Conservation Easements

Discover the Heart of Our Work

Did you know that conservation easements are one of the main tools we use at Taos Land Trust to protect the land, support working families, and care for our community’s future? Here are a few things you might not know about them:

• Each conservation easement is unique, tailored to the landowner’s goals and conservation needs. Some preserve open space or wildlife habitat and others allow activities like farming, ranching, or forestry, if that’s what the owner values.​
• You don’t lose your land. With an easement, you still own your property, can sell it, lease it, or pass it to your children, just like always.​
• Easements can cover just part of a property, not the whole thing, and can reserve areas for future family homes or agricultural buildings if desired.
• Public access is never required, most conservation easements don’t require you to open your land to the public, unless you want to.​
• In New Mexico, landowners who donate conservation easements may qualify for significant federal income and estate tax benefits as well as a transferable state tax credit worth up to 50% of the appraised easement value (up to $250,000), and some landowners can also receive cash payments if they sell their easements.
• Conservation makes a difference. Lands protected under easements support wildlife, local food production, and the natural beauty our community loves for generations.

We invite you to learn more about what conservation easements are, why they matter, and how they benefit landowners and our community. Whether you’re a landowner considering protecting your family lands or simply curious about how land conservation works here in Taos, our upcoming workshop is the perfect place to start.

Join us on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, from 9:30 to 11:00 am at the Taos Land Trust, 410 La Posta Road, or from the comfort of your home via Zoom. The workshop will cover the benefits of donating conservation easements, available financial assistance, and how you can leave a lasting legacy protecting open space in our community.

Curious to dive deeper right now? Check out our comprehensive Conservation Easements page here, and don’t forget to mark your calendar for this educational event!

Other News

• Our natural resource interns rolled up their sleeves processing our beans this week, learning hands-on skills and fostering teamwork.
  
• Taos High CEO interns are actively planning our spring goat and turkey acquisitions, including selecting breeds, designing shelters, and estimating building costs. They’ll be involved in construction through winter aiming for early spring animal arrivals. 
• We’re monitoring the impact of cover cropping and goats this summer on noxious weeds like thistles and Siberian elm using grid surveying. If you’ve spotted orange flags at Rio Fernando Park, that’s part of our noxious weed management project.