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Protect Your Property
As the seasons come and go in our beautiful Willistown area, we are fortunate that we continue to enjoy miles of scenic views along our still rural country roads. Whether you are out riding or hiking on some of our local preserves or enjoying a walk on your own property, these experiences bring an extraordinary sense of calm that accompanies an open countryside. The significant beauty of this area is a gift well worth protecting, and for the last 25 years the Willistown Conservation Trust and wonderful landowners in the area have made land preservation a first priority. The result is a special oasis of nearly 6,000 acres of land protected in perpetuity thanks in large part to the 140 landowners who have donated conservation easements.
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Do you own land that you would like to see remain free from development -- for your lifetime and for future generations? Doing nothing to protect it may doom your land to development.
Why? Estate taxes are one reason. Federal taxes can be as high as 50% of a property's fair market value, virtually forcing heirs to sell it. And, of course, future owners may be compelled by ever-increasing property values, or simply by a lack of appreciation for the land, to sell it for development.
Willistown Conservation Trust has the expertise to help landowners find ways to protect their land.
What Are Your Options?
Donate a Conservation Easement
A conservation easement is a legal agreement between you and Willistown
Conservation Trust that permanently protects the land while you continue
to own it. Donating the easement can result in reduced income tax and
estate tax. The downloadable Landowner’s
Guide to Conservation Easements II is an introduction
to this powerful conservation option.
Donate Your Land
Donating land to Willistown Conservation Trust is a wonderful way to share
its beauty with future generations. The donation can even be set up in
a way that allows you to continue to live on the land or to receive a
life income.
Complete a Bargain Sale of Land
Selling your land to Willistown Conservation Trust at less than its fair
market value can provide tax benefits to you and make it affordable for
the land trust.
Sell to a
Conservation-Minded Buyer via the Trust's Conservation Buyer Program
Landowners who wish to sell their land but ensure its preservation should
contact the Trust about the Conservation Buyer Program. This program has
protected more than 2,000 acres in the Willistown area. Through this program
the Trust matches conservation minded buyers with critical properties
deemed worthy of protection. Conservation buyers register with the Trust by completing a Conservation Buyer Form. Similarly, conservation minded sellers enlist
the Trust to identify appropriate buyers for their properties. Important
properties in the Willistown area need never be sold for development when
landowners contact us first.
Start
Planning Now
Family
lands carry shared memories and provide a special way of life. Often,
increasing property values make family lands a very important asset with
complex estate planning implications. Interwoven with family matters is
the significance that your property has combined with other open lands
in the Willistown community, adding to the rural character, scenic vistas,
wildlife habitat and critical watershed protection that make our area
so special.
There are many options for individuals who are interested in protecting their land, and the Trust's professional staff is prepared to help landowners develop an agreeable plan. The Trust has helped many landowners plan for the future protection of their property while enjoying potential tax benefits and other financial benefits. Contact us today to begin exploring conservation options for your property.