In accepting a conservation easement from you, the land trust takes on the responsibility of ensuring your land is forever conserved. Fulfilling this duty requires money. This is why the land trust seeks financial support from you or subsequent owners of the land.
A landowner may agree to funding arrangements that require the landowner or successor owners of an eased property to make one or more payments to the easement holder to support stewardship of the property. An understanding of what makes promises binding is critical for crafting arrangements that are enforceable over time.
Provisions requiring payments by owners of eased land to the easement holder upon each transfer of the land (or other triggering event) may be placed in the document that grants a conservation easement. This guide suggests best practices and provides sample provisions to maximize the effectiveness of this strategy for funding easement stewardship.
A landowner may agree to an arrangement that requires the owner or successive owners of an eased property to make payments to the conservation easement holder to support stewardship of the land. The arrangement may be customized to fit the stewardship demands created by the particular easement and the financial circumstances and wishes of the owner.