Over the last six years Legacy has worked to strengthen local land conservation by casting a wider, more diverse funding net. As interest in voluntary land protection through conservation easements has grown, so too have the costs and our efforts to fund this work.

Historically, landowners donated their easements because it was the only option. But as the conservation movement evolved, funding opportunities became available for purchasing easements.  Now, for various reasons, more landowners are approaching Legacy with a need to be compensated for the value of their land’s development rights, which they part with in entering a conservation easement.

This payment helps landowners invest back into their land and their families. Farmers repair or purchase equipment, restore structures, or bolster conservation practices. Aging landowners create a retirement plan, or even support a child through college.

Our land acquisition pipeline currently has 25 projects and more than 2,000 acres of critical land waiting to be protected forever. A majority of these are conservation easements that will need to be partially or fully purchased. The total cost? More than $7 million.

These projects represent dozens of eager, conservation-minded land owners looking to make sure their wetlands, family farms, pollinator habitats, sensitive ecosystems, and woodlands are protected forever.

Because these funds are not part of our program budget, we have to raise additional capital, posing a significant fundraising challenge to the organization. With that in mind, we began a more concentrated effort on securing funds outside of our traditional revenue sources of individual donors and private foundation grants. We refocused on federal, state, and local public grants and programs to help fill in gaps and pay for the total purchase cost of projects.

Together though–individually or combined, federal, state and local funds available to us never fully cover the cost of each easement. We must still raise more funds to ensure these lands are permanently protected.

Legacy prides itself on building partnerships that leverage expertise and funding. Working with federal agencies is complex and requires significant staff effort and knowledge to meet grant application requirements and reporting demands. Although we don’t rely on federal dollars to fund our projects entirely, they are a critical piece of the land protection financial puzzle and are necessary to protect and save our farms, forests, and waters.

The 2018 Farm Bill was a big win for farmland conservation and Legacy has eagerly pursued funding through it. The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) are Farm Bill programs that help fund up to 50 percent of the purchase price for conservation easements. In the last five years they have helped fund four Legacy-held conservation easements.

In 2024, Legacy applied for and was awarded a $24.6 million federal RCPP contract as the lead partner of the Southern Michigan Conservation Coalition. This award brings together our municipal partners – city of Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation, Scio Township, Webster Township, Augusta Township, Ann Arbor Township, Dexter Township, Northfield Township – with our land trust partners, Livingston Land Conservancy and Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy, to protect 4,000 acres of private land in southern Michigan through conservation easements.

When we submitted our application, we had identified eight conservation easements in our pipeline that would be protected using money from the RCPP award.

In addition to this award, we were able to secure another $756,000 in funding in 2024 through the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the state-based Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) 319 grants, which are partially funded with federal dollars.

Unfortunately, shifts in federal priorities have placed a question mark on all this funding as well as other state and federal programs we’ve relied on to protect private land. While the RCPP has been awarded, a contract has not been signed because it is one of the new federal contracts currently frozen. Our staff is actively working with federal staff to move this forward, but the program is facing uncertainty.

When federal funding is removed from the land protection equation, it leaves a large hole that needs to be filled from other revenue sources. Without this funding, it will take us longer to find those other revenue sources and push our closing timelines farther out.

This means that now, more than ever, your support is vital to protecting the forests, farms, and waters we love.

As we navigate the challenges of securing funding for land conservation in an increasingly complex financial landscape, the need for your support has never been greater. While federal and state programs have provided crucial assistance, shifts in funding priorities have created uncertainty, making it even more essential for us to rely on the generosity of individual donors and foundations.

With over 2,000 acres of critical land waiting to be protected, Legacy is more committed than ever to finding creative solutions and building strong partnerships to ensure these lands are preserved for future generations.

Your continued support allows us to overcome these hurdles and make sure that our region’s forests, farms, and waters remain protected for the benefit of all. Together, we can keep our conservation efforts moving forward, ensuring that these vital ecosystems are safeguarded for years to come.

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