Helping Landowners Make Conservation Choices

Westport Land Conservation Trust President, Terry White

Since 1972, the collective efforts of the Land Trust, the Town, and the Commonwealth have protected thousands of acres in Westport, primarily through gifts of land in fee, conservation restrictions, and agricultural preservation restrictions.

In addition to accepting and taking stewardship responsibilities for donated properties, the Land Trust helps guide landowners through the conservation process. We have knowledgeable people ready to help and answer any questions you may have.

For more information, please call our Westport Field Office (508) 636-7501.

Conservation restrictions donated by Louie and Sally Howland and neighbors Terry and Elizabeth White protect over 32 acres along the East Branch of the Westport River.

A Gift of Land in Fee

Gifts of land, such as this 13-acre salt marsh donated in 1990 by Frank Brayton and Howard & Rita Borden.

Is the most direct way for landowners to ensure that land is managed forever for conservation purposes. The owner transfers title outright along with the responsibility for stewardship of the property.

A Conservation Restriction

A Conservation Restriction(sometimes called a conservation easement) keeps land in private ownership while placing a permanent restriction on development or other uses that are inconsistent with conservation objectives. Thus, landowners can elect to retain ownership for the benefit of their families while dedicating all or a portion of their property to preservation in perpetuity.

The Brown Trust Property

Everyone who lives along the Westport River knows that they are share a treasure. They know that their good fortune and paper wealth depend to a large degree on the protection of the river by their neighbors in the valley. If the river is debased by pollution or over-development, their personal treasure is diminished. If their heirs cut up the land into suburban parcels, their neighbors will be the losers. Our logic is this: by ‘giving away’ a conservation restriction on our land, we were doing what we could to insure that our children, and neighbors’ children, would continue to be enriched by the rare beauty of the river.

We want to tell everyone that with the help of The Trustees of Reservations and the WLCT, the legal process was smooth and flexible. We can still enjoy everything about this place that we already have created, and we have plenty of room to adapt to changes in our family. We didn’t reduce the value of our land; we just made sure it couldn’t be abused. And if other landowners along the river see things the way we do, our hoped for great-grandchildren will have the chance to inherit the privilege of living along its banks along with future generations of hawks, herons, osprey, deer, butterflies and frog.” - Judith Wolin

Agricultural Preservation Restrictions

APR's allow qualifying farmers to continue to farm their land and at the same time benefit from its development value. With an APR, farmers sell their development rights in the present, which protects the property for continued agricultural use in the future. These restrictions are in large part funded by the Commonwealth’s APR Program, but the Land Trust contributes by helping farmers with appraisals and applications, by advancing funds to facilitate the APR transaction, and by raising private contributions to supplement the State’s per-acre allowance.

Sleeping Sow on Arrowhead Farm owned by Ernie Waite on Division Road, 33 acres protected by APR in 2002.

Other Conservation Methods include gifts of land subject to a life estate, testamentary bequests and bargain sales. Landowners can explore with the Land Trust which potential preservation approach best meets their land protection goals.

Conserving beautiful and vulnerable landscapes.

Helping Landowners Make Conservation Choices