The Minnesota Land Trust is a private, nonprofit organization that preserves the natural and scenic heritage of our State by permanently protecting the lands and waters that define our communities and enrich our quality of life. The Land Trust accomplishes this primarily through establishing and monitoring permanent conservation easements. Conservation easements are legal agreements by which landowners voluntarily limit the development potential and use of their land. The land remains in existing ownership but the easement "runs with the title" insuring that the protections remain in place regardless of who may own the land in the future. To date, we have protected more than 51,000 acres in the most critical landscapes statewide. We also advance conservation of Minnesota's natural and scenic heritage by assisting other entities in achieving conservation goals.