Western Reserve Land Conservancy’s work is foundational, enduring and tangible.
In order to conserve our region’s cherished local landscapes, we rely on a number of sophisticated legal tools, funding sources, and real estate principles to guide our work. Before we take on a project, we are bound to assess the conservation value of the land. This means the project must have at least one of the following values:
Recreation or education
Habitat protection
Open space protection that yields significant public benefit
Historic preservation
Once we agree to pursue a conservation project, we work closely with landowners to create an agreement that benefits the local resources while meeting the needs of the owner. In the end, we believe it all comes down to people.
A landowner may wish to protect his or her property from development while keeping its ownership in the family. A conservation easement is a tool we often use to keep the land in private ownership while protecting it forever.
Each landowner is different, unique. We are experts in partnering with families to meet their special needs, whether they own a working farm, a resource-rich natural land or rural property. We take time to get to know these families; to talk with them about their options; and to review the financial or tax benefits they may receive by protecting their property. The landowners we work with come from all kinds of backgrounds, reflecting the vast diversity of the region we serve. But they all have one thing in common: love of their land.
We honor these families and thank them for the gift they give to future generations.
To find out more about our conservation efforts, including how you can arrange conservation protections for your land, feel free to reach out and ask us.