We offer a variety of conservation options

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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