About the Land Trust

We protect land and water for people and wildlife in New Mexico’s Middle Rio Grande Valley, forever.

The Basics

Land Trust

Land trusts differ from other conservation or preservation organizations in their direct involvement with land transactions. Land trusts initiate, implement, and monitor land protection devices for individual pieces of property or land areas. A land trust must have the resources and commitment to protect the conservation values of the property in partnership with the landowner.

Conservation Easement

The most common interest in land held by a land trust is a conservation or historic preservation easement. A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust or government agency that permanently limits uses of the land in order to protect its conservation values. This kind of easement is a non-possessive interest; the landowner/grantor retains title to the land, and can live there, sell, bequeath, or lease it. Easements are flexible and tailored to the land’s characteristics and the landowner’s needs.

Working with the Rio Grande Agricultural Land Trust

RGALT’s goal is to protect New Mexico’s natural resources and rural quality of life for Bernalillo, Sandoval, Sierra, Socorro and Valencia Counties. RGALT, a community-supported, nonprofit, works with farmers and landowners who live in the Middle Rio Grande Valley and are dedicated to the preservation of working farms, ranches, wildlife habitat and open space.

If you are interested in an in-depth understanding of conservation easements, please read RGALT’s Conservation Easement Guidebook.

CE Process

Learn more about the basics of Conservation Easements.

Tax Benefits

Learn about the federal and state tax benefits for Conservation Easements.

Public Benefits

Learn about the many public benefits associated with Conservation Easements.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Click the questions below to see their answers.

Does the landowner still own the land?
YES! You can sell it anytime at whatever price the market will bring. The easement does not freeze the value of the property. The easement goes with the land, not with the landowner.
Does the landowner have to donate all the development rights on the property?

NO! The landowner decides what type of restrictions they want on the property and can choose how much of their property they want to put in a conservation easement.

Does the landowner have to provide public access?

NO! The landowner controls access to the property.

Will the easement interfere with the management of my ranch or farm?

NO! The landowner retains full control over property management.

Is the landowner locked into current agricultural or land management practices?

NO! The conservation easement does not limit land management practices.

How common are conservation easements?

Very common – 61 million acres of land have been protected by local and regional land trusts across the US.

Do I still pay my property taxes?

YES! But the property will be taxed as undeveloped or agricultural land.

What about water rights?
Agricultural easements require that the water rights remain with the land.

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