TAOS LAND TRUST

What TAOS LAND TRUST does

Taos Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit land conservation organization founded in 1988 and headquartered in Taos, New Mexico. It permanently protects working agricultural lands, wetlands, and natural areas in Northern New Mexico through voluntary conservation easements, currently holding nearly 60 easements covering more than 25,000 acres across seven counties including Taos, Rio Arriba, Colfax, Santa Fe, Mora, San Miguel, and Bernalillo. The organization operates as an accredited member of the national Land Trust Alliance and runs an integrated portfolio of programs including the Rio Fernando Park (a 20-acre wetland and agricultural demonstration site), Rio Fernando Community Farm, Rio Hondo Fishing Park, the Working Lands Resiliency Initiative, a Seed Exchange, a Small Equipment Rental program, and a Youth Conservation Corps that employs approximately 19 youth annually.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform; its core technology footprint consists of a WordPress-based website (taoslandtrust.org), a Mailchimp newsletter, and standard social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X) plus podcast and video content. Restoration work at Rio Fernando Park was executed by partner Keystone Restoration Ecology and involved physical interventions such as river channel rerouting, removal of invasive Russian olive trees, and acequia rehabilitation. No AI, machine learning, or software products are part of the offering.

Taos Land Trust generates no commercial revenue. Operating inflows are sourced entirely from individual donations, foundation and government grants, and earned recognition through partnerships with funders including the LOR Foundation, Thornburg Foundation, Moore Charitable Trust, National Endowment for the Arts, The JPB Foundation (via Safe Routes to School National Partnership), New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps, and the NM Outdoor Recreation Division. Its go-to-market is community-engagement-driven rather than commercial: relationships with private landowners drive easement acquisition, school partnerships (Taos High School, TISA, UNM-Taos) drive education programming, and public parks drive community access. The customer base is effectively segmented into private landowners, youth ages 14-25, the general public, and Taos County schools, none of whom are charged for services.

Name

TAOS LAND TRUST

Legal name

Taos Land Trust

Website

https://taoslandtrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Taos Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1988 in Taos, New Mexico, that permanently protects working lands and wetlands in Northern New Mexico through nearly 60 conservation easements covering 25,000+ acres, while operating public parks, restoration programs, and a Youth Conservation Corps.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Land Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC), Timberland Conservation & Easement Management (AFAMAKAI), Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)

Keywords

• Land conservation services
• Conservation easement management
• Environmental education programs
• Wetland restoration services
• Agricultural land preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Taos

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. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual donors contribute to support land conservation, education programs, youth workforce development, and public park operations. Monthly giving programs encouraged.
2. Foundation and Grant Funding: Grants from LOR Foundation, Thornburg Foundation, Moore Charitable Trust, National Endowment for the Arts, and other philanthropic organizations support specific initiatives including Working Lands Resiliency Initiative, Youth Conservation Corps, and Rio Fernando Park projects.
3. Government and Public Funding: Funding from New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps, NM Outdoor Recreation Division's Outdoor Equity Fund, Safe Routes to Schools National Partnership (funded by The JPB Foundation), Army Corps of Engineers, and National Recreation and Parks Association for restoration and youth programs.

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Taos Land Trust permanently protects land in northern New Mexico through voluntary conservation easements with private landowners while operating public parks, agricultural restoration programs, and youth workforce development. The organization holds nearly 60 easements covering 25,000+ acres, operates the 20-acre Rio Fernando Park and Rio Hondo Fishing Park, and delivers the Youth Conservation Corps, Working Lands Resiliency Initiative, and BIO STEAM LAB education programs.

Product overview

Taos Land Trust is a thirty-year old non-profit land conservation organization that operates as a single, unified service offering focused on empowering people to protect the land and traditions they love. The organization delivers a portfolio of interconnected conservation programs including Conservation Easements (permanent legal land protection), Education Programs (community, work-based learning, and youth education), Rio Fernando Park (20-acre wetland and agricultural revitalization), Rio Fernando Community Farm (with gardens, composting, and animal stewardship), Rio Hondo Fishing Park, Seed Exchange, Small Equipment Rental, Working Lands Resiliency Initiative (agricultural heritage protection), Youth Conservation Corps (summer youth employment), and the El Salto Project. These programs work together to fulfill the organization's mission of land conservation, education, and community stewardship throughout Taos County, New Mexico.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Conservation Easements Voluntary legal agreements that permanently limit uses of land to protect conservation values, benefiting private landowners and the public by protecting land in perpetuity.
• Education Programs Comprehensive educational programming including community programs, work-based learning programs, and youth education programs focused on land stewardship and conservation for Taos County residents and students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Protected over 25,000 acres through nearly 60 conservation easements
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Land Trust Alliance (LTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational accreditation body for land trusts. Taos Land Trust is an accredited member and has formally adopted LTA Standards & Practices, ensuring highest conservation standards and public trust in land protection activities.
• Safe Routes to School National PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational technical assistance program (funded by The JPB Foundation) providing training and coaching to develop action plans for safe walking routes between Taos High School, TISA, and Rio Fernando Park. Project aims to provide 900+ students safe walking access.
• Rio Fernando de Taos Revitalization CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-stakeholder collective working to revitalize the Rio Fernando watershed. Founding member alongside Amigos Bravos working on water quality, restoration, and acequia revival.
• Amigos BravoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater quality organization leading extensive water sampling studies, wetland assessment, riparian restoration projects, and erosion control in the Rio Fernando watershed. Partnered on fence installation and restoration planning.
• Taos Valley Acequia AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in restoration and agricultural initiatives. TLT engaged in rebirth of Vigil y Romo Acequia, bringing water back after 40+ years of disuse. Collaborative work on acequia restoration projects.
• Alianza Agricultura de TaoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural alliance partner supporting Working Lands Resiliency Initiative and on-the-ground restoration work in agricultural communities.
• De La Tierra a la CosechaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner supporting Youth Conservation Corps programming and collaborative initiatives.
• Southern Methodist UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner collaborating on Youth Conservation Corps and watershed restoration initiatives.
• New Mexico State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner supporting Youth Conservation Corps collaborative programming.
• Talpa Community CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal community partner in Youth Conservation Corps programming.
• Shared TableminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner supporting Youth Conservation Corps collaborative programming.
• STEMarts LabmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist-led interdisciplinary education program. BIO STEAM LAB @Taos Land Trust designs STEAM-focused environmental education youth programs with site-specific installations. Coordinates artist residencies and curriculum development.
• Taos Integrated School of the Arts (TISA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner for BIO STEAM LAB program and Safe Routes initiative. Students participate in pollinator workshops, field trips, and hands-on conservation activities at Rio Fernando Park.
• Field Institute of TaosmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOutdoor education partner leading ecology and pollinator-focused hands-on learning curricula for school field trips to Rio Fernando Park.
• Taos Native Plant SocietymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint greenhouse partnership at Rio Fernando Park. Both organizations grow plant starts for gardens and native plants for restoration work. Received $1500 joint grant for greenhouse supplies and pollinator habitat.
• Keystone Restoration EcologymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestoration professionals who led wetland restoration work at Rio Fernando Park, including river channel rerouting, invasive removal, and habitat structure construction.
• Taos HoneyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal apiary that provided bees to start Rio Fernando Park's first beehive. Partner in pollinator and agricultural programs.
• Town of TaosmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner for walkability initiatives and Rio Fernando Park connections. Managing section of Vigil y Romo Acequia through Fred Baca Park.
• Harwood Museum of ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum partner co-administering TCA Community Arts Fellowship program supporting KINection Garden and artistic projects.
• UNM-TaosmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner providing dual-credit Climate Change Corps program, MC3 certification for high school students, and academic support for interns.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rio Grande Land Link: Northern New Mexico nonprofit linking farmers and landowners with conservation programs, agricultural easements, and land access initiatives; directly comparable in mission and regional scope to TLT's Working Lands Resiliency Initiative.
• New Mexico Land Conservancy: Statewide New Mexico land trust with parallel focus on voluntary conservation easements, agricultural land protection, and landowner partnerships; competes for the same foundation, state, and federal funding pools as TLT.
• Santa Fe Conservation Trust: An accredited regional land trust operating in northern New Mexico with a comparable community-based mission focused on conservation easements, watershed protection, and public park access; directly comparable in geography, scale, and program mix to Taos Land Trust.

Broad incumbents

• The Conservation Fund: National nonprofit that acquires and manages working forests, ranches, and easements across the U.S., including Southwest projects; comparable in real-asset conservation strategy and federal-funding access to TLT.
• Vermont Land Trust: One of the largest state-level accredited land trusts with a long track record in conservation easements, working-lands protection, and community conserved lands; relevant benchmark for TLT's growth trajectory and operating model.
• The Nature Conservancy: The largest global conservation organization with active New Mexico chapter programs in forest, river, and agricultural land protection; competes for similar philanthropic and federal funding and offers comparable easement and stewardship capabilities at vastly greater scale.
• Trust for Public Land: National conservation nonprofit operating across all 50 states, including significant New Mexico programs in conservation easements, public park creation, and urban green-space access; competes for foundation funding and federal grants while offering broader programmatic scale.

Regional players

• Colorado Open Lands: An accredited Colorado land trust with a comparable focus on ranchland and agricultural land conservation easements, water rights protection, and community education; useful Southern Rockies comp for TLT's working-lands programs.
• Montezuma Land Conservancy: A Southwest land trust (Dolores, Colorado) executing a similar mix of conservation easements, agricultural land preservation, and community education; comparable in scale and operating model but in a neighboring geography rather than direct NM competition.

Others

• Amigos Bravos: Taos-based water-quality nonprofit and TLT's core partner on Rio Fernando Park watershed restoration, acequia revival, and wetland work; an ecosystem collaborator rather than direct competitor but highly relevant to TLT's water and riparian programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/TaosLandTrust
• Facebookfacebook.com/TaosLandTrust
• Instagraminstagram.com/taoslandtrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/taos-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 TAOS LAND TRUST