Nebraska Land Trust recognized an opportunity to launch an agriculturally based community conservation project that would serve more landowners and step up the pace of conservation in an area that previously had not expressed much interest in conservation.

The process started by creating an advisory committee to help create region-specific land protection criteria that identifies lands important from agricultural, historical and natural resources perspectives. The result is an increase in community trust and respect, upswing in requests for assistance, as well as completed projects protecting a diversity of farm/ranch lands and natural areas.