The Habitat Trust is recognized by The Internal Revenue Service as a non-profit conservation project and public charity.   Donations of habitat lands and waters are considered charitable contributions and donors may benefit from significant tax benefits.   The Trust is legally required to have the ability to demonstrate that its conservation activities and acquisitions result in a genuine public benefit.   In addition, the Trust must be certain that it can fulfill the stewardship responsibilities associated with its land protection activities and public service obligations.   Therefore, the Board of Directors has adopted the following criteria for evaluating prospective conservation projects.

Although each project is evaluated on its own merits, it is important that The project result in a significant public benefit of vital natural open space protection for scenic values and conservation of biologically diverse habitats.  

Factors that contribute to establishing a significant public benefit are:

• The lands and / or waters provide habitat for state and / or federally rare, threatened and endangered species.
• The lands and / or waters buffer vital habitat of rare threatened and endangered species.
• The lands and / or waters support habitat that has been designated as "globally imperiled," or "biological hot spot," or state "very threatened," or state "threatened."
• The lands and / or waters are in a relatively natural, undisturbed condition.
• The lands and / or waters are an important landscape linkage habitat that may also support known migration routes and / or a terrestrial wildlife movement corridor.
• The lands and / or waters share a common boundary with publicly protected land or other significant natural open space areas.
• The lands and / or waters are in close proximity to privately held land that is already conserved and likely to be permanently protected.
• The development / denaturing of the land / water would diminish scenic views or interfere with views across protected natural open space.
• The lands / waters are an integral part of a significant watershed area, creek, pond, or other body of water.
• The land parcel is of sufficient size that its significant features are likely to remain intact in spite of adjacent development.
• The lands / waters, or portions thereof, have potential to be restored to their natural state, particularly if previous adverse environmental impacts have significantly affected natural features of the parcel.
• The land is located adjacent to or within a locally or regionally designated groundwater recharge area and its protection will preserve quality drinking water as well as protect other natural resources.
• The lands / waters may be a "greenway" that create or provide connections and / or corridors to other "greenways" that are of public benefit and ecological value.

In addition to conservation projects that fit the above criteria, The Board of Directors may authorize projects for other worthwhile public benefits, including "trade lands" to be used for financial support of Trust projects, that lead to the enhancement of particular neighborhoods or communities.

Factors that contribute to establishing a sound "trade lands" project are:

• The property, including any buildings, is clear in title, free of any liens, and is legal for building purposes.
• The property, including any buildings, is in reasonable condition for trade land purposes (i.e. a gravel pit or very run-down building in need of major repairs would be inappropriate).

Factors that may preclude Trust involvement are:

• The conservation value of the lands / waters is likely to be significantly diminished by the development / denaturing of adjacent area.
• The landholder / donor insists on conditions that the Trust believes will seriously compromise the conservation value of the lands / waters.   Stewardship responsibilities, including the enforcement of easement provisions, would be unusually difficult to fulfill.
• The lands / waters donor fails to provide a sufficient endowment and / or management fund when other funding for such activities by the Trust is not available.
• The lands / waters can be effectively protected by someone else.
• Requests to accept conservation easements, manage lands / waters that have conservation easements and / or stewardship of conservation easements.