Core Principles
Conservation Partners is dedicated to helping Virginians realize the benefits of land conservation. In addition to our other land conservation activities, we work with landowners who want to protect their property in perpetuity with high-quality conservation easements. In most instances, we also participate in Virginia’s land preservation tax credit program by facilitating transactions in which Virginia taxpayers purchase high-quality tax credits from the easement donors we work with. Buyers of tax credits essentially join forces with landowners, state government agencies, land trusts, and Conservation Partners to help conserve the Commonwealth’s remaining farms and other open space land.
We are distinguished by our practice of working closely with landowners and their advisors throughout the donation process, our ability to effectuate smooth transactions, and our strict Quality Standards.
By insisting on quality easements and proper valuation in the conservation transactions we work with, Conservation Partners helps to ensure that Virginia’s land preservation tax credit program provides a high level of public benefit at a reasonable cost to the Commonwealth.
- Quality Easements. For a conservation easement to provide significant benefits to the public, the land involved must have significant conservation values and the easement must be drafted to adequately protect those values. We work with landowners, their attorneys, and easement holders to facilitate conservation easements that comply with our Quality Standards and implement meaningful conservation benefiting the Commonwealth at large.
- Proper Valuation. The land preservation tax credit program is designed to reward an easement donor with a tax credit equal to 40% of the amount by which the donated easement reduces the value of the land, as estimated by a qualified appraiser in a qualified appraisal. We review every appraisal report for compliance with our Quality Standards, and will not facilitate the transfer of credits that are based on appraisals we feel are abusive or not appropriately supported by market evidence.
Disclaimer: For informational purposes only. Conservation Partners, LLC does not provide legal or tax advice, and nothing herein is to be considered professional advice of any sort. {Full Disclaimer}