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by Jeff Pidot (Author)
No recent happening in land conservation rivals the rapid expansion of conservation easements and the related growth in the number of land trusts over the past 15 years. Among the forces driving this phenomenon are tax and other public subsidies and the view that the conservation easement is a win-win strategy in land protection. The thesis of this policy focus report is that conservation easements are a valuable land protection tool, complementing regulation, land acquisition, and tax policies, but that reforms are needed in tax and other laws and conventions governing easements, lest we risk losing the public benefits for which the easements were established.
Author Biography
Jeff Pidot was a visiting fellow at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy from fall 2004 to summer 2005, researching, writing, and speaking about conservation easement issues and reforms. During this period he was on leave from his work as Chief of the Natural Resources Division of the Maine Attorney General's Office, a position he has held since 1990. He has been an active participant in the land trust movement in Maine and has a wealth of experience with conservation easements in both his professional and volunteer work.
