Conflict between the public interests in non-timber amenities of forests and the private rights of forest owners has focused attention on voluntary conservation agreements as a policy tool. In North Carolina, the Natural Heritage Program identifies ecologically significant sites and provides two mechanisms for landholders to participate in conservation of those sites. Evaluation of the voluntary conservation program from a spatial perspective, using a geographic information system is used to characterize and identify patterns of voluntary participation. The effect of neighborhood characteristics (e.g., near-by protected areas) and distance (e.g., from highways and cities) was considered, as well as characteristics of the landowner and of the site. The conservation outcome of the program was evaluated in terms of protection of ecologically significant sites, considering both Heritage Program rankings and land cover.