Land Conservation in Your Community
Why Conserve Land?
Our health and the health of our communities depends upon the health of our environment: the land, water, and air upon which we depend. Landowners with an interest in conservation are often deeply in love with a particular landscape and want to protect it over time, particularly with a change in generations and ownership.
Other Considerations
1. Whether the costs of the project can be covered by special fund-raising and/or the NRLT’s unrestricted reserves, without unduly depleting the latter
2. The NRLT’s ability, as far as it can be forecast, to conduct perpetual stewardship of the project.
Farms in current operation or productive farmland capable of supporting future agricultural operations
Land abutting and/or linking existing nature preserves or already conserved lands
Open spaces for scenic enjoyment by the public, i.e. offering significant views towards the property itself or from the property to other sites (particularly hilltops and ridge lines)
Riparian areas, shoreline, and watershed lands.
Ecologically unique areas not otherwise protected
Conservation Criteria
A property considered for conservation must in some way meet criteria used by the Northern Rivers Land Trust to determine its eligibility:
Lands linking properties to preserve or expand wildlife linkages/connective habitat.
Lands under development pressure
Lands with sustainable economic benefit to the community
Support from the host community and neighboring landowners
Outdoor recreational or educational use by the general public
Protection of a relatively natural habitat for fish, wildlife, or plants, or similar ecosystem
The preservation of an historically important land area or certified historic structures
Open space (including farmland and forest land) that will yield a significant public benefit--either preserved for scenic enjoyment by the general public or protected in accordance with clearly delineated federal, state, or local governmental conservation policy (i.e. wetlands and shoreline protection mandates).
Public Benefit
The NRLT will also analyze public benefit criteria identified by the Internal Revenue Service:
