Land Protection

Land Protection

For Private Land Owners

...who wish to commit to the long term conservation of their land, several options are available, such as: conservation agreements (easements), land donations, and sales and or bequests of lands to a registered land trust. For more information about protecting your land, please contact the Rainy Lake Conservancy.

Current Status of Rainy Lake Conservancy's
Conservation Easements

To complement the Ontario government's decision to establish conservation reserves on the crown land islands of Rainy Lake in 1997, five US members of the Rainy Lake Conservancy decided to protect portions of their own islands through conservation easements. A total of 7 additional Conservation Easements and Land Donations have been donated since 2014. Today approximately 448 acres(181 hectares) of land have been protected in this way by American owners of Canadian Land. The donation of the first conservation easement in 2014 on Echo Island was the first "cross-border" easement in Ontario and, as such, has served as a model for other donors and conservancies throughout Ontario.

What is a conservation agreement (easement)?
A conservation agreement (easement) is a voluntary, legal agreement between a property owner and a qualified conservation organization such as a land trust. Under the terms of the agreement, the property owner conserves the natural or cultural values of his land while still holding title, living on, selling, using, or passing on the land. The easement is a flexible document tailored to meet the needs of the owner, the land's values, and the goals of the land trust. It benefits the land by limiting the kind of development activities that can take place, and it may also confer tax advantages to the owner. Once registered in the lands titles or registry office, the agreement is attached to the title of the land forever and binds current and future owners to the terms outlined in the agreement.

Conservation Easement FAQ ( PDF )

If you are interested in learning more about RLC’s land protection program and how you might donate or protect your property, please contact us at info@rainylakeconservancy.org.


We can send you a packet of information that you can share with your family and tax advisor. We would like to have a conversation with you to answer any questions – there are always many – so please feel free to contact Carolyn Wallis, wallis.carolyn@gmail.com.

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