For Landowners
For Landowners
Landowners’ properties come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes – from small to large, urban to rural, homesteads to recreational lands to working farms and ranches, and beyond.
The decision about whether and how to protect their land is a very personal one to a landowner, one that can involve a number of family, work, financial and lifestyle considerations.
In a nutshell, it’s complex and decisions can take a long time. And that’s fine – there are few decisions so close to a person’s heart as what to do with their land. Such choices should be made in earnest and with great deliberation.
A land trust can be an effective partner with a landowner in thinking through the various options, and if the fit is right, that partnership can lead to long-term, and possibly permanent, protection of the land.
Tools & Options
If landowners wish to learn about the tools and options available to protect, maintain and restore their natural resources, our member land trusts are able to walk through those with them. You can click here to find out about the conservation easement – a special tool for allowing a landowner to protect their land while remaining on it to live, work and play – and also about donating land, and even options for how to restore and enhance natural resources through what are known as conservation practices.
Finances & Taxes
There are a variety of financial and tax implications for land protection, some of them that can enable landowners, given their particular situations, to benefit from the donation of a conservation easement or of their land to a qualified land trust. Click here for some general considerations about the monetary impact of these transactions (and as always, we encourage landowners to consult their own accounting and legal advisors to make the best decisions for their own situation).
Choosing a Land Trust
And because making a long-term decision about one’s land is such a sensitive and important one, it’s imperative that landowners feel comfortable with the organization with whom they work. Click here for some tips on the factors to consider when choosing a land trust. Making the best decision will allow a landowner not only to find the right solution for their situation, but to feel comfortable and assured about having the best partner for this very personal decision.
The Missouri Land Trust Coalition (MLTC), an unincorporated association of land trusts and their partners across Missouri.