cktimes.ca Archives for Ecowrappin'


Ecowrappin'

With Tom Chatterton

Gifts to nature

Tuesday, March 11, 2003

Many people make annual charitable donations to nature-oriented organizations. Usually this is in the form of money but it also could be in the form of "gifts-in-kind" which would include volunteer time.
Major gifts of money, securities (stocks, bonds, etc.) or life insurance can be donated either as a bequest in a will or many years prior to death. Often this latter arrangement will include an income payment to the donor as an annuity or what is called a charitable remainder trust.
Donations may also be in the form of land. This land may have limited natural value in which case the receiving organization may sell the land and the proceeds used for purchasing more valuable natural areas. On the other hand if the land has significant ecological value then it will become a nature reserve in perpetuity with or without public access depending on the donor's wishes. Sometimes the donor wishes to retain access to and/or use of the property either in the form of a "leaseback" or as a "life interest".
A fairly recent (in Canada) alternative to land donation is conservation easements.
These are legal agreements, which allow the donor to retain ownership while limiting future use and development to conserve its natural features. Each easement is written to specifically conform to the wishes of the owner and the significant features to be protected. For example, the agreement may allow cutting of firewood while prohibiting the use of ATVs, the planting of non-native species, the discharging of firearms, the building of roads, etc. Once the easement is signed and registered in a land title office, future owners cannot undertake activities restricted by the agreement. The organization that holds the agreement assumes responsibility to monitor and, if necessary, enforce the restrictions placed on the property.
Many of the above "gifts to nature" have very generous tax incentives associated with them.
For further information about such gifts contact the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Federation of Ontario Naturalists, Ducks Unlimited, St. Clair Regional Conservation Authority, Lower Thames Conservation Authority or the Sydenham Field Naturalists.