Articles

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.