Melissa Mial

May Storm Southrock, photographer Melissa Mial


The Hill Country Land Trust (HCLT) and The Hill Country Alliance (HCA) are hosting a conservation easement workshop on Friday, October 23.   This workshop will focus on the landowners in the nineteen-county Hill Country region and will bring landowners the message about how to steward and protect their land investment with a conservation easement agreement.
Conservation easements are one of the most flexible and effective means to protect private property.  A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement that ensures a property will forever be conserved according to the landowner’s wishes.  This agreement is negotiated between the landowner and the land trust organization which is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the terms of the conservation easement agreement.  Many landowners are concerned about conserving those special natural features on their family-owned lands and maintaining the productivity of their land – even after his or her ownership comes to an end.  They also are challenged with the economics and increasing tax burdens associated with land ownership, including the potential impact of estate taxes on their heirs.  This seminar is designed to provide farmers, ranchers and other landowners with effective tools and resources to help them deal with the issues inherent in passing family land on to future generations.
Workshop topics include:  Conservation Easement Overview; Planning with Conservation Easements: Tax, Succession and Estate Planning Issues & Ideas; The Role of Land Trusts in the Conservation Easement Process; Landowner Considerations and Costs; and Stories from Landowners Who Have a Conservation Easement.
The workshop is Friday, October 23, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Pedernales Electric Cooperative Headquarters Auditorium, 201 S. Avenue F, Johnson City, TX 78636.  The workshop cost is $15 for individuals and includes lunch and a social hour following the workshop.  Walk-ins are welcome but pre-registration is advised to ensure your seat. Register Online
The Hill Country Alliance and the Hill Country Land Trust are hosting the workshop in conjunction with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Wildlife Association, Texas Land Conservancy, Hill Country Conservancy, Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust, the Nature Conservancy of Texas, DeviIs River Conservancy, Colorado River Land Trust, Wimberley Valley Watershed Association, and the Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas.
More information is available by contacting the workshop coordinator Carolyn Vogel at carolyn@texasconservationconnection.com or 512.633.4995.
 
Learn more about Conservation Easements