Standing Strong

Mark Ackelson is very enthused about Terrafirma Risk Retention Group LLC, the new insurance program owned and operated by and for land trusts. “This has been a dream of many in the land trust community for decades,” says Mark, president of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. He would know. He was one of those who helped found the Land Trust Alliance 30 years ago.

The premise behind Terrafirma is simple. As with every insurance program, Terrafirma shares risk across a wide member base. That shared risk, however, is unique. Terrafirma’s sole purpose is to support land trusts as they defend their conservation easements and land against legal challenges.

Land trusts, foundations, donors and the general public (because of tax deductions) have billions of dollars invested in voluntarily conserved lands nationwide. “Some of these lands are extremely valuable,” says Mark, who explains that rising property values and changing land use patterns present a significant and increasing threat for the permanence of conservation easements. As land values rise, so do the incentives for developers or landowners to disrupt or void those easements. Ultimately, every land trust may face litigation. These legal battles can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. That leaves the vast majority of land trusts vulnerable to legal challenges.

“The Conservation Defense Center and Terrafirma will all help protect against that threat,” says Mark. “When you measure the success of the insurance program, it’ll be the number of conservation easement lands that are successfully protected.”

“This insurance can help us be stronger organizations,” says Mark. Already, 467 land trusts — with 18,544 conservation properties — have committed to the program. The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation is one of those land trusts. “I knew great things would come from the land trust community working together, and Terrafirma is one of them.”