It’s All Legalese to Me: Reading and Understanding Conservation Easement Provisions

Reading and understanding conservation easements is a specialized skill that acquisition and stewardship practitioners need to protect and steward the easements in a legally defensible manner. While legal language can be complex, the Land Trust Alliance’s Ailla Wasstrom-Evans, conservation defense fund and education manager, and Diana Norris, conservation defense and tax manager, will teach you to confidently read and understand fundamental conservation easement provisions. Grab your organization’s easement template and follow along as we cover:

• Relevant legal and tax concepts that support conservation easement creation, incentivization, implementation and enforcement.

• Basics of the federal income tax deduction for donated conservation easements.

• The function of certain fundamental conservation easement provisions, including recitals, conservation purposes, restrictions, retained rights and boilerplate provisions.

• Practical tips and sample provisions from the Alliance’s Practical Pointer series.

• The interplay between fundamental easement provisions and the federal income tax deduction for donated conservation easements.

• Land Trust Standards and Practices and guidance documents to assist your understanding and enforcement of conservation easements.

What to expect

Before the event: Participants should locate and review their organization’s conservation easement template (or a sample document on the Resource Center) prior to the class.

During the event: This is a 2.5-hour online class that will include a 5-minute break near the middle. The online class will include lecture-style instruction, participant interaction such as polls and reading exercises, and time for questions. Closed captions are provided by Zoom.

After the event: The recording, slides and any other materials will be posted on this event page for registrants to access. Registrants will receive a follow up email when materials are posted.

This event is part of the 2026 Online Learning Pass.

Participants in Land Trust Alliance events should review and agree to the Alliance Code of Conduct.

Disclaimer: The Alliance is providing this event for informational purposes only and is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional counsel. If a land trust or individual requires legal advice or other expert assistance, they should seek the services of competent professionals.