ESTIMATING THE COSTS OF PREPARING AN EASEMENT

The landowner is required to reimburse WCT for the costs of preparing an easement.

These costs will be estimated in the proposal prepared for the landowner at the outset of the project, and will cover the materials and staff time needed to complete the easement. In addition, easement donors will have their own legal, appraisal, and in some cases, surveying costs to consider. Surveying needs vary widely and depend upon the nature of the Conservation Plan in which the landowner is interested. In many cases no surveying is required.

In addition to the preparation costs, WCT requires a one-time stewardship contribution in order to ensure that WCT is able to meet its obligation to uphold the terms of the easement in perpetuity.

The amount of contribution requested is based on the size of the property, the complexity of the easement, and the amount of staff time that will be required on an annual basis to administer and monitor the easement. The stewardship contribution is also designated for legal fees should the need ever arise for WCT to meet its obligation to defend the terms of the easement.

The easement stewardship contribution and most of the costs of preparing the easement are potentially deductible for income tax purposes.

After Signing

Once the landowners have donated a conservation easement, they will join the ranks of Willistown’s esteemed community of conservationists. Every year, WCT’s Stewardship Team will visit all conserved properties, and they encourage landowners and property managers to ask them questions about the land and how to manage it.

Additionally, WCT offers unique opportunities to conservation easements donors that connect with our Core Activities: Bird Conservation, Community Farm, Education and Outreach, Land Protection, Stewardship, and Watershed Protection. Offerings include a Bird Box program, as well as a Habitat at Home initiative that teaches landowners how to garden sustainably for the benefit of all species. If a landowner’s property contains a stream, s/he may also have the chance to participate in WCT’s Watershed Protection Program’s stream monitoring program that studies the impact of land conservation on the health of local waterways.

“WCT’s Stewardship staff helped us gain a complete understanding of the Conservation Easement on our property. They worked with us to make certain that improvements [we were planning] to our property were in compliance with easement while maintaining an environment healthy and beneficial to the land and the wildlife that enjoys it.”

— HOLLY SPINNER