Saving farms, forests, and land in Southern MD

With the addition of 413 acres, PTLT has closed on its newest conservation easement.

The property belonging to the Greenwell Catholic Trust on Jones Wharf Road in the Huntersville Rural Legacy Area contains numerous wooded tracts and abuts tidal water and open waters at the mouth of Cole Creek on the Patuxent River. Farm fields account for nearly 40 acres of the tract while the rest of the property is forested. Open nontidal and tidal wetlands occupy 14-plus acres. Approximately 15 acres of the forested portion is part of larger block of riparian forest. Several woodland trails along ridges and side slopes allow hunting and waterfront access.

In mapping the area’s hardwood forest and wetlands, Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources determined the Greenwell tract as likely forest interior dweller habitat. The DNR gave it at Tier 4 level status within the Biodiversity Conservation network of the Natural Heritage Program, which means it’s of significant conservation value. In 2000, the state agency had mapped the wetland riparian portions and concluded them necessary for networking large vital blocks of forest and woodlands, called “hubs,” as part of its Green Infrastructure assessment program.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of the conservation of such a large block of undeveloped land with large contiguous blocks of woodlands—largely free of invasive plants—and of wetlands,” says PTLT President Frank Allen. “With the completion of this easement PTLT has now protected over 10 square miles.” 

Phil Hayward, staff writer 

On December 1st the Maryland Board of Public Works approved an award of $2,217,053.00 to the Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust (PTLT) to acquire conservation easements in the Huntersville Rural Legacy Area in Northern St. Mary’s County. PTLT plans to apply this funding toward acquiring conservation easements on several important properties including a 437-acre waterfront parcel that will significantly help protect the environment and wildlife habitat in St. Mary’s County.

PTLT asks any property owners in the Huntersville Rural Area who may be interested in the conservation easement purchase program, or have questions, to contact us at saveland@ptlt.org or call 301-862-3421.

Benefits of a Conservation Easement

(Excerpt from www.mylandplan.org, American Forest Foundation)

Every conservation easement is a unique legal agreement, written specifically to fit your needs and goals. You can set up a conservation easement to:

• Protect open space or critical habitat on your land– whether it’s a family farm or ranch, wetland, pasture or forest—from encroaching development
• Preserve the agricultural value and traditional uses of your land by allowing for continued farming, ranching and timber harvesting
• Safeguard a historically or culturally important structure or area on your property
• Conserve land that has significant scenic, biodiversity or other value for the outdoor recreation or education of the public

Whether you place all or only part of your property into a conservation easement, you can expect to benefit from the agreement in several ways.

Estate tax benefits. A conservation easement that removes your land’s development potential typically lowers its market value—and that means lower taxes for the landowner. That can significantly reduce estate taxes when you pass on your property to the next generation, making it easier to keep the land in the family and intact.

Property tax benefits. By lowering your land’s value, a conservation easement can also lower your property taxes.

State and federal tax benefits. If your conservation easement is permanent, was donated—not sold—to a land trust for conservation purposes, and meets certain other IRS conditions, it can qualify as a tax-deductible charitable donation that can reduce your state and federal income taxes. The easement is treated as a donation of the development rights to your land. That means the value of the donation (and the amount of the deduction you can claim) would be the difference between the property’s market value if its development were not restricted in any way, and its value with the easement’s restrictions in place.

Permanency and control. Most easements are permanent and crafted specifically to meet your goals. Their restrictions remain in force even when the land changes hands. With the right easement terms in place, you can have the peace of mind of knowing your land will be protected as you wish well beyond your lifetime.

Although conservation easements offer significant benefits, they are not for every landowner. There are some important points to keep in mind when you consider a conservation easement.  

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Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust holds conservation easement on properties in Southern Maryland where we purchase or accept donations of development rights on properties and impose other conservation-related restrictions on the land. We work closely with the landowner to make sure that easement terms are what the owner wishes – the conditions in the easement apply to all future landowners so this is the only way that landowners can be certain that the land will be kept the way that they want. It is very difficult to alter or terminate the easement, so this type of land protection is the best that exists. Other than restrictions that apply to the easement, the landowner still owns the property.