Congress reworking conservation easements

Congress reworking conservation easements: "Congress reworking conservation easements
Proposed reforms could thwart some land conservation efforts on island
BY PETER B. BRACE

INDEPENDENT WRITER
Proposed reforms to one of the key open space protection tools used by Nantucket conservation groups, the conservation easement, are making land groups nervous.

In particular, the Nantucket Land Council, which holds 59 conservation easements protecting 732 acres of Nantucket, is worried about the ramifications of several of the proposed changes to conservation easements, also known as conservation restrictions.

Conservation restrictions essentially allow property owners to sell their development rights to a land conservation organization. The landowner gets a tax deduction and the conservation group is able preserve forever the wildlife and plants on the property."