Current literature emphasizes the importance of local communities in decentralization, meaningful participation, incentive structures and conservation of environments in ways that will promote the ideals associated with conservation and the appropriate tools for evaluating conservation efforts. Social research concerning current conservation is critical to the future of the conservation practice. The linking of local communities to efforts through organizations allows pressing environmental issues to be put into the temporal and spatial realms of such communities. This creates a direct connection between the community and environmental issues, which, in turn, makes issues more relevant and important. This perceived importance, and the attendant costs and benefits, contribute to community participation within local environmental conservation The Little Traverse Conservancy (LTC) is an example of a private, not-for-profit land trust organization using a combination of economically and socially based incentives in the name of conservation. LTC is working to conserve and preserve tracts of land over five counties (Emmet, Charlevoix, Cheboygan Mackinac and Chippewa) in northern Michigan. The LTC organization is based on stewardship and the voluntary actions of citizens within its surrounding communities. The successes of LTC thus far make it a good candidate for analysis, especially since some detailed outcomes of the LTC land trust in northern Michigan are not generally known. The motivations at the local level to conserve land in northern Michigan through LTC programs are the main focuses of this research. A primary goal is to determine the conservation accomplishments as well as the viability of this type of conservation program. The study will consider more closely the types of social incentives that lead to support for the mission of land conservation. The information gained about social incentives and community behavior concerning conservation will be used to make recommendations to LTC regarding the successes of their non-monetary based programs. I will also take into consideration the involved direct (tax and financial) economic incentives as well as other relevant indirect economic incentives (e.g. higher property values as a result of non-developed lands). The results of my research will produce an instructive case study for the successful operation of land trust organizations as a means of beneficial and educational conservation. The strategies of this study will create a focus on conservation efforts, identify the goals of the organization, and create measures that can be used to evaluate the set goals.