Conserving the lands you love in southern Macon and Jackson Counties

Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust works with willing landowners to conserve properties for the benefit of all generations. 

We typically conserve land by conservation agreement/easement where the landowner retains ownership but donates part of their development rights. These properties, because they are privately owned, are NOT open to public access (with one exception, The Pittillo Family Nature Preserve, which was made public by the landowner). 

The other most common way we conserve is by accepting a fee simple land donation. While every property HCLT conserves offers some form of public benefit (such as protecting wildlife habitat, water quality or biological diversity), only some of these properties are available for public access. Our first-ever conserved public access property was Satulah Mountain Preserve (conserved 1909), followed by Sunset and Sunrise Rocks (conserved 1914) and most recently, Edward Baker Preserve (conserved 2020). HCLT owns and manages these preserves but welcomes the public to enjoy them. We do not receive any significant funding from municipalities or any public entity for the management of these properties, many of which have become significant natural amenities beloved by and for our community. 

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Voluntary Conservation agreement/Easement

• The landowner retains ownership of their property but donates some of their property rights to HCLT
• Agreements are tailored to the landowner's unique needs and goals
• HCLT monitors the land annually to ensure that the agreement is being upheld

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Fee Simple (donate land)

• The landowner donates their property to HCLT outright. These land donors receive the charitable contribution benefits of the full market value of their property. 
• Occasionally, HCLT accepts the donation of a property that has few or no conservation values, with the understanding that it will be sold now or in the future to help preserve significant conservation properties elsewhere to further HCLT's mission

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Purchase

• Occasionally, HCLT engages in a bargain sale. A bargain sale allows the landowner to receive income for the sale of the property, but the sales price is below market value. The difference between the full market value and the sale price is considered a charitable contribution

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