Land trusts like the Elk Foundation need reliable financial resources to ensure that conservation easements, which last in perpetuity, can be monitored and enforced. For this reason we—with help from a long-time supporter who provided a very generous donation—established the Conservation Easement Protection Fund (CEPF) in 1996. Today the fund has grown to over $1 million, and every penny is dedicated to defending and strengthening our conservation easement program.

The more land we protect, the higher the costs. That is why the CEPF is so important. Annual easement monitoring requires staff and other professional time, travel expenses, maps and photos, and administrative and record-keeping costs. If the terms of an easement are violated, we could face considerable legal and court fees to ensure the conservation values of the property are protected forever. The CEPF helps ensure we can steward and protect its easements 100 years from now.

We ask that every landowner granting an easement make a tax-deductible cash donation to the CEPF. The amount varies by the size of the property being protected, the number of residential sites allowed, and other uses granted under the easement. Landowners who donate conservation easements to the foundation typically are the ones who care most about seeing the property protected in perpetuity, and understand that contributing to the CEPF is the best way to guarantee that happens.