The
Winnakee Land Trust’s Landmarks Fund
The
Landmarks Fund of Winnakee Land Trust was established to defray the
costs of conservation easements on selected significant properties, at
the discretion of the Winnakee's Board of Directors. This will enable
Winnakee to pursue easements on important local lands, such as farmland
and land owned by nonprofit organizations.
History of the Fund
In
June 2006 the Board of Directors defined a need for a fund dedicated to
acquiring easements on particularly important (historic, agricultural,
scenic, or natural) lands, specifically to assist those landowners for
whom the costs associated with establishing an easement are
prohibitive.
Why This Fund Is Important
Most
of the conservation easements held by Winnakee Land Trust are donated to
Winnakee along with funds to support the stewardship of the land into
the future. These stewardship funds ensure that Winnakee will always
have the capacity to properly monitor and protect land under easement.
In
some cases, however, a landowner wishes to donate an easement but lacks
the financial means to make a donation to our stewardship fund. That’s
where the Landmarks Fund comes in. The Fund gives Winnakee the ability
to allocate stewardship money or closing costs to a specific easement
with significant conservation value, as determined by the board of
directors.
The
Landmarks Fund is yet another tool we can use in our mission to protect
open space, agriculture, and natural resources in northern Dutchess
County.
