The Trust for Public Land

Our Mission

The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come.

Our Work  

Never has getting into the great outdoors been more important than during this new and uncertain time of isolation and social distancing. For many, the ability to stroll to a nearby park, walk on a trail, or drive to a regional or state park has become as important to our physical and mental health as food and water. Unfortunately, all Minnesotans don't have the same easy access to parks, trails, and open space. 

For this reason, The Trust for Public Land continues to be a leader in park creation in cities large and small, and a champion for land and water protection across our rural and urban landscapes. To provide more land for people, we focus on three of Minnesota's most important landscapes, our rivers, the Northwoods, and local parks. Our mission is to create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come.

• Minnesota's Rivers
  • Did you know the Land of 10,000 Lakes is also home to more than 92,000 miles of rivers? We work with communities to protect these rivers, their entry points, and the watershed lands surrounding them so all of us can enjoy all that these great waterways provide. Our work focuses in five geographies: Mississippi Headwaters, Cannon River watershed, Metro Big Rivers, St. Croix River watershed, and the Southeast Blufflands.                  
• Forever Northwoods
  • The iconic Northwoods of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan are home to an expansive water-based wilderness like no other in the country. Each year visitors from around the world come to experience the dense forests and glistening lakes that have dominated this region since the glaciers receded. We protect these iconic landscapes through Forever Northwoods.
• Community-Powered Parks
  • The Trust for Public Land works with communities large and small to put a park, trail, or natural area within a 10-minute walk of every Twin Cities resident. We work to ensure that everyone has equitable access to the multiple benefits of great parks and natural space.                 

Join Us

What better time to join the movement to protect land for people than during Give@HomeMN! Please join us as we create more parks, trails, and open spaces so people everywhere can play, relax, and experience nature close to home.