Mississippi Land Trust If you are a landowner in Mississippi and care about fish and wildlife resources, you need to consider a conservation easement -Grey Ferris
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Leila Clark WynnI'd like to welcome you personally to the Mississippi Land Trust web site.

Mississippi has seen significant growth in the past several years and we continue to grow, attracting new businesses and residents, as well as tourists. But the very reason many people call Mississippi their home is our rich history, prairies, red clay hills, bottomlands and bayous, coastal savannas, longleaf pine forests and scenic rivers and streams. We must actively preserve these unique characteristics of our state.

Mississippi's private citizens own approximately 75% of the state's land. For many Mississippi landowners, including myself, their property is more than a financial asset; it is part of their family's history, their community and their state. But the Mississippi landscape is changing. Today about 80 percent of all Mississippians live in cities and towns, compared to about 25 percent 50 years ago. As our urban population grows, natural habitats and scenic open spaces are displaced.

The Mississippi countryside is changing too. One of the most significant factors affecting our landscape is the continued breakup of family-owned farms. Family-owned farms, plantations and recreational lands are affected by changing economics and the increasing tax burden on property owners. Passing on a family farm or plantation to the next generation is a time-honored tradition in Mississippi. However, estate taxes, which can be as high as 55 percent of an estate's total value, may force heirs to sell all or part of a family property.

This web site is intended to help Mississippi landowners understand one of the most flexible and effective means of conserving and protecting private property: the conservation easement. A conservation easement is a legal agreement that ensures a property will be managed in perpetuity according to the landowner's desires. It may also qualify the landowner for tax benefits.

Conservation easements can assist landowners in protecting their land, wildlife habitat, scenic areas or historic buildings. Every conservation easement document is individually crafted and reflects the special qualities of the land protected and the needs of the landowner.

Conservation easements can be tailored to meet a landowner's specific needs, whether he or she owns 3,000 acres or 5 acres.

I hope you will take the time to learn more about the Mississippi Land Trust and conservation easements by exploring this web site.

Leila Clark Wynn

Jeff Clark, M.D.
President

 

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