Preserve your land

Acquisition provides the most lasting impact for conservation by maintaining land in its natural state. OVLC works with willing landowners in the valley to acquire properties that fit our conservation priority profile.

Donations of land can offer significant tax benefits to landowners, but in certain instances, funding to purchase lands may be available.

Please contact us if you’re interested in discussing options to conserve your land.

A conservation easement lets a landowner permanently protect their land while maintaining ownership, control, and use of it. The terms of an easement are highly customizable to your present and future goals but generally strive to keep land in its current natural state and binds future owners to the same conditions. Lands can be sold or handed down to the next generation. Most conservation easement properties do not allow public access.

The IRS offers generous tax benefits for donations of easements; a conservation easement may also help avoid estate taxes and lower property taxes. Since each situation is unique, we encourage landowners to contact us to discuss their situation.

Increasingly, OVLC is looking for ways to preserve the valley’s natural capital—lands that foster resilience and adaptability to the changing climate. For instance, north-facing slopes are modeled to serve as climate refugia in a hotter/drier Ojai Valley. This refinement to OVLC’s acquisition strategy refers to the lands and waters that sustain all life in the Ojai Valley. Similarly, both California’s governor and the president have announced goals of permanently protecting 30% of the land base by the year 2030. These goals reflect the fact that natural habitat buffers climate extremes and protects the ecosystem services on which all life depends. Thus, permanent protection of land is perhaps the smartest and most cost-effective response to climate change. It is clear in the Ojai Valley that OVLC’s preserves also make for a more livable valley by providing easy and abundant access to nature.

OVLC is targeting lands that are specifically suited to provide habitat resilience and ecosystem services to respond to our shifting climate. These priorities match those of the state funding agencies with potential to help OVLC acquire significant acreage. For instance, OVLC experts developed a climate adaptation model to inform the prioritization of lands that may serve as climate refugia for native species of plants and animals whose ranges will very likely shift with increased heat and drought stress. We are applying this model using other ecosystem services to further guide our acquisition strategy. For example, lands with high groundwater recharge potential should be a high priority. Or, land in the wildland-urban interface that could provide a buffer for wildfire or that might need proactive fuel and habitat management. Clearly, lands that provide habitat for the rarest wildlife species in the valley will continue to be a priority (riparian areas and north-facing slopes in particular). 

If you are interested in protecting your part of Ojai forever, there are numerous options and it is best to consult with your legal or tax advisor to understand what may work best in your situation.

In general, land is sold or given to OVLC in its entirety (known as “fee simple”) or a conservation easement is placed on the land to ensure that the scenic and natural spaces remain that way. All properties must be appraised so a fair market value can be determined. A partial or complete donation of the land can offer tax deductions to lower your income taxes for multiple years while also reducing capital gains taxes or property taxes.

Ventura County also allows for conservation subdivision which allows landowners to create a separate parcel for donation or sale to a conservation organization through an expedited process that avoids standard subdivision requirements. This option may allow a landowner to reduce property taxes and estate taxes or even provide opportunities for a land purchaser to acquire a property with the ability to later sell a portion to OVLC.

Contact OVLC through the link below to learn more about the conservation options that may apply to your land.

Please contact the Executive Director (executivedirector@ovlc.org or (805) 649-6852 x 1) if you have a property that you would like to have considered for preservation in perpetuity.