Little Traverse Conservancy
Land Protection Tools
Protecting Your Land
There are many different ways in which you and the Little Traverse Conservancy can work together to protect your land. Whether you want to maintain ownership, sell, or donate your land for protection, explore all of your options for permanently protecting the scenic and ecological values of your property. Scroll down for some basic information about the primary methods of protecting land. Our Landowner Options Booklet offers a brief summary as well.
These are many nuances to each of these land protection tools. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like more information about any of them, or you would like to arrange for a site visit with our staff.
Visit this page for some Frequently Asked Questions.
Few more enduring legacies can be imagined than the protection of a natural landscape. The Conservancy accepts gifts of land which has unique ecological, recreational, or scenic value. Land which does not meet these criteria may be donated with the understanding that the Conservancy will sell the land and use the proceeds to purchase other significant natural lands.
In either case, you may claim an income tax deduction based on the land’s fair market value at the time of the gift. The Conservancy is happy to name the resulting nature preserve in your honor or the memory of a loved one. Leaving land to the Conservancy in your will allows you to retain full use and control of the land during your lifetime, ensuring its care after you are gone.
Because the gift must be formally accepted after your death, we urge you to share your plans with us in advance so that we may assure you that the gift meets our criteria for acceptance.
Land is occasionally purchased for conservation purposes by various governmental units and by the Conservancy. Sales below market value (“bargain sales”) involve the gift of a portion of the property’s value by the donor. The amount of the gifted portion can be deducted from the donor’s federal income taxes.
A working forest reserve is a relatively new category of protected lands for Little Traverse Conservancy. Little Traverse Conservancy’s working forest reserves are protected lands that may be enrolled in the Commercial Forest Act Program (CFA). CFA designation means the land has or will always be actively managed for timber production.
CFA designation also requires that the land be open to the public for hunting. Currently (Spring, 2018), Little Traverse Conservancy owns 21 working forest reserves encompassing 2,863 acres throughout our service area.
You can continue living on your land, managing it – even selling it whenever you choose – by entering into a conservation easement agreement with Little Traverse Conservancy. This legally binding agreement stays with the land regardless of future ownership.
