How can you protect your land?
DALC has been partnering with private landowners to protect the Driftless Area for over 20 years. We currently hold 48 conservation easements across Southwest Wisconsin. The Conservancy provides opportunities for you to leave a legacy of unspoiled land and water resources through a variety of voluntary conservation options.
The following will aid you in deciding which option best suits your land protection interests. We are available to you and your advisers to answer any questions or help arrange a planned gift to the Conservancy. Feel free to call (608) 930-3252, email us or visit our FAQs about easements.
Conservation Easements
There are many uncertainties in the future. What happens to your land doesn’t have to be one of them. With a voluntary conservation agreement, you can make sure the land you love isn’t split up or developed, creating a place for wildlife, protecting streams and farmland, and ensuring your kids have a place to call home. Conservation agreements are voluntary, flexible, permanent, tax deductible and allow you to maintain private control. Learn more.
Donate Land
Who will care for my land? If you do not have heirs, if there is little interest in your heirs in inheriting the land, you no longer use the land or you want to be relieved of management responsibilities, the Conservancy may be able to help. Donations can include all or just a portion of your property and we will care for it as our own.
Bargain Sale
A bargain sale is the sale of a property or a conservation easement to the Conservancy at a price well below the fair market value of the property. The difference between the bargain sale price and fair market value is considered a charitable contribution, and therefore provides potential income and estate tax deductions for the landowner.
Take Your First Step
If you’re interested in one or more ways to protect your land for generations to come, please call 608-930-3252 for more information. All conversations about how to achieve your conservation goals will remain confidential.
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Why should I grant a conservation easement to a land trust?People execute a conservation easement because they love their open space land, and want to protect their land from inappropriate development while keeping their private ownership of the property. Granting an easement to a conservation organization that qualifies under the Internal Revenue Code as a "public charity" - which nearly all land trusts do - can yield income tax savings. Moreover, land trusts, some of which are more than 100 years old, have the expertise and experience to work with landowners and ensure that the land will remain as permanent open space.
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Are conservation easements popular?They are very popular. As of 2015, the amount of land protected by local and state land trusts using easements was over 16 million acres nationally, with over 200,000 acres in Wisconsin alone. Landowners have found that conservation easements can be flexible tools, and yet provide a permanent guarantee that the land won't ever be developed. Conservation easements are used to protect all types of land, including farmland; historical or cultural landscapes; scenic views; streams and rivers; trails; wetlands; wildlife areas; and working forests.
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How can a conservation easement be tailored to my needs and wishes?An easement restricts development to the degree that is necessary to protect the significant conservation values of that particular property. Sometimes this totally prohibits construction, and sometimes it doesn't. Landowners and land trusts, working together, can write conservation easements that reflect both the landowner's desires and the need to protect conservation values. Even the most restrictive easements typically permit landowners to continue such traditional uses of the land as farming and ranching.
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What steps do I take to write a conservation easement?First, contact a land trust in your community to become acquainted with the organization and the services they can provide. Explore with them the conservation values you want to protect on the land. Discuss with the land trust what you want to accomplish, and what development rights you may want to retain. For example, you may already have one home on your property and want to preserve the right to build another home. That is one provision that must be specifically written into an easement agreement. Always consult with other family members regarding an easement, and remember that you should consult with your own attorney or financial advisor regarding such a substantial decision.
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How long does a conservation easement last?Most easements "run with the land," binding the original owner and all subsequent owners to the easement's restrictions. Only gifts of perpetual easements can qualify for income and estate tax benefits. The easement is recorded at the county or town records office so that all future owners and lenders will learn about the restrictions when they obtain title reports.
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What are a land trust's responsibilities regarding conservation easements?The land trust is responsible for enforcing the restrictions that the easement document spells out. Therefore, the land trust monitors the property on a regular basis -- typically once a year - to determine that the property remains in the condition prescribed by the easement document. The land trust maintains written records of these monitoring visits, which also provide the landowner a chance to keep in touch with the land trust. Many land trusts establish endowments to provide for long-term stewardship of the easements they hold.