A conservation easement is a flexible tool that allows private landowners to retain title to the land while permanently protecting agricultural resources, natural wildlife habitat, or scenic values. It is a voluntary agreement between a private landowner and a non-profit land trust or government agency. Conservation easements are customized to reach the landowner’s vision for the property and protect the unique features on the ground by limiting future residential, commercial, or other kinds of development.
Conservation easements create lasting legacies for future generations and are a critical tool to helping sustain our food supply, air and water quality, and wildlife habitat. They can also help a family reach financial planning goals through substantial income and estate tax benefits. In some cases, land trusts also purchase conservation easements from landowners. To-date, over 37 million acres have been conserved in the U.S. through conservation easements.
There are over 1,700 non-profit, community-based land trusts across the country that work with private landowners to design and create voluntary conservation easements. To find a land trust near you or learn more about conservation easements, visit the Land Trust Alliance at www.landtrustalliance.org
This Guest Post contributed by Kelly Pohl, Managing Director of the Gallatin Valley Land Trust [www.gvlt.org] in Bozeman, Montana. Currently celebrating its 20th year in operation, GVLT has partnered with 85 families to conserve more than 56 square miles of working farms and ranches, wildlife habitat, and scenic open space in southwest Montana.
