Founded in 1971 as Michigan’s first local land trust, Legacy is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works with individuals, landowners, organizations, and government entities to safeguard southern Michigan’s land and water to support diverse, resilient, and thriving communities-forever.

Built on a five-decades-long foundation of strong land protection, dedicated staff, board, supporters, donors, volunteers, and partners, Legacy is striving to mitigate the effects of climate change and embracing a commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, as we protect, preserve, and steward land for all people.

>Click here for the history of Legacy Land Conservancy

ACCREDITED

In 2008, Legacy became one of the first accredited land trusts in the nation. This accreditation is a testament to over 50 years of voluntary conservation, supported by our extended community, and adhering to a set of standards designed to help guarantee that our work will endure forever. Legacy was reaccredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission in 2014 and again, in 2020.

STRATEGIC VISION

In 2024, Legacy adopted a strategic vision, which included an updated mission and core values. This vision is supported by a strategic plan, updated regularly, that drives the organization’s 1, 5, and 10-year goals.

Mission – Safeguard southern Michigan’s land and water to support diverse, resilient, and thriving communities–forever.

Core Values

• We believe that southern Michigan contains rare and integral ecosystems, flora, and fauna that provide value and deserve the space to thrive.
• We believe the climate is changing and that meaningful local action can soften its impacts and help create a more resilient future.
• We believe that providing people with places to immerse themselves in the natural world creates healing opportunities that are wide-reaching and intergenerational.
• We believe the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We cannot do this work alone and choose to collaborate creatively with individuals, organizations, and communities whenever possible.
• We believe that fiscal responsibility and transparency are essential to honor the generosity of our donors, volunteers, and supporters.
• We believe the environmental and land trust movements are built on systems that exclude Black, Indigenous, Latin, and other people of color, as well as other members of our communities who have been marginalized, and that Legacy has historically played a role in this exclusion and privilege.
• We believe that anti-racism work and battling other biases is hard work, and we strive to learn and grow from our probable mistakes, while working to acknowledge our privilege and part in this exclusion. We formally seek to remedy historical barriers with a commitment to justice, equity, diversity, accessibility, and inclusion (JEDAI).
• We believe employees are more than their work and strive for a culture of flexibility, compassion, laughter, and meaningful support that empowers a healthy life-work balance.
• We believe we must be nimble and open to exploring opportunities that come before us and to utilize our skills to investigate new or innovative ways to protect land.

Core Focus
We are passionate about safeguarding water quality and biodiversity, providing meaningful outdoor experiences, and mitigating the effects of climate change through expert and equitable use of land protection tools such as conservation easements and public nature preserves.

Who We Serve
Landowners, supporters, community members and wildlife in the greater Jackson, Lenawee, and Washtenaw areas.

Our Guarantee
We will listen and provide thoughtful, personalized expertise to anyone with questions about land protection.