| Mandi Taylor, September 2026
The Impossibility of Capturing Nature in a PDF
Every profession has the gap between what the job looks like on paper and what actually happens on the ground. In land conservation, that divide can be neatly summarized by one specific, legal document: the Baseline Documentation Report (BD...
| Mandi Taylor, September 2026
Behind the Scenes of Land Stewardship
When people think of land conservation wins, they usually picture all the work and coordination required to place land with rich ecological, historical, or cultural value into a conservation easement. And they are right to celebrate those e...
| Mandi Taylor, August 2026
Mitigation vs. Non-Mitigation Conservation Easements: How We Protect North Carolina’s Land
If you’ve ever looked out over a stretch of unbroken North Carolina forest or a multi-generation family farm and wondered, "How can we make sure this land stays protected, forever?" the answer might come down to one legal tool: a conservati...
| Mandi Taylor, August 2026
What if the best thing we ever do is… nothing?
In a world obsessed with “more,” more roads, stores, pavement, and parking lots, it is easy to overlook the value of not wanting more. In today’s world, it is almost as if we are expected to look at an open field or a dense forest and ask, ...
| Michael Scisco, April 2026
Navigating the Bottlenecks: Insights from the 2026 Conservation Easement Appraisal Industry Report
Conservation easements are the bedrock of private land conservation in the United States. But behind every successful acre conserved is a rigorous and complex valuation process that results in an appraisal. Appraisers are the unsung heroes ...
| Michael Scisco, March 2026
Why the Right Conservation Partner Matters
Conservation easements are permanent, legally binding agreements that shape how land can be utilized far into the future. Because of that permanence, the organization you choose to work with matters as much as the land itself.
| Michael Scisco, November 2025
More Conservation. Less Overhead.
When you give to conservation, you don’t just write a check—you choose where your values and your dollars go. You choose whether to fund glossy head-offices and heavy admin costs, or whether you direct your generosity to on-the-ground work:...
| Mandi Taylor, November 2025
Mythbusting: Conservation Easements
Have you ever been driving, hiking, or walking, and seen the sun perfectly hit a stunning, open space of land and wished it could stay that way forever? Or, perhaps you own a property (whether it be a family farm, a patch of forest, or a sc...
| Mandi Taylor, August 2025
Conservation: Deeper Than the Natural Resources
Land conservation is a powerful tool that has consistently proven to benefit public health, boost economies, and reduce effects of natural disasters. While we have access to ample data that highlights the tangible benefits of land conservat...
| Caroline Sevier, August 2025
How Conservation Helps Keep PFAS Out of Water
Have you ever seen a new acronym online and wondered what it meant? In a world swimming with acronyms like LOL and YOLO, you are definitely not the only one. PFAS isn’t a trendy new text lingo, but actually a dangerous source of widespread ...
| Mandi Taylor, April 2025
The Importance of Stewardship in Conservation
When you hear about land and resource conservation, the focus is often on the big moments: a large parcel of land being protected in perpetuity, a forest is spared from development, or a critical habitat is preserved for wildlife. But what ...
| Michael Scisco, January 2025
The Financial Basics of Conservation Easements
Conservation easements are voluntary agreements landowners can utilize to permanently protect their property from incompatible uses. They also have fairly significant financial incentives that can benefit landowners by providing tax deducti...