Conservation Easements as Charitable Trusts in Kansas: Striking the Appropriate Balance Among Grantor's Intent, the Public's Interest, and the Need for Flexibility

This 26 page article presents a brief history of the evolution of the law surrounding conservation easements and identifies some of the problematic areas with the current law. After evaluating the state of the law, it proposes a solution that would maintain the efficiency of conservation easements while ensuring the advancement of intended policy goals, and protecting the public’s interest in those easements. Finally, it examines the practical mechanics of how Kansas’s courts can apply charitable trust law to conservation easements.