A Land Trust is a special type of non-profit that is organized for the expressed purpose of permanently protecting land. By meeting certain requirements of the Internal Revenue Service, we are authorized to accept qualifying Conservation Easements that result in federal tax savings. There are many different types of land trusts. They may be international, national, statewide, and local in scope. Some focus on habitat lands, and others may focus on other resources such as grazing land, farmland, and parks. The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County focuses on family farms and ranches, important habitats, scenic areas, and cultural sites. We work only in San Luis Obispo County, so local donations are spent right here in our county.
While quasi-state conservancies do exist, such as the California Coastal Conservancy or Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, local land trusts are not government agencies. The Land Conservancy is a private, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates for the public good. In most cases, working with a land trust to conserve land does not directly involve a government agency until a tax deduction is sought. As a land trust, we do work closely with government agencies. Often, local government agencies have established conservation goals and it is important for our work to be consistent with these goals.
When working with a local land trust, you are working with people that live in your community and care about the land that is being protected. Through conservation projects, there are often substantial tax benefits. A donated Conservation Easement, for example, is deductible as a charitable contribution on a donor - s income tax. Conservation Easements may also be an important part of a landowner's estate plan as they reduce the value of the taxable estate. This can make it easier to pass land on to the next generation without having to develop the land.
Land Trusts work directly with private landowners to help them achieve their conservation goals through permanent conservation. This usually takes the form of private conservation agreements for private land, but may also involve purchasing the land outright. The form a project takes is determined by the landowner. Land trusts also help communities realize their stated conservation goals by merging the interests of private landowners and the public. The basis of good conservation is protecting land that contains resources that are listed priorities for the country, state, county or locality. Land trusts, therefore, do not protect all land. We focus on conservation that will help implement stated goals, such as the protection of prime agricultural soils or rare plant habitats. Helping achieve these community goals is the basis for the tax benefits of Conservation Easements.