Yes. Gifts to Jefferson Land Trust can help protect some of our area’s most beautiful lands while providing tax benefits to the donor. Below is a summary of tax-saving gift arrangements and ideas you may want to consider in your financial and estate plans. Tax laws change. Professional financial counsel is essential since each donor’s […]
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Selling land to Jefferson Land Trust at less than its fair market value can make it both affordable for us and provide tax benefits for you.
Income Taxes: Federal income tax benefits vary with each conservation easement. For your donation to qualify as a charitable gift, which may be deductible from federal income tax, development rights must be granted in perpetuity to a qualified conservation organization, such as Jefferson Land Trust. The value of the gift, which is determined by a formal […]
When a conservation easement is created, a representative from Jefferson Land Trust, working with the landowner, takes photos of the property and conducts plant and wildlife inventories to provide a baseline for future monitoring. A Land Trust representative then makes annual visits to ensure the terms and conditions of the conservation easement are being complied […]
Yes. Land protected by a conservation easement may be sold, bequeathed or otherwise transferred at any time. However, transferring ownership will not affect the integrity or enforcement of the conservation easement. The restrictions defined in the conservation easement are tied to the land title forever. Since an easement may only apply to certain portions of […]
No. Only if you specify public access as a permitted use of the land. A landowner may allow limited access to their land for educational or scientific purposes, but public access is not required by Jefferson Land Trust as a condition of accepting a conservation easement. However, the Land Trust is obligated to visit the […]
Under Washington State law (RCW 64.04.130), a conservation easement may be held by a non-profit nature conservancy corporation or by a federal, state or local government. Jefferson Land Trust, which was incorporated by local residents in 1989, meets all of the qualifications of this Washington law, as well as those imposed by federal law, to […]
Jefferson Land Trust takes its stewardship role seriously. Once we accept a conservation easement, we must protect that land forever, “in perpetuity”. This requires a significant commitment of financial and human resources, but it is a promise that can never be ignored or broken. Therefore, the members of Jefferson Land Trust’s Board of Directors must carefully evaluate whether […]
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a protecting organization, like a land trust, that permanently protects land while the landowner continues to own it. Conservation easements are most often donated to non-profit nature conservancy organizations, such as Jefferson Land Trust, or to a governmental agency. A conservation easement places […]
