Conservation Easements
A conservation easement is one of many tools landowners may use to protect what they value about their property and to support the future of the Inland Northwest way of life. A conservation easement is a permanent legal agreement between a landowner and a qualified conservation organization. This legal agreement permanently limits development to preserve specific conservation values and traditional uses. When a landowner places a conservation easement on his or her property, the property remains in their private ownership.
Other Organizations that help protect land
Not every piece of land is a good fit for the Conservancy’s conservation priorities. But there are many organizations that may be able to help! Here are just a few, and we are adding to this list all the time. The work of conservation is often as time-intensive as it is time-sensitive, so it takes all of us to get this work done!
Panhandle Parks Foundation handles gifts of land that become parks
Palouse Land Trust works in southeastern Washington and parts of Idaho
Idaho Foundation for Parks and Lands is a statewide land trust
Kaniksu Land Trust works in North Idaho and Western Montana
Additional Information for Landowners
Using the Conservation Tax Incentive – a Land Trust Alliance publication
Forestry education and assistance for Washington forest and woodland property owners from the WSU Extension
Small Forest Landowner News from Washington State Department of Natural Resources
This page is a work in progress. Over time we’ll be adding more to this list. If you have ideas for what would be helpful here, please contact us at info@inlandnwland.org. Thank you.
WSU Woodland Fish & Wildlife Program
Do you own woodlands? Would you like to manage those woodlands with an eye for wildlife? The Woodland Fish and Wildlife Project is a cooperative effort between state and federal agencies and universities to provide information on fish and wildlife management to private woodland owners and managers.
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Idaho Forest Owners Association
Through National Woodlands, Northwest Woodlands (quarterly magazines), the quarterly IFOA Newsletter, and Association sponsored tours and workshops, IFOA can help you keep up with forest management techniques, forest property and estate taxes, and environmental and regulatory issues. Through interaction with other forest landowners, you can share problems, exchange ideas and work toward solutions.
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Spokane County Conservation District
A conservation district provides technical assistance and tools to help landowners manage and protect natural resources throughout the United States. Conservation districts work with landowners on a voluntary basis, which means they have no regulatory authority.
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Land Trust Alliance
If you love the land, there’s a lot you can do. People who are connected to special places energize the land trust movement — be a part of it! Maybe you own land that you can protect. Maybe you can donate or volunteer. Or maybe your contribution is to spark new ideas, spread the word or inspire children to love nature, too.
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Kootenai County's Community Development Department
Do you own land that touches your heart? Perhaps it’s a farm or ranch you nurtured into production. Perhaps it’s a forest whose trees awe you, or acreage teeming with wildlife. Maybe you’ve grown up on this land. Maybe you purchased it because you value its intrinsic beauty and utility as open space. Deep down, you simply love the land.
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Land Conservation Assistance Network
Now, more than ever, it’s important for land owners to take the initiative to preserve their land for future generations and practice conservation. We know it can be difficult for anyone wishing to make proactive, forward-thinking decisions to know where to start. LandCAN provides a searchable directory of resources for landowners to connect with qualified professionals to navigate the complex ins and outs of real estate transactions, tax and estate planning, and regional land conservation activities.
On the Land Conservation Assistance Network (LandCAN), we can help connect you to resources and local professionals who understand the importance of land conservation. They can help you minimize your tax burden, take advantage of funding opportunities and, most importantly, protect our working landscapes for future generations.
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