What does the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (GTRLC) do?

Who does GTRLC work with?

How does GTRLC protect "significant" land?

Is GTRLC in the real estate business?

Does GTRLC "take" land from private property owners?

Does GTRLC protect property for private landowners only?

Does GTRLC take land off the tax rolls?

Does GTRLC allow hunting on its Preserves and Natural Areas?

Where does GTRLC get its funding?

Is the privacy of donors protected?

What does the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy(GTRLC) do?

GTRLC is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization whose simple and straightforward mission is to protect significant natural, scenic, and farm lands – now and for all future generations. We work in a five-county service area – Grand Traverse, Antrim, Kalkaska, Benzie, and Manistee.

We are members of the national organization Land Trust Alliance LTA.org, an umbrella group of land conservancies and trusts which sets ethical standards of governance for its member organizations through a rigorous accreditation process.


Who does GTRLC work with?

We work with willing landowners who share our protection goals and who wish to permanently preserve their property. We recognize that all land is unique, as are the individuals, families, corporations, and foundations who own these properties. Therefore, we are committed to using land protection methods that not only guarantee the permanent protection of these significant lands, but also respect private property rights and balance the needs of local communities.

Frequently we partner with o ther conservation organizations, such as The Nature Conservancy and Little Traverse Conservancy, to most effectively accomplish a project reflecting our shared goals. We also work in conjunction with state and local units of government on a variety of projects – from assisting in a land purchase aimed to increase public access to providing technical expertise on farmland preservation to area townships.

How does GTRLC protect significant land?

GTRLC uses a variety of tools to protect land; here are the ones used most frequently.

Donation of Land

A gift of land to the Conservancy often helps families safeguard the land they love, giving them the opportunity to create a lasting legacy for future generations. Forests, lake properties, river shorelines, wetlands, and dune properties, can all become nature preserves with the Conservancy's care and management. Donating land gives the donor a charitable income tax deduction and removes the cost of maintaining the property.

Bargain-Sale of Land

The Conservancy occasionally buys land outright, but more often we help townships or counties purchase significant land. A bargain-sale combines the benefits of a charitable gift with income from a sale. In a bargain-sale arrangement, landowners agree to sell the property for less than the fair market value, providing the seller with funds and making the project feasible for the buyers. Landowners can also take a charitable income tax deduction for their gift portion, and capital gains from the sale are offset.

Conservation Easement

A conservation easement permanently protects privately owned land by amending the deed to the property. Conservation easements restrict activities harmful to the land such as subdivision development. Conservation easements are permanent and restrictions remain with the land, no matter who owns it in the future. Land protected with a conservation easement is still private property and can still be personally owned and managed, or even sold to a new buyer. Farmland can still be farmed; forests can still be harvested. Conservation easements also qualify as charitable gifts and can help landowners realize tax deductions as well as estate and property tax savings. For landowners who would like to protect their land, continue to own it, and pass it on to family, conservation easements can provide great peace of mind.

Purchase of Development Rights

Where possible, the Regional Conservancy may protect land by assisting or facilitating the purchase of development rights (PDR). PDR is an especially useful tool for our region's farmers. Here's how it works: The land is permanently protected by a conservation easement, but instead of donating the development rights as a charitable gift, farmers receive income. Peninsula Township residents in Grand Traverse County voted to fund a PDR program in their community in 1994; with the assistance of the Regional Conservancy, it has served as an effective tool for protecting farmland on the Old Mission Peninsula. The program has been so successful, an extension and increase of the millage in the township was approved in November, 2002.

Conservation Buyers

On occasion, the Regional Conservancy purchases properties under immediate development pressure, and then places a conservation easement on the property. We resell the land to buyers interested in owning already protected land. GTRLC has a conflict of interest policy which prohibits the selling of land to “insiders” such as staff or members of the Board.

A good example of a large conservation buyer project is the farmland we acquired as part of our Coastal Campaign. Click on the Coastal Campaign link on the front of the website and you will find information on farmland sales. GTRLC staff met with local farmers and local government officials for more than a year to carefully craft the program which has established a closed bid process designed to provide farmland to farmers. The farmland involved in this process is all protected with conservation easements that allow farming activity, but no development harmful to the property, and the easements are permanently attached to the land.

For more information on protecting your land, please contact our land protection staff at 231.929.7911. Our Landowner’s Guide explains our types of criteria and methods we use in looking at potential projects for land protection.


Is GTRLC in the real estate business?

Well, we do buy and sell land! But all land that we protect is protected permanently, and we abide by a policy that prohibits “insider” deals. For the purpose of this policy, GTRLC considers insiders any disqualified person under the Internal Revenue Code and LTA Standards and Practices.


Does GTRLC "take" land from private property owners?

Never! We only work with willing landowners – those who share our conservation goals.


Does GTRLC protect property for private landowners only?

No. In fact, the land we own (more than 8,000 acres!) is open to the public as Nature Preserves and Natural Areas . Additionally, we have worked with units of local, county and state government to protect important land with the expressed purpose of providing public access; some of these properties, such as Railroad Point which is owned by Benzie County, Seven Bridges in Kalkaska County which is owned by the state of Michigan, and Maple Bay which is owned by Grand Traverse County, are examples of this kind of protection project. By the end of 2005, we had helped protect nearly 7,000 acres, now open to the public, in partnership with local and state government entities.


Does GTRLC take land off the tax rolls?

Sometimes. But we do so in consultation with local units of government, so that we can minimize the impact on the local tax base. Often, the effect is minimal. For example, in Benzie and Manistee counties the Coastal Campaign involved more than 6,000 acres of land, but the owner (Consumers Power) was paying less than $70,000 per year in taxes. And, like we always say, “Cherry trees don’t call 911!” Developed land COSTS government, and therefore taxpayers, money. When land is developed, the need for services such as fire and rescue, schools, sewers, etc. must be provided. Many studies have shown that the loss of tax revenue from protected land is less than the costs of services required for developed property.


Does GTRLC allow hunting on its Preserves and Natural Areas?

Yes – where it is appropriate for the land and with our expressed permission. Areas close to residential areas, like the Reffitt Preserve in Traverse City, obviously aren’t appropriate. But, we are mindful of the damage overpopulations of deer can do to our Nature Preserves and the potential for the spread of disease in the herd when numbers are not properly monitored.

Please remember that lands protected under conservation easement remain under private ownership and we do not issue hunting permission for those properties.
See more details on Hunting.


Where does GTRLC get funding?

GTRLC receives funding from individuals, foundations, and state and federal government programs. We strive to make the most of each dollar we receive and our projects are almost always funded in a cooperative fashion with support coming from the private and public sectors. Help GTRLC protect land.

The recent Coastal Campaign is a good example of how we raise and use funds. Nearly 5,000 individuals participated in the campaign and major funding was received from national foundations such as the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Michigan’s most prestigious foundations including C.S. Mott Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Additionally, the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund also contributed significantly to the effort. See Coastal Campaign for more information.


Is the privacy of donor protected?

Yes! The Conservancy never sells or shares its donor mailing list. Requests from donors who wish to remain anonymous will be honored. Our fundraising activities reflect our commitment to the standards listed in A Donor Bill of Rights.