Land Donation

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As a landowner, you may wish to conserve for the future the qualities which make your property special. The method you choose to do this could depend on many things, including the type of property you own, your tax situation and the extent to which you want to continue to be directly involved in taking care of the land during your lifetime. The following are some options available to property owners for creatively protecting New Brunswick’s landscapes.

Conservation Options:

  • Gifts of Land
  • Gifts of Land in a Will
  • Life Estates
  • “Bargain Sale”
  • Conservation Development/ Limited Development
  • Leases
  • Conservation Easements
  • Private Land Stewardship

Representatives of the Nature Trust will be pleased to speak with you in more detail about any of these options.

 

Some Tax Implications of Donating Land

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Donating a piece of ecologically sensitive land to a qualified charity like the Nature Trust of New Brunswick may result in considerable tax savings to you as a donor. The actual amount of tax credit available will depend on several things. These include your personal income level and tax status, whether the property is your principal residence, confirmation that the property in question is in fact "ecologically sensitive" according to Revenue Canada's definition, and capital gains that may be deemed to have accrued to the property since you acquired it.

Under a budget announcement May 2, 2006, all capital gains have been eliminated on donations of certified "Ecological Gifts". Under the best circumstances, donations of qualified, ecologically sensitive land to a group like the Nature Trust could result in a tax receipt for the full market value of the land, 100% of which the donor may make use of during the first year and (if the gift is large) up to five years following the year of the donation. For more information visit the Ecological Gifts Program website: www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/ecogifts

It should be noted that the rules governing taxes are complex and subject to change without notice. Individuals contemplating a land donation should consult their own lawyer or tax accountant on the full implications to their taxes, before entering into any transaction.

 

The Need for Long-term Stewardship Funds

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From conducting biological inventories and monitoring boundary lines, to picking up someone's thoughtlessly dumped refuse, caring for land costs money. At the Nature Trust of New Brunswick we carefully consider the future costs of owning land or easements before they are acquired.

For this reason, the Trust requests that when you consider a land or easement donation, you also seriously consider investing funds in the long-term management and protection of the property. As each site is unique, the amount of maintenance funds required will have to be assessed individually so that the property can be properly maintained in the future. If an appropriate stewardship fund is not provided to accompany a gift of land, it is possible that the Trust may not accept your bequest. To avoid this, please speak with us first to discuss future management and the many ways a stewardship fund may be easily arranged.


 

Photo Credits:

1–Chickahominy Moutain, Laura Minich                  

2–Pickerel Weed, Laura Minich

3 –Navy Island, Caroline Lee