The mission of the Central Lake Superior Land Conservancy is to promote the protection of natural, agricultural, recreational, historic, and scenic lands through the use of conservation easements, land donations, and education.

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Acres Protected to Date: 2381

1. CONSERVATION EASEMENTS:
Retain ownership and protect your land. >>

2. Voluntary Land Conservation a Growing Trend
in the Upper Peninsula >>

Conservation Easements: Retain Ownership and Protect Your Land

What uses might be permitted?
Agriculture, forestry, wildlife management, and outdoor recreation, such as hunting and fishing are examples of activities which may be allowed. Your home or cottage property will be protected from future development but remain available to your family forever for living or recreation.

Does a conservation easement cover a person's entire property?
No. You can place all or a portion of your property under easement.

Does a conservation easement give public access?
Not necessarily. You decide whether or not to allow public access.

Does a conservation easement restrict your ability to sell or gift the property in the future?
You can sell or bequeath property that is protected with a conservation easement. Since easements are permanent, the restrictions run with the land and all future owners.

Financial Benefits
A donation of a conservation easement can result in significant income tax, estate tax, and property tax benefits. Contact the CLSLC for more information on how conservation easements can create tax benefits.

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Voluntary Land Conservation a Growing Trend
in the Upper Peninsula

The desire to voluntarily protect private land is at an all time high in the United States, according to the "National Land Trust Census" which was completed in December of 2001 by the Washington, D.C. based Land Trust Alliance. Since 1990, the total number of non-profit land trusts has grown from 887 to 1263, a 42% increase. For the first time, open-space has been protected in all 50 States.

Regionally, the Upper Peninsula has seen the creation of five new land conservancies in the last decade: the Flintsteel Restoration and Friends of the Porcupine Mountains Conservancy on the west end; the Keweenaw Land Trust and Northwoods Conservancy on the Keweenaw; the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve in Big Bay; the Central Lake Superior Land Conservancy in Marquette; and the Algoma Highlands Conservancy in Sault Ste. Marie. The Nature Conservancy has also been more active in the UP, and recently established a regional office in downtown Marquette. The TNC works peninsula wide, and also has a seasonal field office in the Keweenaw.

Each conservancy is different in their mission and area of concentration. Some focus directly on protecting habitat around a specific natural feature, while others define their operating area by county or region. For instance, some conservancies limit their activity to a single river, lake or watershed, while the Central Lake Superior Land Conservancy will consider parcels anywhere in the central Upper Peninsula, provided the parcel meets the conservancy's criteria for protection. To meet the Central Lake Superior Land Conservancy's criteria of protection, a property must posses one of these qualities: scenic quality (view-shed), undeveloped land, wetlands, shoreline habitat, plant and animal habitat, endangered or threatened species, recreational value, or historic relevance.

The most frequently used tool by local land conservancies is a conservation easement, which is a legal restriction placed voluntarily by private landowners on their property to protect it according to their desires. The Central Lake Superior Land Conservancy recently acquired an easement from a couple who own an entire lakeshore and 200 acres in southern Marquette County. The couple wants to ensure that their camp and its natural surroundings will remain intact and undeveloped in perpetuity. In their case, the motive for establishing the easement was to memorialize the parcel in honor of a deceased son.

An agreement is established between the land owner and a conservancy which places a permanent conservation easement on the land owner's property. The conservancy owns the conservation easement and becomes a steward of the land and monitors and enforces the terms that the easement defines. If the parcel is sold or passed on, the new landowner is obligated to abide by the terms of the conversation easement. A donation of a conservation easement can result in significant income tax, estate tax, and property tax benefits.

According to Jim Cantrill, president of the Central Lake Superior Land Conservancy, "The job of a land conservancy is to be a vehicle through which property owners can exercise their right to protect their property."

Cantrill adds, "I encourage owners of unusual parcels of land to contact their local conservancy and discuss the possible advantages of using a conservation easement to protect their investment."

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