Conservation Easements
At Braun & Gresham, we recognize that land ownership includes land stewardship. While stewardship takes many forms, conservation easements are one of the least understood yet most powerful methods of conserving and stewarding land. Conservation easements are voluntary, legally binding agreements that restrict certain development-focused property rights in perpetuity. When a landowner grants a conservation easement, they ensure the land is protected in its natural state in perpetuity, while preserving robust rights to use the land for recreational, ranching, and agricultural purposes.
We exclusively represent landowners in conservation easement transactions, ensuring that your rights, goals, and interests are fully protected, and your potential tax or monetary benefits are maximized.
Each conservation easement is customized to fit the property and the owner’s goals, ensuring protection of wildlife habitats, open spaces, and other conservation values while maintaining important property rights. Typically, conservation easements restrict subdivision and commercial or dense residential development and remain enforceable by the conservation organization, even when the property is sold. A donated conservation easement provides significant income and estate tax benefits. A funded conservation easement means the landowner is financially compensated in the transaction.
Benefits of a Conservation Easement
A conservation easement can be a valuable tool to:
- Retain private ownership of land while ensuring its long-term protection
- Preserve wildlife habitat, open space, and natural resources
- Protect productive agricultural land and support sustainable farming or ranching
- Safeguard family land as a legacy for future generations
- Maintain the rural character and scenic beauty of land at risk of development
- Preserve historically significant land and structures
- Provide income and estate tax benefits
For more than 30 years, our firm has handled hundreds of conservation easement transactions, including those involving federally and locally funded programs. We bring legal expertise and a strategic approach to help landowners navigate the complexities of these transactions and secure terms that align with their long-term vision for the land. Furthermore, our expertise enables us to assist landowners with purchases and sales of properties already subject to conservation easements.
