Over the past 40 years, tens of millions of acres of land have been conserved through the use of conservation easements. The law of conservation easements was developed for widespread use in the 1980s, and there are still some unsettled questions associated with this incredibly useful conservation tool.
Most state conservation easement law offers great flexibility for a land owner to convey development rights to a non-profit or government agency, but because many easements are donated, the federal tax law is equally important. The Conservation Law Center has been among the nation’s leaders in educating conservation organizations about the law of conservation easements, and in developing standards and advocating for improvement and clarity in the law.
“CLC's support on a wide range of questions has been invaluable to Sycamore's successes with conservation projects for 15 years and counting, and we greatly appreciate Christian, Bill, and the CLC staff for their expertise and leadership.”
John Lawrence, Executive Director, Sycamore Land Trust“When I need support during a difficult transaction, I call Christian and he gives me the sword and shield (aka counsel and confidence) I need to fight on for the land, water, and wildlife.”
Julie Borgmann, Executive Director, Red-tail Land Conservancy
land updates
CLC announces the launch of the organization’s Environmental Legal Aid Program to serve the environmental legal needs of local residents, advocates and community groups in Gary, Hammond, Whiting and East Chicago (“the Region”). The new program builds on CLC’s mission of providing free representation to environmental non-profits tackling critical environmental health and justice issues, as well conservation organizations engaged in protecting natural resources, water quality, and wildlife habitat.
Question: Explain why natural land conservation is capacity issues and opportunities for important to address climate change?
McCrea: Natural land conservation serves as the cornerstone of the global effort to preserve biodiversity and maintain healthy ecosystems. It starts at the local level with place-based decision- making and culminates into regional efforts that connect vast areas and ecosystems. This creates corridors for ecosystem-based adaptation to build resiliency to climate change.
The Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape (SISL) partnership is excited to announce approval of a Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) for the 3.5-million-acre SISL area.
Conservation Law Center is incredibly excited to announce that the Efroymson Family Fund has awarded us a generous grant to support our mission and marketing efforts. The Efroymson Family Fund helps support nonprofit organizations across Central Indiana. Their gift to us will help fund the positions of several critical full-time staff members, build out new and existing conservation programs, and bolster our day-to-day operations.
The CLC is proud to announce that the Brabson Family Foundation has continued to support our work with a grant of $20,000. This generous grant will help CLC to update its existing conservation easement (CE) template, as well as create two additional templates for use by land trusts that will benefit Hoosiers statewide.
We are proud of the progress that has been made in our landscape this past year and the bright future ahead. None of this could be possible without the hard work and time commitment from all of you, including both landowners dedicated to conservation and partnering organizations and agencies.
Conservation Law Center is excited to announce a first time award from the Ropchan Foundation to fund the Indiana Land Protection Program.
The team at CLC, along with our partners, have been working hard to successfully launch the SISL program. Our first six months have been packed full of planning and outreach. Here are a few of the activities we have been focused on.
The Conservation Law Center is proud to announce the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust has continued their support of CLC’s Clean Water Indiana Program with a grant of $180,000. This grant represents a longstanding partnership between the Pulliam Trust and CLC, with a shared goal of improving water quality in the state of Indiana.
The Conservation Law Center is excited to announce the creation of a new position - the Constance and Terry Marbach Conservation Attorney. Indiana University Maurer School of Law Class of 2021 Alum Kacey Cook has accepted this inaugural position.