How Falmouth Land Trust has expanded its reach, 3 ways
A 40-acre property near 40 acres near Hadlock Community Forest in Falmouth was acquired in June by the Falmouth Land Trust. (Courtesy of Falmouth Land Trust)
The Falmouth Land Trust hit a hot streak this summer, acquiring three new properties in as many months.
The land trust closed on wooded wetland near Highland Lake called Babbidge Woods in May, land near Hadlock Community Forest in June and a parcel along the Presumpscot River in July. Getting three new properties in this rapid succession is unprecedented for the land trust, according to Executive Director Mila Plavsic. They usually acquire one or two pieces of land in a year, she said.
Each property was acquired differently, illustrating the many routes landowners can take to forever preserve their land.
Are you or your family starting to think about estate planning and the future of your land? Wondering about how that private property in your town opened up for you and the public to enjoy? Here are three examples of methods of land conservation in Falmouth that can apply to the over 80 land trusts across the state.
FAIR MARKET VALUE SALE
Falmouth Land Trust purchased the 42-acre Babbidge Woods property in May for its full appraised value of $384,000. In December, the Falmouth Town Council authorized the town to help pay for half the property, the first time the town helped the land trust acquire acres in over a decade.
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The land trust partnered with the Casco Bay Estuary Program, Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund and numerous other foundations and individual donors to cover the other half of the purchase.
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For land trusts to purchase a parcel at market value — a continuously rising challenge, as property values trend upward in southern Maine — they need a chance to raise the funds.
“Generally speaking, we need more lead time,” said Plavsic. “We can’t just say, ‘Tomorrow we’ll get you your million dollars.”
Landowners who are interested in selling their land at-cost to a land trust typically need to give the organizations a year, preferably two, to fundraise, said Plavsic.
The Babbidge Woods parcel near the Windham border is currently privately owned, though it has been used by cross-county skiers and hunters with permission from the owner for decades. (Courtesy of Falmouth Land Trust)
BARGAIN SALE
A Falmouth landowner who wanted to remain anonymous sold 40 acres in the northern part of town to the Falmouth Land Trust through a bargain sale.
This means the price of the parcel near Hadlock Community Forest was lowered from the appraised value so the organization could purchase it. In this instance, the landowner sold the property in June at a 90% reduced cost.
Plavsic said a bargain sale can be a win-win for families and land trusts, which can more easily purchase properties through this partnership. The difference between the appraised value and the price is it sold for is considered a tax-deductible charitable donation for the seller.
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Families, particularly longtime landowners, can still turn a profit on the land they are selling through a bargain sale.
“That often works out well for families because, especially if they’ve owned the land for decades, relatively speaking, the land is worth a lot more now than it was then,” said Plavsic.
CONSERVATION EASEMENT
Falmouth Land Trust protected 20 acres that run along the Presumpscot River by working with the landowners, Nancy and John Lightbody, to put in place a conservation easement that means this parcel will remain wild.
A conservation easement is a binding legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust (or a government agency) that restricts certain activities on the property. It usually means the land will not be developed, with a land trust monitoring these restrictions over time. There are different types of conservation easements, such as ecological, historic or recreational, based on the land type.
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The land title remains in the hands of private landowners, who often also retain the rights to live on the property or maintain or use it in certain ways, such as for farming or sustainable forestry. Landowners can still sell, donate or pass on the land to family, with the conservation easement’s restrictions remaining in place.
“It generally means that a piece of forest will remain a piece of forest. It won’t become a shopping mall,” said Plavsic.
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The Lightbodys have lived next to the property for 53 years as see it as their place of “serenity and refuge,” said Nancy Lightbody. In the fields and dense woods of the property, they have seen a variety of wildlife, including foxes, a moose and bald eagles.
“It is totally natural and unspoiled now, and we wanted to do our best to keep it that way,” she said.
A 20-acre property along the Presumpscot River in Falmouth was donated to the Falmouth Land Trust via a conservation easement in July. (Courtesy of Falmouth Land Trust)
OTHER MEANS
There are other routes to conserving land with a land trust, including a variety of ways to donate land or leasing or management agreements.
Families also interested in conserving their land have multiple personal factors to consider, including the wishes and financial situation of the wider family, the features of the property and the goals for preserving the land, according to conservation guide for landowners available through Maine Coast Heritage Trust.
Having conversations about what the future of a nature-filled property is part of estate planning, said Plavsic, one of the many important conversations to have as older generations make end-of-life arrangements with their families.
“It’s really important that everyone’s on the same page,” said Plavsic.
Plavsic said she knows families in Falmouth who take pride whenever they see a property in town named after a loved one who gave it to the land trust after their passing. The conserved property now honors both the family member’s memory and their love for the land, she said.
“It really is a legacy,” she said.
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Tagged: Falmouth Land Trust, land conservation, land trust
Sophie is a community reporter for Cumberland, Yarmouth, North Yarmouth and Falmouth and previously reported for the Forecaster. Her memories of briefly living on Mount Desert Island as a child drew her. More by Sophie Burchell
