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A review of the organizations that solicit, process, accept, and monitor most of the donated easements in the State of Maryland follows below. The Maryland Environmental Trust and the local land trusts throughout the state have traditionally been the recipients of these donations. Historical resources have sometimes been protected this way as well. For example, the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) holds easements on almost 10,000 acres. Donated easements in general account for almost 110,000 acres (25%) of the state's permanently protected lands. Included below is some general information about the tax benefits associated with easement donation, an outline of the typical easement donation process, some appraisal guidelines, and some listings of appraisers and attorneys that are known to have experience with conservation easements. Be sure that you have read Conservation Easements section before proceeding so that you are familiar with the concepts and terms discussed here.
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| Maryland Environmental Trust |
| Local Land Trusts |
| Tax Benefits |
| Easement Donation Process |
| Appraisal Guidelines |
| Maryland Historical Trust |
| Professional Landowner Advisor |
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What motivates landowners to protect their land? Hear what landowners say about why they donated or sold a permanent conservation easement on their land.
"Our easement means a great deal in terms of our interest in the farm -- we really value the open space and are very much interested in protecting it. It also fits into a larger puzzle: Our 286-acre farm boarders Sugarloaf mountain and when we put it under easement, we invited a bunch of neighbors in to discuss the MET program. As a result two of our neighbors put in their farms in easement and that added something like 1,600 acres to the total picture, all adjoining. The complete picture has meant a lot to us to know that this patchwork of open space will be protected."
Law B. Watkins, Montgomery County, Maryland. MET Easement recorded in 1976.
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