What are the Trusts stewardship responsibilities?
Upon receiving a preservation easement donation, Preservation Easement Trust assumes permanent responsibility for monitoring and enforcing the provisions of the preservation easement. The Trust’s stewardship responsibilities include performing annual property inspections, tracking changes in property ownership, answering property owner questions, approving permitted activities, and correcting violations through voluntary compliance or, if necessary, legal proceedings. The Trust is always available to answer questions about preservation easements and pro-actively works with property owners to avoid any potential conflicts. Because the preservation easement is granted in perpetuity, these responsibilities are also perpetual, and represent a significant annual expense. As a result, the Preservation Easement Trust maintains an endowment fund to pay for operations and the ongoing costs of administering, monitoring, and enforcing of its preservation easements.
