Conservation Easements
Protecting your land with CILTI
A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust that places specific land-use restrictions on a property according to the landowner’s express wishes while upholding the conservation values.
The easement stays tied to the property, allowing the property to remain in private ownership and to be used for purposes consistent with the conservation values of the property. The terms of the easement remain intact if the property is sold or bequeathed, thus requiring all future owners to abide by the terms of the agreement.
When Central Indiana Land Trust chooses to hold a conservation easement on a property, our responsibility is to monitor and ensure that the terms of the agreement are observed. Being privately owned, land protected by a conservation easement is not open to the public.
How Does This all Work?
To learn more about our process for selecting properties and discuss whether a conservation easement is right for your property, contact Stephanie Paine Crossin or call 317.631.5263.
Why Work with CILTI?
By donating or selling land to the Central Indiana Land Trust, or by granting a conservation easement, you help create a future where nature has room to thrive. You’ll be helping to conserve Indiana’s forests, wetlands, prairie, and wildlife habitats. Once protection is in place, the land trust will provide management and/or monitoring to ensure that the lands remain in a natural state in perpetuity.
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Additional Questions?
Our Land Protection Director can give you more information about the various ways CILTI works with landowners.
Current News
December 2, 2025
Our board member, John Bacone, reflects on conserving key natural areas. He led the Department of Natural Resources Division of Nature Preserves for over four decades. Years ago, when I was working in the Indiana DNR Division of Nature Preserves (DNP), I asked Bob Waltz, the State Entomologist, how [...]
