Landowner Resources

Contact the Mother Lode Land Trust if you would like a FREE CONSULTATION with our Executive Director. We will sit down with you and go over the steps required to place a conservation easement on your property, discuss different options and answer any questions you and your family may have.

  • Visit our national partners, the Land Trust Alliance. This site contains updated information on land trusts, conservation easements, tax incentives and funding opportunities.
  • California also has a member trust that works within our state to support land conservation efforts. The California Council of Land Trusts helps fight for legislation that secures funding for conservation, assists landowners and land trusts in court, and provides opportunities for continued education through their annual meetings and conferences.
  • Regionally, the Sierra Cascade Land Trust Council provides a place where other local land trusts can network, share ideas, and learn about regional conservation efforts. SCLTC holds quarterly meetings and many workshops that serve as a valuable resource for the Mother Lode Land Trust and other member trusts.

Join or Donate Now

Conservation Easements
A conservation easement is a voluntary, negotiated legal agreement between a landowner and the land trust. Conservation easements protect agricultural, scenic, historic, and archaeological values, and wildlife habit by placing permanent restrictions on the future use of the land. The restrictions are dependent on the conservation goals and tailored to the needs and desires of each landowner. The landowner retains fee title to the property and can sell, devise, or otherwise transfer title to the land, subject only to the terms of the conservation easement. Public access is not granted unless the landowner requests that option. The land trust is charged with monitoring the property to ensure that the conservation values are being protected and the terms of the conservation easement upheld.

Susan Bragstad - Amador Olive Oil Conservation easements can be donated by the landowner or purchased by the land trust. When donated, landowners can receive a tax deduction equal to the value lost by the recording of the conservation easement. When purchased, landowners receive cash equal to the value lost by the recording of the conservation easement.

Special Opportunity for Landowners
Congress recently extended -- through 2011 and possibly indefinitely -- a Federal tax incentive for conservation easement donations that has helped thousands of landowners conserve their land. The incentive raises the deduction a donor can take for donating a conservation easement from 30 percent of his or her income in any year to 50 percent; allows qualifying farmers and ranchers to deduct up to 100 percent of their income; and extends the carry-forward period for a donor to take tax deductions for a voluntary conservation easement from 5 to 15 years. Larson Dooley Yurt in Alpine County

Fee Purchase
Direct acquisition is a good option for landowners who wish to see their property protected, but no longer want to retain ownership. Acquisition is also a good option for the land trust when a property’s protection would provide great benefit to the community, whether it be wildlife protection, public access, or viewshed.

Mitigation
Mitigation is becoming more and more popular especially in western Amador and Calaveras Counties, as developers convert the land and need to compensate for lost resources. Traditionally developers paid a fee to cover their mitigation, however communities realized they were never seeing the benefits of these fees and have begun to fight for local, on the ground mitigation. This on the ground mitigation is now proving to be a beneficial financial resource for landowners who have resources on their property needed for mitigation. For example, if a developer needs to mitigate for a loss of Tiger Salamander habitat, and a certain landowner has tiger salamanders, the developer could pay them to put a conservation easement on their land protecting this resource. MLLT is seeking landowners who may be interested in placing their name on a list for future mitigation projects. Contact us to join this list or to get more information on this and other tools for conservation.