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Step-by-Step Guide to: Conservation Easement | Gifts of Land | Bargain Sale | Trade Land 
 

Kachemak Heritage Land Trust seeks to protect environmentally-sensitive land and open space on the Kenai Peninsula through the acquisition of conservation easements and land. The Land Trust is obligated to ensure that its land protection programs result in real public benefits and that the land protection responsibilities assumed in perpetuity can be carried out.

In order for KHLT to implement a successful and efficient land protection program over time, every potential project must be evaluated with great care. The Land Trust will therefore accept conservation easements and fee title to ensure permanent protection if the following four standards are met:

1. The property is within our service area consisting of the Kenai Peninsula in Southcentral Alaska. (The Board of Directors may make exceptions to this policy.)
2. The landowner is willing to allow KHLT to acquire the property or acquire a conservation easement on the property through a legally binding agreement that is perpetual and enforceable.
3. The property, as assessed by the Land Trust, is determined to have value in one or more of the following areas. The land:
   1. contains important wildlife habitat or known wildlife migration routes;
   2. contains endangered, threatened, or rare species or natural communities;
   3. contains wetlands, floodplains, or other lands necessary for protecting water quality;
   4. shares buffer areas adjacent to designated critical habitat areas;
   5. shares a boundary with, or is in close proximity to, park or wilderness areas;
   6. is adjacent to or in close proximity to private or public land that is already permanently protected or that is likely to be protected in the future;
   7. contains or has the potential to contain significant educational, recreational, or scientific value;
   8. has agricultural or forestry significance;
   9. has historical or archaeological value;
   10. preserves open space for the scenic enjoyment of the general public; or
   11. (for easements only) is pursuant to a clearly delineated federal, state, or local government conservation policy.
4. The property is of sufficient size and character that its conservation resources are likely to remain intact, even if adjacent properties are developed.