Arizona Land and Water Trust

Arizona Land and Water Trust is a 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit committed to protecting Southern Arizona's vanishing western landscapes, its heritage of working farms and ranches, wildlife habitat and the waters that sustain them. Through 2023, Trust has protected more than 69,200 acres in Southern Arizona and is accredited by the national Land Trust Alliance.

In addition to the 69,202 acres of land now permanently conserved by the Trust, our Desert Rivers Program has secured more than one billion gallons of water for the environment, all while helping to sustain local agricultural efforts at the same time. With grant funds and outstanding donor support, the Trust works with willing landowners to either protect their lands from development in perpetuity or temporarily reduce their water use and has executed multiple conservation easements and water lease agreements with farmers and ranchers throughout Southern Arizona.

The Trust, in partnership with local extension agencies and other local organizations, offers free Ranching/Farming into the Future workshops covering a variety of topics such as estate planning for working landscapes, product marketing and increasing visibility in local food markets, collaborative ranching efforts and planning and zoning alternatives.

In recognition of the the Trust's efforts and results, the organization achieved the National Land Trust Excellence Award in 2016 from the national Land Trust Alliance.

Testimonials

"We believe that well-managed land can give back more than it consumes. Working with the Trust has enabled us to migrate to a native perennial pasture that improves soil health and is better able to absorb and retain precipitation, reducing our reliance on irrigation and lessening our demand on the San Pedro River system." -Paul Schwennensen, Double Check Ranch, Trust partner

"It's a great group, with just a few people that do an amazing amount of work. We're very happy to be a part of it." -Anne Yoshino, Trust supporter

"We are proud to be partnering with Arizona Land and Water Trust to support the restoration of Arizona's rivers. Their passion and expertise are helping to provide lasting and impactful benefits to our ecosystem and bring us closer towards a sustainable water supply for all of Arizona." -Intel Corporation

"There is no end to the goodness that the Arizona Land and Water Trust does. We will always need land and water, forever, and the Trust works every day to ensure that we will have land and water into the future. " -Will & Margie Murray, Trust supporters