Tax Credits in Action
When a landowner protects property by voluntarily donating a conservation easement to a qualified land trust, this charitable act qualifies them for a transferable state income tax credit. The state’s program enables the landowner to turn a portion of the equity they have in the land into a marketable tax credit.
What does this look like on the ground and what does it mean for Colorado? View our gallery for several stories demonstrating use of the tax credit across the state. The benefits to Colorado are numerous and wide-ranging, and include water loss prevention; regenerative grazing; wildfire prevention, mitigation and resilience; wildlife habitat protection; riverbank restoration; species reintroduction; and protection of historic and cultural heritage - and much more.
“There is a pretty small area in Colorado where it’s possible to consistently produce peach crops. If land is not available in that 20-square-mile area, there are no peach farms.”
“If not protected, it would be an ideal area for ’waterfront’ housing - diminishing the property’s bird use and habitat value.”
“Focus on the values, the reasons for protecting the land, the long-term vision for the land.”
“It would be an ideal place to put in several houses. The family could have sold it to a developer, but chose not to.”
“When we did this, we were giving up the option of subdividing and making several building sites. We pursued that for quite a while and in the end really wanted to protect the land from development.”
“You can always use money, but you will never have the land again. They’re not making any more land. We need to do what we can to protect it.”
“Since that morning in 1954, I have carried with me the desire to do all I could to keep the land wild. The land trust has made it possible to fully keep our promise to Mrs. Mills and to the native creatures that call this land home.”
“If somebody is simply seeking financial gain, it is exponentially easier to simply list your property for sale. Colorado’s conservation community has made it possible for thousands upon thousands of acres of Colorado to remain for future generations.”