Wilderness Land Trust
“Complete and protect America’s wilderness areas by purchasing private inholdings.”
The work
What they do
Acquires private lands within designated wilderness areas and transfers them to federal agencies. Eliminates development threats within wilderness boundaries.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “WE KEEP THE PROMISE OF WILDERNESS - BY ACQUIRING AND TRANSFERRING PRIVATE LANDS (INHOLDINGS) TO PUBLIC OWNERSHIP THAT COMPLETE DESIGNATED AND PROPOSED WILDERNESS AREAS OR DIRECTLY PROTECT WILDERNESS VALUES.”
Where the money went, FY2025
The work, and what it cost
Keeping wilderness wild
$1.1MACQUISITION OF PRIVATE LANDS IN DESIGNATED AND POTENTIAL WILDERNESS AREAS FROM WILLING SELLERS, AND THE TRANSFER OF THOSE LANDS TO PUBLIC OWNERSHIP SO THAT ALL GENERATIONS OF AMERICANS WILL ENJOY AN ENDURING SOURCE OF WI...
Read it as they filed it
ACQUISITION OF PRIVATE LANDS IN DESIGNATED AND POTENTIAL WILDERNESS AREAS FROM WILLING SELLERS, AND THE TRANSFER OF THOSE LANDS TO PUBLIC OWNERSHIP SO THAT ALL GENERATIONS OF AMERICANS WILL ENJOY AN ENDURING SOURCE OF WILDERNESS. DURING THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2025, THE WILDERNESS LAND TRUST ACQUIRED 22 PARCELS IN CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, IDAHO, AND NEW MEXICO TOTALING 424 ACRES, AND TRANSFERRED 16 PARCELS IN COLORADO TOTALING 242 ACRES. CURRENTLY, THE TRUST HAS 33 ACTIVE PROJECTS IN ARIZONA, ALASKA, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, IDAHO, NEVADA, NEW MEXICO, UTAH, VIRGINIA, AND WASHINGTON STATE TOTALING 7,271 ACRES. DURING ITS 33-YEAR HISTORY, THE TRUST HAS PERMANENTLY PROTECTED 59,312 ACRES, ADDED 614 PARCELS TO 120 WILDERNESS AREAS AND HELPED COMPLETE 18 DESIGNATED WILDERNESS AREAS BY REMOVING THE LAST REMAINING PRIVATE INHOLDING.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.
Follow the dollar
75 cents of every dollar goes to the work
Read it as a snapshot, not a scorecard. Splits move year to year with grants and campaigns, and healthy shops live all across this range.
$1,087,362 programs, $144,157 management, $210,613 fundraising. Form 990, FY2025.
The people
Who does the work
Honesty note: leadership comes from each year’s federal filing, so it can run a year behind. Orgs that claim their page can update it same-day. Work at WLT? Claim this page.
Those 16 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If WLT is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Make it 17The filings
14 years of filings
14 years of filings
Total revenue by fiscal year, as filed. Point at the line for any year.
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2011 | $1,324,391 |
| 2012 | $1,921,780 |
| 2013 | $790,687 |
| 2014 | $825,977 |
| 2015 | $540,678 |
| 2016 | $963,867 |
| 2017 | $1,300,847 |
| 2018 | $1,932,127 |
| 2019 | $944,051 |
| 2020 | $1,032,652 |
| 2021 | $1,442,215 |
| 2022 | $1,012,957 |
| 2023 | $1,016,495 |
| 2025 | $2,306,832 |
From $1.3M in 2011 to $2.3M in FY25, across 14 public filings. The 2025 peak of $2.3M reads like one-time gifts, so trust the line, not the peak.
Ways in
How to help
75 cents of your dollar goes straight to the work above.
Give on their site ↗Show upVolunteer with themFind their volunteer door on their own site.
Find it on their site ↗SpeakComment and callOpen comment windows and call scripts for fights like these, ready to send.
Public Lands Action NetworkFollowWatch the mapEvery threatened place in the country, tracked, with who stands for each.
Threatened Lands MapStand with Wilderness Land Trust
34 years on the ground, 16 volunteers, 75 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.