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Do you own land that you would like to see remain free from development -- for your lifetime and for future generations? Doing nothing to protect it may doom your land to development.

Land trusts are experts at helping landowners find ways to protect their land.

What Are Your Options?

Donate a Conservation Easement
A conservation easement is a legal agreement between you and a land trust or government agency that permanently protects the land while you continue to own it. Donating the easement can result in reduced income tax.

2006 Tax Update: In August 2006 Congress passed legislation that increased the benefit for donations of conservation easements. Learn more!

Donate Your Land
Donating land to a land trust is a wonderful way to share its beauty with future generations. The donation can even be set up in a way that allows you to continue to live on the land or to receive a life income.

Complete a Bargain Sale of Land
Selling your land to a land trust at less than its fair market value can provide tax benefits to you and make it affordable for the land trust.

Web Resources

The Private Landowners Network faciliates and encourages the conservation endeavors of both private landowners and their trust advisors. More.

 

Landowners Speaking About Land Trusts

“This farm and the land mean everything to us. We don’t know what we would do if we could not pass this farm down to our family to continue to care for it. Working with The Land Trust for Tennessee has given us the confidence to know that our dreams can be realized for more generations of Hollands to farm this land.” - Nancy Holland

"We were both 4-Hers and love open space. We're seeing fields and open space disappear, and it doesn't have to happen." - Jeffry Timmons

“We didn’t give anything away from which we didn’t receive something in return, and in so many ways, having this land protected is like a salve on a burn. We built a dream on that land and now we can feel that, in essence, that dream will not ever be disturbed.” - Ed Mayne

 

Cover of Conservation OptionsYour Next Step

Contact a land trust. A land trust can help you arrive at a conservation plan that makes the most sense for you, and can put you in touch with attorneys, appraisers, accountants, and land planners familiar with conservation techniques.

Talk with your own legal and financial advisors.

Read further

The Land Trust Alliance offers several publications discussing conservation techniques. They include Conservation Options: A Landowner's Guide, Preserving Family Lands, Your Land is Your Legacy, and The Conservation Easement Handbook.


 

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