SANDPOINT — A new report commissioned by the Idaho Coalition of Land Trusts reveals a correlation between land conservation and economic vitality. 

"We really wanted to see what the takeaway is in terms of how much conservation impacts Idaho's economy," said Katie Cox, executive director of Kaniksu Land Trust. 

Idaho land trusts are nonprofit organizations that work with willing landowners to conserve land that is important to communities across the state.  

However, studies show conservation isn't the only contribution land trusts have made for Idaho. 

"Conservation really works to support agriculture, forestry, grazing, recreation, and tourism in our local communities," Cox said, adding that those sectors are crucial for a healthy economy. 

According to the report, coalition member land trusts generate nearly $190 million in annual economic activity, supports more than 800 jobs and contributes to more than $7 million in tax revenue each year.

When landowners hire employees to manage forests, harvest timber, or do restoration work, they are supporting local jobs to keep the land intact, Cox said.

The study was conducted by Peterson and Associates using survey information from Idaho land trusts, publicly available economic data, and an Idaho-specific economic model. 

Researchers evaluated economic activity associated with agriculture, forestry, grazing, tourism, and land trust operations. 

Just as land trusts have a regional economic effect, they also affect local economies, Cox said. 

Sandpoint’s Kaniksu Land Trust protects Western Pleasure Guest Ranch, a 643-acre property that supports a working ranch and local business. The ranch has been managed by one family for over 80 years. 

From small farms that provide produce for farmers markets to large farms on hundreds of acres across Bonner County, Cox said the economic benefits for the community are holistic. 

"Those farms, on a smaller scale, might have an impact on a singular family, but on a large scale, they're impacting multiple individuals who help bring that product to the market," Cox said. 

Working farms and ranches make up more than 185,000 protected acres within the Idaho land trust network, with agriculture accounting for more than $114 million in total economic activity, according to the report. 

Cox said it is significant to see the amount of money produced through the coalition, especially because conservation is a quiet process. 

"It's with private property owners who make this decision to protect their land," Cox said. "I don't think people in our local community would every think about it as an economic drive." 

Cox said land trusts primary work to preserve and protect land. 

“Whether you’re a hunter, a birder, a boater, or a rancher, you benefit from these protected landscapes,” said Heath Mann, executive director of Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust and vice president of the ICOLT board of directors. “There’s not a lot of things in this world that can benefit such a broad range of our population.” 

KLT protects 180 acres of rolling hills, woodlands and trails — called Pine Street Woods — that are open to the public year-round for biking, hiking, Nordic skiing, trail running and snowshoeing. 

"So many people have either lived here their whole lives or have moved here because of this spectacular landscape we have in Bonner County," Cox said, "It's the work of the land trust to keep that intact in order to keep the qualities of life that we enjoy here for us now and far into the future."