Land Conservation Planning

Turning your vision for the land into an effective plan for preserving it requires careful assessment of your situation and goals. As landowner, you consider how to:

Protect the special features of the land, including natural and cultural resources.

Embody your beliefs about stewardship in your goals for the property’s future, including:

• The Needs and wishes of your community’s members
• The desires of the surrounding community for the disposition of the land

Accommodate your community’s situation regarding:

• Financial needs
• Mission needs and responsibilities
• Financial value of the land

Plan for the future use of the land considering:

• Mandates of original land donors or other legal/moral constraints
• Historical land use
• Future potential

The Role of the Land Trust

Land trusts help landowners identify options that will meet their needs while protecting their land’s natural and cultural resources. This process of mutual education allows the parties to develop trust while they share concerns, values, intentions and knowledge. Land trusts can assist with matters such as:

• Helping to clarify landowners’ needs and goals for the property
• Exploring and explaining the options that best address those needs
• Evaluating the natural, cultural and community resources of the property
• Fund-raising, including partnering with neighbors, foundations, major donors, and state, local and federal government sources
• Negotiating with developers or potential buyers if circumstances require, and the land can accommodate, development or sale of a portion of the property

Evaluating the Special Features of the Land

The special qualities of your property may require special protection. A local or regional land trust can help to assess the ecological, scenic or historic features found on the land, or suggest the best sources to assess these factors.

What arrangements are needed to protect these natural scenic or historic features?

Conservation planning must weave together the most appropriate and effective techniques to suit both the unique qualities of the land and its owners. For example, a rare habitat or extraordinary scenery may require specific care for its protection; a working farm requires flexibility to allow for practical management.

Embodying Your Stewardship Beliefs and Goals for the Property’s Future

In determining how to reflect your beliefs in a conservation plan, consider your long-term relationship to the land.

Does your community want to continue to own the land?

• If you want to retain ownership of the land, a conservation restriction (sometimes called conservation easement) can be created to place permanent restrictions on the land while keeping it in private ownership.
• If the land must be sold, deed restrictions, mutual covenants , management agreements, and leases offer shorter term, less secure protection but have their appropriate uses.

Do you want to continue a close relationship with the land?

Conservation restrictions and land donations with reserved life tenancy offer permanent protection while the religious community remains on the land.

Accommodating Your Community’s Financial Situation and Mission Needs  

Conservation plans allow for changes to the mission and needs of the community while forestalling hasty and environmentally destructive decisions by future members or leaders driven by financial pressures or from lack of knowledge or appreciation of the land.

Do you need to sell the property for top dollar, to create an endowment, for example? Would you accept less than full fair market value in exchange for assurance that the land will be protected?

You may be able to:

• Sell the land at a discounted price to a conservation organization or agency. (Funds are limited and the process is highly competitive.)
• Sell the land to a private party with a permanent conservation restriction at a price that approximates fair market value.
• Sell portions of the land with little conservation value for appropriate limited development without affecting the conservation value of the remaining, protected portion.

Would you consider donating all or a portion of the property to a land trust or other charitable organization, or selling it at less than market value?

Land donations can be arranged in several ways. Some may provide income to the donor Community.

Assuming you wish to retain ownership, will you want to build a house or other structures on the property?

If building sites can be located where they will not damage conservation values, you may be able to retain this option while achieving conservation goals. Conservation restrictions can be tailored to allow a specified amount and kind of development in defined areas.

Planning for the Future Use of the Land

The land conservation plan may propose different uses for portions of the land, in keeping with its historical use, the mandates of its original donation or the community’s current or future needs. For example, your plan could include areas of:

• Natural resource conservation as wildlife habitat, for passive recreation, scenic landscape preservation, etc.
• Farmland or working forest
• Current or new community buildings, housing, driveways, roads, or public areas
• Land set aside to sell for development to fund the other uses, or to meet your internal needs and mission responsibilities.