Conservation Easements

Simply put, a conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust (a private, non-profit conservation organization) or government agency that permanently limits a property’s uses in order to protect its conservation values.  Such easements typically limit the amount of residential, commercial or industrial development that can take place on a property.  Therefore, conservation easements are open space preservation tools that help protect environmental areas, farmlands, woodlands, meadows, riparian corridors, greenways, and scenic vistas into perpetuity.  These protected open spaces continually preserve and aid in the health of the environment, air and water quality, wildlife habitat, and community identity.

Landowners possess many rights associated with their land.  When a landowner sells or donates a conservation easement, the owner permanently forfeits some of those rights in exchange for the right to protect the land forever.  As examples, both a conservation easement designed to protect wildlife habitat and an easement on a farm designed to perpetuate continued farming would prohibit commercial and/or residential development.  Future owners of the land will also be bound by the easement terms.  Land protected by easement remains privately owned and is not open to the public.

We, at the Conservancy, seek to acquire conservation easement primarily through donation to help you reap substantial tax benefits.