Protect Your Land
Why We Care (and why we hope you will) It’s hard to put a dollar value on the benefits that open space and unspoiled natural places bring to our communities – or on the worth of a property that harbours wildlife and plant species that maybe found nowhere else in the province or nation. Protected natural areas in private and public hands enhance the well-being of society as a whole. They provide nesting grounds for birds, serve as seed sources for plant species which may be of limited range, and contribute to the quality of our groundwater and river systems. As more land in New Brunswick is given over to development, pressure increases on undisturbed naturalareas to become sites of human activity. It is clear that government cannot protect all the important areas and their adjacent lands that together form natural systems. There is an increasing need for private citizens and groups like the Nature Trust to keep the natural fabric of New Brunswick viable for future generations. Ultimately the success of the Nature Trust’s protection efforts will depend on the generosity and participation of landowners like you. As a landowner, you may wish to conserve for the future the qualities which make your property special. The method you choose to do this could depend on many things, including the type of property you own, your tax situation and the extent to which you want to continue to be directly involved in taking care of your land. The following are some options available to property owners for creatively protecting New Brunswick’s landscapes. Representatives of the Nature Trust will be pleased to speak with you in more detail about any of these options.
Some Tax Implications of Donating Land Donating a piece of ecologically sensitive land to a qualified charity like the Nature Trust may result in considerable tax savings to you as a donor. The actual amount of tax credit available will depend on several things. These include your personal income level and tax status, whether the property is your principal residence, confirmation that the property in question is in fact "ecologically sensitive" according to Revenue Canada's definition, and capital gains that may be deemed to have accrued to the property since you acquired it.
It should be noted that the rules governing taxes are complex and subject to change without notice. Individuals contemplating a land donation should consult their own lawyer or tax accountant on the full implications to their taxes, before entering into any transaction. The Nature Trust as Land Steward To ensure the continued health of its many nature preserves, the Nature Trust has established local stewardship committees to monitor and act as custodians of the nature preserves.
This enables local people to take pride in these special places that have been conserved in their communities. It also provides the Trust with important information on the state of the preserves. The Need for Long-term Stewardship Funds From conducting biological inventories and monitoring boundary lines, to picking up someone's thoughtlessly dumped refuse, caring for land costs money. At the Nature Trust of New Brunswick we carefully consider the future costs of owning land or easements before they are acquired. For this reason, the Trust requests that when you consider a land or easement donation, you also seriously consider investing funds in the long-term management and protection of the property. As each site is unique, the amount of maintenance funds required will have to be assessed individually and with an eye to what potentially costly requirements the property may have in the future. Where properties are anticipated to have high management costs, the Nature Trust may not be able to accept properties without accompanying stewardship contributions. For More Information We will be pleased to assist any landowner that contacts us to plan for the permanent protection of natural lands in New Brunswick. Should the Nature Trust be unable to accept ownership of your land, we will endeavour to find a suitable organization that may do so. Alternatively, we will work with you to seek suitable protection using other mechanisms. For more information about the Nature Trust of New Brunswick, please contact our Fredericton office at (506) 457-2398 (phone), (506) 450-2137 (fax), P.O. Box 603, Station A, Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 5A6. Email: naturetrust@ntnb.org
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Under a budget announcement May 2, 2006, capital gains have been eliminated on donations of certified "Ecological Gifts". Under the best circumstances, donations of qualified, ecologically sensitive land to a group like the Nature Trust could result in a tax receipt for the full market value of the land, 100% of which the donor may make use of during the first year and (if the gift is large) up to five years following the year of the donation. Capital gains tax must still be paid but under recently announced tax changes, donors will rarely, if ever, be in a net tax payable situation. For more information visit the Ecological Gifts Program website: