How Can I Help?
Private Landowners Can Help Protect and Ensure the Integrity of North Carolina’s Natural Areas
Be an ecologically responsible land owner:
- Limit pesticide use
- Minimize storm water runoff
- Remove invasive exotic plants from your property
- Use native plants when landscaping
- Set an example for others through your actions
Protect your land through:
- Conservation easements
- Voluntary legal agreement between land owner and conservation organization (land trust or government agency) that permanently limits some of the land's uses.
- Outright land donation
- Land is donated to a land trust or government agency.
- Donation of undivided partial interest land
- Interests in land are donated to land trust or public agency over several years until the organization has full ownership.
- Donation of land by will
- Land is donated to land trust or agency through the owner's will.
- Donation of remainder interest in land with reserved life estate
- Land is donated to a land trust or agency, but the owner continues to live there.
- Bargain sale of land
- Land is sold to a land trust or agency for a price below fair market value.
- Lease
- Land is leased for a specified number of years to a land trust, agency, or individual with restrictions placed on how the land can be used.
- Mutual covenant
- A group of landowners agree to place restriction on the uses of their land. May not involve a land trust or government agency.