warren, Washington) with a comparable preserve-and-trail portfolio and similar small-staff nonprofit structure — a strong size and operating-model comparable.

Regional players

• Housatonic Valley Association: Regional watershed-protection nonprofit covering the Housatonic and Shepaug watersheds in western Connecticut; comparable environmental-education and water-quality focus, with overlapping interest in RLT's Shepaug River corridor preserves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RoxburyLandTrust
• Instagraminstagram.com/roxburylandtrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roxbury-land-trust-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Roxbury Land Trust, Inc.