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Hilltown Land Trust

Dedicated to protecting the working lands, native habitats and rural beauty of the Hilltowns since 1986

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You are here: Home / Conserving Your Land / What is a Conservation Restriction?

What is a Conservation Restriction?

Conservation Restrictions

A conservation restriction or CR (also known as a conservation easement outside of Massachusetts) is a legal agreement that extinguishes the development rights of the land forever, but does not alter the ownership of the land. This agreement is documented and recorded with the deed and is passed along to all future owners. It is enforced by the organization that holds the CR, typically a state or federal conservation agency or a private nonprofit organization such as a land trust.

Conservation restrictions are appealing to some landowners because they are lasting, long-term agreements that can be crafted with a high degree of flexibility. The exact terms of a CR can be tailored to the individual characteristics of a property, and to the needs and interests of the landowner(s). CRs may allow timber management, wildlife improvements, trail creation, and agricultural use. After a CR is executed, the taxable value of the land may decrease significantly, possibly making it easier to pass the land on to the next generation. In most cases, public access is not required when a CR is placed on the land. While a CR restricts land from being developed, parcels of land may be excluded and set aside for future building lots.

CRs have value, calculated as the difference between the land unrestricted, with full development rights, and the land with the Conservation Restriction which extinguishes some of those rights. CRs can be donated, sold at a reduced price (bargain sale) or sold at fair market value to a conservation organization.

You may contact us if you would like to discuss placing a CR on your land.

To learn more about conserving your land with Hilltown Land Trust, read our Conservation Restriction Landowner Handbook.

Farmland can be protected through a special type of CR, called an Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR). Learn more about APRs…

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Gorge après Gorge 5k Run/Walk 2022
Gorge après Gorge 5k Run/Walk 2022
Nov 27th, 2022    
9:30 am - 1:00 pm
Chesterfield Gorge
  • Family Fun
  • Partnership Event
It's that time of year again! Join us for this year’s Gorge après Gorge 5k Trail Run and Free Family Fun Walk on November 27th. [...]
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Silent Solstice Sunset Hike
Silent Solstice Sunset Hike
Dec 21st, 2022    
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
DAR State Forest
  • Hike
Enjoy the shortest day of the year with a meditative hike. We will take a short, silent walk along the Upper Highland Lake in DAR [...]
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Events on Nov 27th, 2022
Gorge après Gorge 5k Run/Walk 2022
Gorge après Gorge 5k Run/Walk 2022
27 Nov 22
Chesterfield
Events on Dec 21st, 2022
Silent Solstice Sunset Hike
Silent Solstice Sunset Hike
21 Dec 22
Goshen
  • About
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      • Big View Trail
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      • Breckenridge
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      • Conwell
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      • Historic Dam Trail
      • Locke’s Loop Trail
      • Robert’s Meadow Brook Trail
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      • Stevens
      • Two Mamas Farm Waterfall Trail
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