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Becoming Involved with the Trust
Over the past 30 years, the collective efforts of the Land Trust, the Town, and the Commonwealth have protected more than 2,000 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.
A Gift of Land in Fee 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 (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.
Agricultural Preservation Restrictions (APRs) 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 their 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.
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.
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