Land can be permanently preserved through a method called a conservation easement, also known as a conservation agreement.

The Pacolet Area Conservancy has been working with willing landowners for almost 25 years to help people preserve and conserve their special lands. There are criteria that must be met, and restrictions to future uses, but there is flexibility in each agreement. The agreement is legally binding and applies to all future owners of the land.

Right now there is also an enhanced tax incentive in place. The U.S. Congress passed a fiscal cliff deal that renews the enhanced income tax deduction for conservation easements through 2013, and retroactive to the beginning of 2012. This incentive will help land trusts, such as the Pacolet Area Conservancy, increase the pace of land conservation.