Resource Materials
LAND TRUSTS AND OTHER EASEMENT HOLDERS OPERATING IN ALBERTA
A brief description of each active land trust in Alberta, including their area of focus and contact information.
Canada Revenue Agency Charity Listings
An on-line listing of all charities in Canada, through which you can get basic and detailed information about their charitable activities.
Environment Canada's list of EcoGift eligible charities
The list of charities in Canada (with an Alberta subset) that are eligible to receive gifts of ecological property.
Government of Alberta Directory of Agencies
A listing of all Provincial Government agencies in Alberta (recall that any agency is automatically eligible to hold conservation easements).
A listing of all municipalities in Alberta, with detailed information about each (recall that any municipality is automatically eligible to hold conservation easements).
LEGISLATION AND RELATED INFORMATION
Conservation Easements – legal and plain language
The excerpted clauses in the Alberta Land Stewardship Act that enable conservation easements, with a plain-language translation.
The Act which enables the conservation easement tool in Alberta (Secs. 28-35)
Conservation Easement Registration Regulation
The Alberta regulation prescribing the additional notifications required when registering a conservation easement.
All conservation easements are registered on the title of the land, following the procedures laid out in this Act.
A Legacy of Land: Conservation Easements and Land Stewardship (Conference Proceedings, 1999)
Dated, but still useful proceedings of a conference showcasing numerous perspectives on the role and opportunities of conservation easements.
Conservation Easements, Covenants and Servitudes in Canada: A Legal Review
A dated, but still useful resource describing the conservation easement laws across Canada.
PLANNING AND POLICY RESOURCES
Conservation Easements for Agriculture in Alberta: A Report on a Proposed Policy Direction
A policy paper designed to inform and catalyze development of a policy for the newly-created agricultural purpose for conservation easements.
Transferable Development Credits
An on-line resource for Alberta municipalities describing how TDC programs work, including the anchoring role that conservation easements play.
Conservation Easement Registry
A searchable, online database containing information on registered conservation easements in Alberta, maintained by the Land Stewardship Centre.
A national on-line portal of conservation and stewardship organizations, projects and activities.
West Coast Environmental Law Research Foundation
A searchable resource library which includes information about conservation covenants (the British Columbia version of conservation easements).
Canadian Land Trust Alliance Standards and Practices
Critical guiding documents from the now-defunct CLTA, providing a baseline for organizational integrity, but also standards for conservation easement transactions. There is also an accompanying background document.
REGISTERING CONSERVATION EASEMENTS
The home page of the Alberta land titles office, where all conservation easements must be registered to be connected to the relevant land parcel and come into effect.
Metis Settlement Land Registry
The home page of the Metis Settlement Registry, where conservation easements on Metis settlement lands must be registered to come into effect.
TEMPLATES AND CHECKLISTS FOR LANDOWNERS AND ADVISORS
An annotated template for a conservation easement monitoring report, outlining what sections should be included and the kinds of information each should hold.
Baseline Documentation Report Template
An annotated template for Baseline Document Reports on environmental conservation easements, outlining the components each report should contain.
A checklist that outlines considerations that legal counsel may use in advising a client involved in a conservation easement.
SAMPLE PROVISIONS AND TEMPLATE FOR A CONSERVATION EASEMENT AGREEMENT
Common Conservation Easement Agreement Provisions
Though all conservation easements are different, this document lists some of the provisions most likely to be included in a conservation easement.
Conservation Easement for Agricultural (and Mixed) Purpose Template
A starting-point template for drafting a conservation easement which has agricultural or mixed purposes,
Sample Resections in Conservation Easement Agreements
Restrictions vary between conservation easements, but some are more likely to appear than others; a description of some of the most common restrictions.
FINANCIAL AND APPRAISAL RESOURCES
Valuing Conservation Easements
A simple graphic illustrating the ‘before-and-after’ valuation method used to derive a dollar value for a conservation easement.
Canadian Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice
The Appraisal Institute of Canada’s on-line standards and ethics for appraisers.
The Appraisal Institute of Canada’s web site; all conservation easements should be assessed by a qualified appraiser.
A worksheet template for qualified organizations to calculate the costs of stewarding a conservation easement.
ECO-GIFT RESOURCES
The Canadian Ecological Gifts Program Handbook
The comprehensive guidebook from Environment Canada describing the process for certifying and receiving gifts of ecological valuable property.
The Ecological Gifts Program Donation and Income Tax Scenarios
A collection of common income tax scenarios for the donation of an EcoGift, showing the potential beneficial implications.
The Ecological Gifts Program Guidelines for Appraisals
The on-line (and PDF) description of the mandatory process for conducting - and submitting for review - appraisals of EcoGifts.
Application for Appraisal Review and Determination of the Fair Market Value of an Ecological Gift
The application forms (and summary information) for the submission of an conservation easement appraisal for certification as an EcoGift.
Engaging an Appraiser to Appraise an Ecological Gift
EcoGifts Change in Use Factsheet
A glossy guidebook to help landowners and qualified organizations appropriately engage appraisers for certifying a conservation easement as an EcoGift.
ORGANIZATIONS TO CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION
A charitable, applied conservation research institute with extension experience in the practical aspects of planning for and using conservation easements (co-authors of this site).
A charitable, environmental law information hub in Alberta, with extensive experience in the legal aspects of conservation easements (co-authors of this site).
A charity that supports grassroots community stewardship efforts and sustainable resource use, and maintains the Conservation Easement Registry.
GOVERNMENT RESOURCES
The Land Use Secretariat’s on-line information on the conservation and stewardship tools included in the Alberta Land Stewardship Act, including conservation easements.
A Government of Alberta funding program which supports the purchase of conservation easements.
OTHER LAND TRUST SUPPORTS
A national agricultural land protection group in the United States, with a large library of resources on conservation easements in that country.
American Friends of Canadian Land Trusts
An organization created by a coalition of Canadian and US conservation professionals to provide a mechanism to protect ecologically sensitive land in Canada owned by US taxpayers.
The web site of the umbrella organization for land trusts in British Columbia, with many resources that provide insights for conservation easement practitioners in Alberta.
The umbrella organization for land trusts in the United States, and a great source of general information on conservation easement practice.
The web site of the umbrella organization for land trusts in Ontario, with many resources that provide insights for conservation easement practitioners in Alberta.
PUBLICATIONS
Conservation Easement Guide for Alberta. By Arlene Kwasniak. Produced by the Environmental Law Centre (Alberta). Edmonton, AB: 1996.
An annotated guide to the original conservation easement legislation, which is still a valuable resource as the legislation has changed very little.
Conservation Easements: A Landowner's Guide. Produced by the Southern Alberta Land Trust Society. High River, AB: 2000.
A guide to conservation easements from the landowner’s perspective. Developed by the Southern Alberta Land Trust Society.
Conservancy: The Land Trust Movement in America. By Richard Brewer. Dartmouth College, University Press of New England. 2003.
A relatively current history of the land trust movement in the United States (and North America) which provides insights into the evolution of the conservation easement tool.
For the Love of Alberta: Ways to Save Your Natural Heritage: Private Conservancy Guide for Alberta. By Lesley Patricia Curthoys. Published by Federation of Alberta Naturalists, Edmonton, AB: 1998.
The seminal (though dated) Alberta publication designed to inspire landowners to conserve private land by showcasing practical options, including conservation easements.
