Every Donation Makes a Difference

Looking down at Webber Lake and Lacey Meadows, 3,000 acres protected by donations of all shapes and sizes.

Truckee Donner Land Trust could not have made it 30 years, protected 40,000 acres of open space, managed 45 miles of trail, a campground, and stewarded forests, meadows, lakes and streams without your support.

But one question we’re often asked is “what difference does my $20 donation make when so many projects cost tens of millions?”

The answer is - it makes a big difference.

In an average year, about half of our donors give $100 or less, adding up to about $75,000 in our general fund. That $75,000 is critical to sustaining our day-to-day work of caring for our lands, maintaining our trails, and working strategically towards the next open space acquisition.

In some years, that $75,000 may be the down payment on a new project, allowing us to act quickly and snap up a property, taking it off the market and giving us time to raise the remaining funds.

In other years, it may build three miles of new trail. Or build a parking area at a trailhead. Or perform critical forestry work on more than 30 acres of land to make a healthier forest more prepared for the threat of catastrophic wildfire.

Any donation, big or small, shows the support of our community and the public at large - a factor that weighs heavily on many of the state and federal grants we also depend on.

So at the end of the day the answer is once again - yes, it makes a big difference, and on behalf of the Land Trust’s Board and Staff, we thank you for your support, no matter the amount you’re able to give.