The Miistakis Institute has launched a new web based resource about conservation easements for landowners (www.rockies.ca/ce_guide/index.php). This web resource is available to any interested landowners or others wanting to know more about this innovative conservation tool. This link is being shared with conservation organizations, land owner groups and municipalities around Alberta so it can be made available to a variety of landowners.
Conservation easements were first introduced in Alberta in 1996. At that time they were used and promoted by a handful of land trusts in the province. Over the past 17 years the use of conservation easements has expanded to include municipal applications with more and more landowners approaching qualified organizations and initiating conservation easements to help meet personal land conservation, succession or other goals.
Conservation easements can be a powerful tool for Albertans looking to fulfill long-term conservation goals on their property. To make the best use of this tool, landowners need access to basic information: What are conservation easements and what are the benefits? Who are the eligible conservation easement holders in Alberta, where do they operate and what are their priorities? How and can this tool be used creatively?
To answer these and many more questions, the Miistakis Institute, with funding support from the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, adapted and updated a previous resource called “Programs and Possibilities: Conservation Easements in Alberta” to create a new website “Conservation Easements in Alberta – an online resource for landowners”. A huge advantage to the website is the ease with which it can be edited and updated as information changes. This website resource is available to any interested landowners or others wanting to know more about this innovative conservation tool.