Land Conservation Trusts in Alaska

Land trusts raise hopes for future preservation

Land preservationists say the century-old conservation land trust movement is gaining ground even in Alaska, where most land is public and there are only 1.1 people per square mile -- by far the nation's lowest density. Much of the state's population growth and private development has happened in lush valleys, on beaches and near salmon waterways.

Landowners who participate in creating trusts often get property tax breaks when assessors determine their land no longer carries the same development potential. Federal law also provides an income tax deduction spread over several years.

It's interesting because this is sort of the flip side of a lot of proposed post-Kelo land use legislation that argues landowners are better off with as few controls on their land as possible. (Consider, for example, Oregon's Measure 37.) Yet, these landowners are controlling the development of their community, and getting a tax break.