Conservation easements are agreements between land owners and qualified organizations such as the Lompico Watershed Conservancy. Conservation easements have been integrated into federal tax code. These agreements are individually tailored to suit the parties involved. The purpose of these agreements is to set aside individual land rights for the purpose of natural resource conservation.

For instance a land owner can donate or sell an easement that protects their property forever from logging, mining development or other forms of exploitation in whatever way he or she specifies. Land owners who donate easements are entitled to the full tax deductibility of the value of the resource that they forgo exploiting in the text of the easement document. This tax relief can have major benefit to landowners, especially those who do not intend to log, further develop or otherwise exploit the land they own. The value of an easement donation is set by a licensed appraiser experienced in this process. The selection of the appraiser is generally the responsibility of the land owner. According to current federal tax code the donor of an easement has six years to exhaust the value of the deduction and can use the deduction in any or all of six years following the recording of the easement. It is of course, in the interest of the donor, to engage an experienced tax accountant to evaluate the tax advantages of an easement donation. The Conservancy is not licensed to be a financial planner.

Easements exist in perpetuity and follow the deed to the property when it transfers ownership. This assures the donor that their land will remain protected into the future. It is the responsibility of the land trust to see that the easement is adhered to. Easements are not intended to reduce the land owners enjoyment of their property and unless specifically stated do not allow public access, although easements are sometimes used to create trail systems for public access. If you own property which you consider to have significant natural resource values, please contact us and we will explain this process further. We have begun contacting some of the Canyon's land owners to describe the benefits of conservation easements. Recent changes to conservation easement law have added new advantages to this type of property instrument.