Articles

Have you ever wondered why conservation easements are such powerful and effective tools? Or why you and your local land trust should care about their legal underpinnings?

Old McDonald had a farm, but he didn’t get a tax break. The tax court issued its first interpretation of the “farmer and rancher rule,” which gives qualified farmers a boost when claiming a tax deduction for a conservation easement.  

A federal court in Texas deemed land use restrictions designed to protect the golden-cheeked warbler, an endangered species living only in Texas, as “common sense” because they need flexibility over time.

In Wisconsin, a land trust’s neighbors claimed conserved land was theirs because they had built a pool and a greenhouse over the property line. The court disagreed.  

A judge in Massachusetts stopped a city and school district from turning a park into a building because federal, state and local officials and the public all considered it a park for more than 60 years.  

Amendment decisions require a land trust’s fully informed best judgement to comply with law, honor promises, respect its mission, uphold the public interest and create positive conservation results.