Palouse Land Trust was founded in 1995 by a group of citizens concerned about the future of open spaces, wildlife habitat corridors, native ecosystems, and working family farms and forests. Our work is built upon relationships—local people dedicated to the future of this place we cherish for its outstanding beauty and small-town quality of life.

Although the focal area of our work has been in the Palouse and Potlatch River watersheds, our service area spans across the Palouse region of north-central Idaho and southeastern Washington—from the western Bitterroot Range to the scablands of eastern Washington, and from the Camas Prairie to the rugged canyons bounding the Snake River.

PLT received its charitable non-profit status and has remained in good standing since inception and has passed several important milestones of organizational growth.

Today we have a dedicated circle of community supporters that has grown from just a handful of people in 1995 to more than 300 active donors.  In 2015, we earned accreditation by the Land Trust Alliance, a national certification that demonstrates the organization is adhering to the highest standards and practices of our work.  In 2020, PLT received reaccreditation, a testament to our ongoing commitment to excellence in conservation.