Bridging the Urban-Rural Divide with Conservation Easements: Success Stories from California
Holly Foster, Board Member California Rangeland Trust

Excerpt from Program:
"This workshop will begin with a presentation of conservation easement case studies on farm and ranchlands from California and New Mexico with a discussion of the motivations of the landowners to do the easements, the types of easements the landowners chose, the funding sources and requirements for completing the easements, and the benefits of these projects to the public. Participants will then receive a general overview of conservation easements, including: the tax benefits associated with conservation easement donations, the IRS eligibility criteria for federal tax deductions, and the process for completing a conservation easement transaction. Finally, participants will learn about different funding sources for purchasing conservation easements and covering the transactional and stewardship costs associated with completing donated conservation easements. Time for questions and answers will be allocated at the end of the workshop."

Presentation Outline:

• California Rangeland Trust
• Conserving California's Rangeland
• The Cattle Industry in California
• Challenges for California Ranchers
• Grazing Land Converted to Other Uses
• A Rancher's Decision
• New Neighbors
• Urbanization in the Sacramento Region
• Land Values in California
• The Economics of Land Ownership
• Beyond the Dollar
• The Importance of Rangeland for Habitat
• Houses and Habitat
• Economic Returns and Agricultural Lands
• A Public Benefit
• Agricultural Conservation Easements
• Easement Value
• Landowner Questions about Conservation Easements
• Transaction Costs/Timeframe
• California Agricultural Conservation Easement Funding Sources
• Funding in Other States and Counties
• How do we Keep People in Agriculture on the Land?
• A Shift in Thought
• Ranching's Future is the Priority
• Project Portfolio
• Future