The Challenge of Forever

The Challenge of Forever

Land protection doesn’t end when a land trust buys the land or an easement. We call what happens later stewardship. It is caring for the land forever by maintaining trails and public access, making sure the terms of an easement are honored, removing invasive plants, and promoting a sense of place and a love of the land through education and outreach. These are forever expenses and, over time, dwarf the upfront costs of protection. The challenge of these forever costs is that donors are typically less motivated to cover them than to help pay for the first level of protection. Including the Land Trust in estate planning is making a forever gift that will help us protect a place we love.

Conservation supporters who make planned gifts have an extraordinary impact on our work.

Proceeds from these bequests fund our endowment, ensuring our long-term success and stability. Legacy gifts enable BTLT to become a secure, effective land trust in perpetuity, allowing us to be better equipped to monitor conservation easements and steward our lands forever

Almost all nonprofits like to think of themselves as being in business for a very long time, but land trusts, by definition, are in the business of being around forever.

Because stewardship is forever, land trusts and legacy giving are a natural fit. A planned gift is the perfect way to ensure the land trust has the long-term ability to fulfill the forever promise that we make with each property that we conserve.