GUEST COMMENTARY: Options for protecting land in a down economy

Sure, our economy is in a difficult place. Individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations alike are rethinking how we operate to make ends meet. When it comes to land preservation, however, the picture is not so dire. There are positive opportunities in terms of open space protection during such economic times. Land is cheap, many parcels are on the market, and landowners are exploring alternate avenues to reduce their tax burden.

As a landowner, you might want to consider options for donating open space properties to local land trusts such as Save the Dunes, Shirley Heinze Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, LaPorte County Conservation Trust, Woodland Savanna Land Conservancy or others. You should also consider donating land to towns or municipalities, county or local parks departments, or governmental agencies.

Ask yourself: Is my property next to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore? A park? An important waterway? Nature preserves owned by the state or a land trust? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then contact the respective agency.

Ask them about tax incentives for donating a property outright, whether a conservation easement is possible, and explore other mechanisms through which you might retain ownership, yet protect your property from development and reduce your tax burden.

Recently, a donor contacted me, wanting to provide a modest donation to protect a small but important piece of property. Our Land Committee keeps a running list of parcels of interest, and we identified a willing seller with a small parcel bounded on two sides by the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in Porter County. After reviewing our maps, local parcel data, and securing board approval, Save the Dunes acquired this roughly half-acre parcel from the conservation-minded seller. It was a win-win for both parties.

We are now working to transfer the parcel to the National Park Service for long-term ownership and management. Because the parcel is immediately adjacent to the park boundary, it is eligible for donation.

The inestimable Ruth Osann, one of our founders, also donated a small residential parcel adjacent to the national lakeshore boundary, and we are working to transfer this unit to the National Park Service as well.

Building the boundary of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, our parks and nature preserves will help protect them from further development and encroachment. Protecting land also helps reduce the inflow of invasive species that are damaging our native ecosystems and native species. Even small donations of land can have an incredible impact -- even in not-the-best of times. If you are in a position to do so, I encourage you to leave a legacy with your land in Northwest Indiana.

Nicole Barker is executive director of Save the Dunes. The opinion expressed in this column is the writer's and not necessarily that of The Times.