Land Trust
The Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region works as a land trust to identify areas that can be acquired and set aside for public use, discouraging improper land use and detrimental development. OSC raises and provides funds for new open space projects, offering landowners an alternative to development and have set up a specific land conservation fund, “The Founders’ Fund,” geared towards the conservation of new parcels of open space.
A recently acquired open space along the Meramec River.
The Open Space Council has adopted the Land Trust Alliance’s “Land Trust Standards and Practices“. OSC uses a variety of tools and works with a diverse number of public and private organizations to conserve open space.
The Open Space Council is actively pursuing land acquisitions across the region. OSC uses a variety of mechanisms to conserve land in the St. Louis region. Some of them involve placing conservation easements on properties, negotiating bargain sales, donations or other land conservation measures.
Are you interested in reading more about the history of land trusts and the benefits they provide? Check out the following website for more info: https://www.landtrustalliance.org/about/history.
A natural Missouri forest where the OSC holds a conservation easement to protect this property from future development.