Hill Country Workshop, Landowners Conservation Easements

Kerrville, Texas – The Hill Country Alliance (HCA) and the Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust (GBRT) are hosting a landowner workshop from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, May 13, 2016, at the Upper Guadalupe River Authority Lecture Hall, 125 Lehmann Drive, Suite 100 Kerrville, Texas 78028. This workshop will focus on conservation easements—a tool available to help landowners steward and protect their land investment in the long term.

Conservation easements are one of the most flexible and effective means to protect private property. A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement that ensures a property will forever be conserved according to the landowner’s wishes. This agreement is negotiated between the landowner and the land trust organization which is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the terms of the conservation easement agreement.

Many landowners are concerned about conserving those special natural features on their family-owned property and maintaining the productivity of their land. Landowners face the challenge of increasing tax burdens associated with land ownership, including the potential impact of estate taxes on their heirs. This seminar is designed to provide farmers, ranchers and other landowners with effective tools and resources to help them deal with the issues inherent in passing family land on to future generations.

Workshop topics include: Conservation Easement Overview; Income and Estate Tax Considerations and Tax Benefits of Donating a Conservation Easement; Donor/Donee Relationship; Landowner Considerations and Costs; and Discussions with Conservation Easement Donors

The workshop cost is $20 per person which includes lunch. Walk-ins are welcome and pre-registration is advised to ensure your seat. Register on-line: www.hillcountryalliance.org/events/kerrville-conservation-easement-workshop/

The Hill Country Alliance and the Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust are hosting the workshop in conjunction with Colorado River Land Trust, Friends of Enchanted Rock, Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas, Hill Country Conservancy, Hill Country Land Trust, Hill Country Master Naturalist, Nature Conservancy of Texas, Texas Agricultural Land Trust, Texas Land Conservancy, and Texas Wildlife Association. More information is available by contacting the workshop coordinator Carolyn Vogel at carolyn@texasconservationconnection.com  or 512.633.4995