Kinnickinnic River Land Trust

Working with the community to conserve and protect the beauty and health of the Kinnickinnic River and its watershed.

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Land Trusts

What is a land trust?

Land trusts are local, regional, or statewide non-profit organizations directly involved in protecting important land resources for the public benefit. America’s nearly 1200 land trusts have protected over 3 million acres. These include farms, wetlands, wildlife habitat, urban gardens and parks, forests, ranches, watersheds, coastlines, river corridors, and trails. The next few years represent the last chance for many of America’s undeveloped areas; over 3,000 acres of wetlands, farms, and forests are being lost to development each day. Land trusts, with their ability to respond creatively and effectively to local conservation needs, are uniquely suited to meet the challenge of saving these lands.

It’s no wonder that land trusts are the fastest-growing conservation movement today, with new land trusts forming at an average rate of more than one per week.

If you are interested in preserving your land with the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust, please contact Marty Engel, Land Stewardship Manager, at 715-653-6153-X102 or marty@kinniriver.org.

Basic Features of Land Trusts

Private, nonprofit, tax-exempt. They are funded largely through membership dues and donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations. Not “trusts” in the legal sense. In fact, many refer to themselves as conservancies, foundations, or associations.

Vary in size. Some are small and are run solely by volunteers. Others manage thousands of acres and have large, professional staff.

Protect land permanently and directly. Land trusts accept donations of properties, buy land, or help landowners establish legal restrictions that limit harmful use and development.

Protect land that has natural, recreational, scenic, historic, or productive value. Some land trusts preserve many different types of land. Others focus on a particular area or resource.

Cooperative. Land trusts work cooperatively with landowners, the community, and government agencies.

Some own and manage nature preserves, recreation areas, or historic sites. Others monitor the development restrictions they have helped establish, but own no land at all, while still others work in partnership with government conservation agencies, acquiring critical land that they later convey to the agencies.

Special Advantages of Land Trusts

As private, local community organizations, land trusts offer some special advantages. Land trusts:

Understand the special needs of the land and people in their regions.

Help landowners obtain professional assistance in estate planning, tax and conservation law, and environmental and land planning.

Respond quickly, flexibly, and confidentially. They may be effective where government action falls short.

Provide a cost-effective approach to conservation. They often protect land at a cost below its market value.

Offer a successful, cooperative approach to land conservation. Land trusts are the creative answer to today’s conservation challenges.

Conservation Methods Used By Land Trusts

The hallmark of land trusts is their direct involvement in land transactions. They use a variety of flexible and creative conservation methods that achieve conservation goals while meeting the specific needs of the community and landowner. Many approaches offer income, estate, or property tax benefits that help make conservation affordable.

Land trust tools include:
Conservation easement. The landowner enters into a perpetual legal agreement with the land trust that permanently restricts harmful uses and development of the property. The land stays in private ownership and use, and the land trust sees that the restrictions are carried out. Also known as “voluntary land preservation agreement.”

Donation. The landowner gives property to the land trust by gift or will.

Purchase or bargain sale. The land trust buys the property from the landowner. Sales for less than market value, called bargain sales, reduce the cost to the trust and offer tax benefits to the seller.

Life estate. The landowner sells or donates the land, but retains the right to live on it throughout his or her lifetime.

Limited development. The land trust arranges a strategy whereby the least environmentally significant portion of a property is carefully developed in order to finance conservation of the rest. Limited development may be used when conservation of an expensive property would otherwise be impossible.

Using the methods described above, The Kinnickinnic River Land Trust is prepared to assist landowners, land buyers, and others in the community to conserve the natural resources and scenic beauty of the Kinnickinnic watershed.

* This page was adapted from a brochure published by the Land Trust Alliance

Protect the Kinni

2013©Robert W. Chambers

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What’s New

Annual Meeting 2023

THOUGH IT CAN’T LAST – A Dialogue between a poet and a photographer.

Land Trust Days

Kinni Kurrents

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Gage/camera location is upstream of Highway F. Source: USGS National Water Information System

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Get to know staff member, Steve Leonard! Steve i Get to know staff member, Steve Leonard! 

Steve is the Executive Director at Kinnickinnic River Land Trust. Steve has many responsibilities within the Trust and stated, "I listen to people who already have a sense of connection with the Kinni River; it helps me understand their personal passions of why they love the river so much, their concerns of keeping it clean, and what the future might look like. For others who might not have a personal connection to the river, I hope to develop a sense of place, so they too can develop a passion to help us protect the Kinni River, for many generations to come". 

 #wisconsin #phenology #earth #riverfalls #nature #conservation #prairie #landtrust #mothernature #green
Take a walk through the Community Forest 🌲 The Take a walk through the Community Forest 🌲 The Community Forest is a wonderful place to take a walk as the forest is alive with beautiful plants and animals this time of year!
It's Phenology Friday! 🐝 You may have noticed It's Phenology Friday! 🐝

You may have noticed that a buzz has filled the air as our pollinator friends are active again after a long, cold winter. Bee's rely on flowers for nectar and pollen, and these tiny insects pollinate a majority of the crops we, as humans, rely on for food. Native prairie on KRLT preserves host a variety of wildflowers, making the preserves a wonderful haven for the bees, and a great spot for us to catch them in action!

 #bee #wisconsin #riverfalls #conservation #flowers #earth #nature #prairie #landtrust #phenology
Join us tomorrow from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm for Get O Join us tomorrow from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm for Get Outside and Leave No Trace hike at The Community Forest and neighboring City of River Falls trails! 

There are two locations where you can chat with KRLT, @kinnicorridorcollaborative , and the @leavenotraceorg team about ways to leave no trace when enjoying the great outdoors! 1st location is at The Community Forest parking lot off of HWY FF the 2nd location is Trailhead #11 off of River Ridge Road (see map). 

This is a self-guided hike. There will be a light cleanup and nature scavenger hunt for the kiddos! Gloves and garbage bags will be provided. Hope to see you there!
Get to know KRLT staff member, Marty Engel! Marty Get to know KRLT staff member, Marty Engel!

Marty is the Land Stewardship Manager at Kinnickinnic River Land Trust. Marty works with landowners to protect conservation values on their property and helps to facilitate fish, wildlife, and habitat improvement on conservation easements. 

KRLT appreciates all the hard work that Marty does to protect the Kinni!
Let's talk about Kelly Creek! Kelly Creek was pu Let's talk about Kelly Creek! 

Kelly Creek was purchased by the KRLT in 1998 and consists of 70 acres of restored prairie and oak savanna. The Kelly Creek Preserve is a great place to visit to enjoy activities such as hiking, fishing, foraging, and observing wildlife. Make sure to check out the preserve this month as wildflowers begin to bloom! 🌸

 #kinniriver #riverfalls #earth #nature #flowers #discoverwisconsin #wisconsin #conservation #mothernature #green
It's Phenology Friday! 🌸 The May Phenology Rep It's Phenology Friday! 🌸

The May Phenology Report is out now on the KRLT Website. Read through this month's phenology report to discover what ecological changes are occurring during this time of year. Click the link in the bio to check it out!

 #phenology #greenspaces #nature #grow #kinniriver #earth #landtrust #riverfalls #prairie #flowers
Due to the weather, this morning's highway cleanup Due to the weather, this morning's highway cleanup has been canceled. Here's a little sunshine from last summer at Kelly Creek Preserve!
Get to know KRLT staff member, Molly Barritt! Mo Get to know KRLT staff member, Molly Barritt! 

Molly is the Donor and Community Relations Manager at Kinnickinnic River Land Trust. Molly is passionate about conservation and educating our youth on the importance of spending time in nature. 

Pictured is the first trout that Molly caught next to the Community Forest!
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