Local land trust a catalyst for protecting the valley’s open
space resources
By KEVIN WISER
Express Staff Writer
Mission statement:
"The Wood River Land Trust is dedicated to protecting for
future generations the scenic, agricultural, recreational, historic and wildlife values of
the Wood River watershed by working cooperatively with the community and landowners who
wish to protect their lands in perpetuity."
The Wood River Land Trust was created in 1993, according to executive
director Scott Boettger, by a group of residents in the Wood River Valley who were
concerned about the loss of open space resources due primarily to residential development
on private land.
Recently, for example, the land trust secured a conservation easement
along the Highway 75 Scenic Corridor north of Hailey. The 26-acre Cloverly Ranch easement,
located between the highway and the Big Wood River, was donated to the land trust by
lifelong Hailey resident John Chapman.
Indeed, the WRLT is now viewed by many residents as a primary vehicle
for preserving the stunning natural beauty and wildlife habitat of the Wood River Valley.
"We decided what we needed to do was encourage conservation
easements through a formal land trust and give people an outlet to preserve their land
through voluntary easement conservation," Boettger said.
According to Boettger, a conservation easement is a voluntary
restriction placed on property which limits one or more uses of that property. It is a
recorded deed restriction which runs in perpetuity with the property so the restrictions
are still in place even if the property is transferred, inherited or sold.
"A conservation easement protects a property from future
development, yet allows for continued current uses such as residential, recreational,
agricultural or ranching," Boettger said. "The goal is to protect some important
conservation quality such as a sensitive wildlife habitat, prime agricultural land, a
public trail or scenic view."
Land owners who volunteer a conservation easement through the WRLT may
qualify for tax deductions equal to the value of the easement. However, Boettger said, not
all land owners who wish to donate conservation easements qualify for tax deductions
because they don’t make enough money.
"Conservation easements allow someone who doesn’t make enough
money to gain from tax incentives the ability to realize the financial return of
subdivision without actually developing their land," Boettger said.
"This is our goal, to offer people who can’t benefit from tax
incentives an alternative to development and to compensate them for preserving valuable
open space resources."
Boettger said a valuable element of conservation easements is how they
can help in estate planning.
"Landowners often don’t realize the impact of estate taxes
which can be as high as 55 percent. The value of an estate and the subsequent tax is not
based on what was originally paid for the land but on current market values," he
said. "In an area like the Wood River Valley with skyrocketing land values, this can
be devastating, sometimes forcing families to sell their land just to pay the estate
tax."
Since 1996, the WRLT has conserved 2300 acres of open space easements
throughout Blaine, Custer and Camas counties.
