Standing on a Lot of Love

This paper explores the intersection of heirs’ property, natural resource conservation, and climate resilience in North Carolina’s rapidly growing Triangle region. Focusing on the work of Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC), a regional land trust and an accredited member of the Land Trust Alliance, the paper analyzes how land trusts can adapt traditional tools such as conservation easements to support family landowners, particularly those impacted by unclear title and intergenerational ownership. Through property mapping, stakeholder interviews, and field-based case studies, the paper offers a framework for enabling family land stewards to more readily participate in, contribute to, and benefit from mainstream conservation efforts. The findings are intended to support replication by land trusts across the United States, especially those in urbanizing regions increasingly affected by natural disasters.