History of LMC Conservancy

In 1991, the late Elizabeth Davenport was concerned about encroaching development near Cummings Highway. The Lookout Mountain community leader purchased a shuttered used car parts lot, then banded together with other neighbors in civic action. They formed a new land trust.

John Wilson took the lead of the Lookout Mountain Conservancy — originally called the Lookout Mountain Protection Association — and began restoring the gateway property to Lookout Mountain. This lead to the creation of the 4-acre John C. Wilson Park on Cummings Highway.

Those initial acres became 50, as LMC purchased multiple parcels on Old Wauhatchie Pike, where the city’s oldest neighborhood had fallen into disrepair. Over time, LMC and interns from The Howard School transformed the property into an abundance of beauty and access: pollinator gardens, hiking trails and the South’s first natural urban bouldering park.

In the 1990s, LMC was entrusted with The Guild-Hardy Trail; today, the mixed-use trail is enjoyed by more than 70,000 annually. The trail— part of the former broad gauge rail —is now part of the beloved River-to-Clouds Route, which runs 34 miles along the mountain.

Over the past 34 years, Lookout Mountain Conservancy has protected and preserved 1500 acres of land in some of the most ecologically rich and vulnerable places in the northern hemisphere. The Lookout Mountain landscape is rare, stunningly gorgeous and endangered.

Our work remains more urgent than ever.

Lookout Mountain Conservancy's strategic planning process addresses the land, water, conservation and recreational initiatives spanning focus areas that matter most to our community.

Conservation Options

Conserve your land and retain ownership.

You can retain ownership of your land and conserve it using a tool called a conservation easement. This conservation agreement is drafted to meet your own goals as well as conserve the important conservation characteristics of your land. You can often retain a limited number of home sites and, depending on the property, additional structures are allowed.

When you conserve your land with a conservation easement, you may qualify for federal income taxes between 50% to 100% of your adjusted gross income over a period of years. You would continue to own the land, manage the land, and pay property taxes. You can sell, bequeath, or transfer the land; the conservation agreement runs with the land.

Email Dr.Robyn Carlton for more information.

Sell your land for conservation.

You can donate your land and potentially receive an income tax deduction from your charitable gift.

Sometimes the Conservancy can raise the funds to purchase very important parcels of land. This often entails extensive fundraising on our part in partnership with other groups or agencies.

Possible examples of this would include land abutting existing public lands that could expand a scenic or historic viewshed or a community trail.

Email Dr.Robyn Carlton for more information.

Donate your land.

Would you like to create a new park or conservation area? Perhaps you’d like to enhance local conservation efforts or strengthen the youth programming and Howard School Intern Program?

You may want to explore donating your property to the Lookout Conservancy. It’s a great way to make a difference, and we can help you explore what is right for you.

Conservation Lands

If your land was important for regional or local conservation, we would conserve the land. Sometimes these lands become nature preserves, parks or public conservation areas.

If that is not possible, they are sold to new conservation buyers, once protected, and the proceeds are applied to our conservation and educational programs.

Non-Conservation Lands

If your property is not suitable for long-term conservation—perhaps it is a building or building lot--we would sell it and the proceeds would go towards enhancing the Lookout Mountain’s conservation and educational programs, building the capacity of the land trust to partner and serve more people, and inspiring the love of the land.

Tax and personal benefits

The tax benefits for you would be a likely income tax deduction for the charitable gift of the property to the Conservancy, a possible reduction in estate taxes, and the tremendous satisfaction that you are helping to increase the pace of conservation and educational programs within the Lookout Mountain watershed.

For many people, donating all, or a portion of their land, is a great way to give back to their community and know they have made a lasting difference.

Email Dr.Robyn Carlton for more information.

Conservation Options

LMC offers a variety of conservation options, allowing landowners to voluntarily preserve land, woodlands, family farms and other parcels for multiple generations. For families who choose to conserve their land and want to continue ownership, we use a voluntary conservation agreement called a conservation easement.

Conservation easements are legally crafted to meet each landowners’ needs and values, allowing a permanent conservation plan to remain in place when the land is sold, given away, or bequeathed via a will or planned gift to another individual or family. These agreements are flexible and tailored specifically for each family or landowner.

The land remains on the tax rolls unless it is given or sold to a municipality or nonprofit conservation organization. Many landowners choose conservation easements as a way to create ongoing protection for generations to come while reducing or stabilizing property taxes or estate taxes.

‍Landowners may own and live, sell their property, farm, manage timber, recreate, maintain or build limited homes and structures, restrict or grant public access.

For more information about conservation options for your property, please email Dr.Robyn Carlton.

We conserve and protect 1500 acres throughout 93 miles of Lookout Mountain.

History of LMC Conservancy

Our work remains more urgent than ever.

We offer a variety of conservation options

Conservation Options

Conserve your land and retain ownership.

Sell your land for conservation.

Donate your land.

Conservation Options