x>EPA
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Wetlands Protection:
South Jersey
Land Trust
Restores Critical
Wetland Habitat
The South Jersey Land
Trust received an EPA
Five Star Restoration
Grant to to restore 42
acres of wetland
habitat within the
Cedar Lake
headwaters of the
Great Egg Harbor Wild
and Scenic River. The
project will provide
critical nesting and
feeding habitat for
various species of
resident and migratory
waterfowl and
shorebirds. Project
partners include the
New Jersey
Department of
Environmental
Protection, the New
Jersey Conservation
Foundation, and
Ducks Unlimited. The
land trust is actively
promoting watershed
protection in the local
community through
educational programs
and by providing
volunteer
opportunities for
residents to monitor
the project site. For
more information on
this or other EPA Five
Star Restoration
Projects, visit
www.epa.gov/owow/
wetlands/restore/5star.
We are prone to speak of the resources of this
country as inexhaustible; this is not so. We
have fallen heirs to the most glorious
heritage a people ever received, and each one
must do his part if we wish to show that the
nation is worthy of its good fortune.
President Theodore Roosevelt
Introduction
As we realize the tremendous ecological
ind socioeconomic values that wetlands
provide, protecting and restoring our nation's
wetlands has become a national priority.
Wetlands are important in helping control
floodwaters, in providing erosion control, and
in maintaining water quality. In addition, they
provide critical wildlife habitat for numerous
species. Wetlands also provide valuable open
space for visual and recreational enjoyment.
Approximately 75% of the remaining wetlands
in the lower 48 States are privately owned. By
conserving and restoring wetlands, landowners
act as stewards working to preserve wetland
ecosystems for their uses and for the benefit of
future generations.
Land trusts can help those private landowners
who want to be stewards of the land, who
appreciate the value of natural spaces, and who
want to leave an enduring legacy.
What is a Land Trust?
Land trusts are independent, non-profit
organizations that work with landowners who
are interested in conserving open space. Land
trusts often work cooperatively with
government agencies by acquiring or managing
land and by researching open space needs.
The private land conservation movement in the
United States is experiencing a period of
tremendous growth. Since 1985, the number of
land trusts operating in the United States has
more than doubled to over 1,200 organizations,
conserving more than 6.2 million hectares.
How do Land Trusts Operate?
Land trusts can purchase land for permanent
protection, accept land donations, or acquire
conservation easements, which permanently limit
the type and scope of activities that can take place
on the land.
Land trusts protect a variety of land types. A
recent survey conducted by Land Trust Alliance
indicates that wetlands, river corridors, and
watersheds are the top three priority areas for
land trusts. Land trusts also provide programs in
environmental education and participate in land-
use planning efforts in their communities.
TOOL BOX
Conservation Easements
Conservation easements are voluntary and
permanent legal agreements between
landowners and land trusts, conservation
organizations, or government agencies.
Easements protect the conservation values of
a parcel of land by limiting its present and
future uses. Landowners and land trusts
negotiate the easement terms, which are
designed to protect the land's conservation
value while allowing landowners to retain
ownership and use.
Easements are uniquely flexible tools in that
they are designed to reflect landowners' needs
and wishes for the land. Landowners retain
the right to own and sell the property, but the
easement restrictions will always remain with
the property, attached to the land.
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SPOTLIGHT ON THE WETLANDS CONSERVANCY
Protecting Oregon's Wetlands
The Wetlands Conservancy (TWC) is one of
Oregon's first land trusts. It was founded in
1981 to conserve, protect, and restore the
physical and ecological values of wetlands,
other aquatic systems, and related uplands.
The Conservancy accomplishes its mission
by accepting donations of conservation
easements, land parcels, and conservaton
funds. TWC manages over 800 acres of
wetlands throughout the state.
Through its Stewardship Program, the
organization provides outreach assistance to
citizen groups, private landowners, and
watershed councils on wetland conservation
and restoration. TWC is also leading the
coordination of a new statewide strategy to
protect biologically important wetlands.
The "Oregon's Greatest Wetlands" project
identifies, maps, and gathers information on
the state's critical wetlands. TWC is taking
a lead role in promoting and enhancing
collaboration and partnerships among other
non-profits, community groups, individual
landowners, and state and federal agencies.
In 2001, TWC published Heroic Tales of
Wetland Restoration, which describes 12
rural landowners who changed their
farming practices to reclaim wetlands,
streams, and rivers. The book describes the
vision, passion, and perseverance that were
necessary to achieve success. To purchase a
copy or learn more about TWC's role in
wetland restoration, visit the organization's
websiteatwww.wetlandsconservancy.org.
The Wetlands Conservancy manages over
800 acres of Oregon's wetlands.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY CONSERVANCY
Protecting Vernal Pools
The Sacramento Valley Conservancy is a private, non-profit land trust
founded to preserve the beauty, character, and diversity of the
Sacramento Valley landscape. The organization works with citizens,
property owners, developers, public agencies, and other non-profit
organizations to preserve land for agricultural, natural resource
protection, recreation, and wildlife habitat purposes.
In 1998, the organization set its sights on establishing a 3,000-acre vernal
pool preserve in south Sacramento County. Vernal pools are unique
wetlands that occur on the floor and within the foothills of California's
Central Valley. These wetlands support a diversity of specialized plants and
animals that occur nowhere else in the world. Unfortunately, they are also
one of the most rare and threatened ecosystems in the world.
In 2002, the organization received a low-interest revolving fund loan from
the Water Resources Control Board for $995,000 to purchase 281 acres of
vernal pools within the preserve. This purchase brings the total protected
land within the Sacramento Prairie Vernal Pool Area to over 2,000 acres.
Visit www.sacramentovalleyconservancy.org for more information.
Land Trust Alliance www.lta.org
The Trust for Public Land www.tpl.org
The Nature Conservancy www.tnc.org
EPA Wetlands Program www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands
EPA Five Star Grant Program www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/restore/5star
sŤ7
Why Partner with a Land Trust?
ITax Incentives Land trusts' nonprofit
status brings a variety of tax benefits.
Donations of land, conservation easements, or
money may qualify you for income, estate, or
gift tax savings. The grantor of a conservation
easement may receive a charitable income tax
deduction for the value of the easement. For an
estate tax, the grant of an easement usually results
in a lower property value and, therefore, a lower
value for the federal estate tax.
2 Long-term Stewardship Land trusts
can act more quickly than public agencies
and often can be more flexible and creative. Land
trusts that accept a conservation easement also
accept the responsibility of monitoring and
enforcing the easement terms in perpetuity.
3 Ensured Protection Some wetlands,
waters, and adjacent habitats may not fall
under the jurisdiction of state and federal
environmental statutes. Donating or placing
easements on these areas ensures that they will
remain protected for the current landowner and
for future generations.
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