Protect your land

One of the finest legacies you can leave for future generations is a protected woodland, wetland, grassland, working land or naturally significant area or landmark.

ACRES is the largest and oldest local land trust in the region and has an unblemished record of adhering to donor intent.

Once ACRES protects your property, our name will always remain on the deed, guaranteeing its protection forever.

Bicentennial Woords

Options for protecting your land with ACRES:

  • as an outright gift
  • as a bequest, left in your will
  • as a reserved life estate, allowing you to live on your property
  • as a market-value purchase
  • and most frequently, as a discounted purchase

Benefits to you may include:

  • The value of your donation qualifies as a charitable contribution*
  • The opportunity to preserve and share your stories from the land, including naming rights
  • Retained rights such as continuing to reside on your land, personal recreational use

ACRES protects land. Forever.

ACRES permanently protects natural places and working lands by guaranteeing to never develop or transfer them. ACRES name will always remain on the deed, protecting these lands from development or transfer.

ACRES Land Trust accepts land in three categories:

  • Nature Preserves are places where nature is given the space to thrive with minimal disturbance. ACRES helps families, individuals and communities preserve a variety of natural areas: forests, wetlands, native grasslands, unique geologic formations, and habitat for plants and animals including rare, threatened and endangered species.
  • Protected Lands are working lands and places with a designated use. ACRES helps people protect land for reasons beyond natural features: farmland, pasture, timber producing forests, hunting land and multi-use land.
  • Transferable Properties are places that are afforded no protection and are intended to be sold for financial gain, transferred or otherwise used at ACRES discretion.

ACRES evaluates the land we commit to protecting. Because assessing the natural value of land is site-specific and situational, this evaluation requires more than reviewing a checklist. If you have questions about protecting your land, we’d be honored to speak with you.

Thank you for considering protecting your land with ACRES Land Trust.

If you’re ready to discuss your options or have questions, please contact:
Jason Kissel
Executive Director
260-637-2273, ext. 102

*Contact your legal and financial advisers to determine how your land protection options will impact your specific tax and estate circumstances