You and your family have kept your land open and free from
inappropriate development for many years—perhaps for many
generations. It has provided tranquility, scenes of beauty, may even
your living. You would like it to remain as it is.
But a time comes when you have to face some hard
questions:
• What will happen to my land in the future?
• Can my children afford to keep it?
• Will future owners care about it the way I do?
The Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation can help
you protect your land, and some options even provide financial
benefits. Here are the most common conservation options.
Conservation Easement
This is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust
(which we are) that permanently limits uses of the land in order to
protect its conservation values. It allows you to continue to own
and use your land and to sell it or pass it on to heirs.
When you donate a conservation easement to a land
trust, you permanently give up some of the rights associated with
the land. For example, you might give up the right to build
additional residences, while retaining the right to grow crops.
Future owners also will be bound by the easement’s terms, and the
land trust is responsible for making sure the easement’s terms are
followed.
Conservation easements:
• Are flexible land protection tools that are tailored to
your individual situation.
• Leave land in private ownership.
• Can result in an income tax deduction and reduced property
and estate taxes.
Contact the Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation
office for more information about conservation easements.

Dick and Micky Woodruff donated a conservation
easement on their 265-acre farm to the Jo Daviess Conservation
Foundation so that they could forever ensure that it remains the
special place that it is.
Land Donation
Donating land for conservation purposes is truly one of the finest
legacies a person can leave to future generations. It may be the
best conservation strategy for you if you do not wish to pass the
land on to heirs; own property you no longer use; own highly
appreciated property; have substantial real estate holdings and wish
to reduce estate tax burdens; or would like to be relieved of the
responsibility of managing and caring for land.
A land donation:
• Can result in a substantial income tax deduction.
• Can be structured in a way that allows you to continue to
live on the land or to
receive a life income.
For more information, contact the Jo Daviess
Conservation Foundation office.
Land Stewardship Registry Program
If
you are conserving and enhancing the natural resources on your land
but are not ready for any permanent conservation method, consider
enrolling in our Land Stewardship Registry Program. This is a
non-bonding recognition program that rewards you for being a good
land steward. If you agree to continue to conserve the land to the
best of your ability and let us know if you sell or pass on the
land, we will provide to you:
• A certificate of enrollment
• Map of the property
• Information on good stewardship practices
• Registry sign to post on your land,
signifying your good stewardship
For more information or to enroll, call the Jo
Daviess Conservation Foundation office. Consider joining more than
two dozen landowners in Jo Daviess County who have enrolled over
5,000 acres of land!
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