Property Guardian versus Guardian of the Land—do you know the difference?

Most people don’t! The names are so similar that people have confused these two very different Nature Trust groups for years.

Simply put, Property Guardians are volunteers who perform on-the-ground stewardship and monitoring of Nature Trust protected lands, while Guardians of the Land are donors who help ensure the sustainability of our work by committing to a long-term donation of unrestricted funds.

To reduce confusion, we are excited to announce the re-branding of one of these two similarly-named groups: the donors formerly known as Guardians of the Land will be known from now on as Champions of the Wild!

And what is a Champion of the Wild?

A Champion of the Wild is a donor who supports the fundamental and necessary work of the Nature Trust. A Champion understands that for exciting land conservation to take place, a vast array of other work must also happen—everything from educating landowners, holding events, running the office, staying in touch with our supporters through e-news and annual reports, stewarding our land, training volunteers and, of course, saving land.

A Champion realizes that funds could be needed for any of these things, and more, and therefore chooses to donate their funds as “undesignated” so that they can be used where the need is greatest. As well, a Champion makes a pledge to support the Nature Trust with a multi-year major gift. Knowing what funds we can expect to receive in upcoming years provides stability for the Nature Trust and allows us to plan and react strategically.

Read more about Champions of the Wild and spend some time getting to know some of our Champions through their stories linked from that page.