Join our Team - Become a Member of the Land Trust

Joining the Land Trust means investing in our community’s future. Your membership protects our cherished forests, wetlands, rivers, and open spaces and allows them to flourish forever.

Land Trust Members enjoy many benefits, including:

Becoming a member is easy. Join securely online by choosing one of the following membership levels and then clicking on the Donate Now icon below:

Annual Memberships	Corporate Memberships
Individual $40	Corporate Sponsor $500
Family $75	Corporate Partner $1,500
Sponsor $150	Corporate Benefactor $5,000+
Patron $500
Benefactor $1,000+

View our Guidestar Report

You may also request an information packet in the mail by e-mailing us or print out a membership form (pdf 98KB) and send your membership dues by mail to:

Central Savannah River Land Trust
PO Box 148 Augusta, GA 30903

Ours is a region of spectacular, graceful beauty. Together, we can make sure it stays that way, forever.

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What if the Land Trust earned a penny every time you searched the Internet?  Well, now we can!

GoodSearch.com is a new search engine that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate.  You use it just as you would any search engine, and it’s powered by Yahoo!, so you get great results. 

Just go to www.goodsearch.com, or click on the banner on this page, and be sure to enter the Central Savannah River Land Trust as the charity you want to support.  Just 500 of us searching four times a day will raise about $7300 in a year without anyone spending a dime! 

Besides surfing the web, there are many other ways that you can get involved with the Central Savannah River Land Trust. We could not achieve our conservation goals without your help. Getting involved with the CSRLT will also be of great benefit to you as well. Our staff is available to help you manage your land assets (and help you understand and even lower potentially confusing property and future estate taxes). We also provide valuable environmental education during our volunteer programs. Becoming a member will privilege you to a variety of benefits, including special events, tours, and information. Please consider joining our team!

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Donate

An easy way to get involved with the CSRLT is to donate a special, one-time gift. 100% of your donation will go to conservation efforts. You can even earmark your donation for use on a special project of your choice.

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Volunteer

There are plenty of volunteer opportunities with the Central Savannah River Land Trust. In fact, as our volunteer network grows, so do the number and type of opportunities to volunteer. Currently we are working on restoring a part of the Butler Creek watershed, cleaning up and building trails along Rocky Creek, doing baseline assessments of our current properties, and maintaining our Canal properties (link each to their spot on the current projects page). We will also be beginning public outreach projects in the near future, for which we will also need significant volunteer help. If you would like to volunteer, e-mail our Program Manager: hazel@csrlt.org or call our offices 706-312-5263.

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Internship Opportunities - job description (pdf 108kb)

Estate Planning

We are available to assist you in managing your land assets and develop a long-range management plan. Putting a portion of your land under conservation easement can result in significant income tax savings, potentially lower property taxes and even help keep your land in your family. There are many options to conserving your land, some of which allow you to continue your current land practices for the remainder of your lifetime, or even your children's lifetimes. Below are a few of the types of plans with which we can assist you. For a complete list or a personal consultation, please contact our offices by phone: 706-312-5263 or by e-mail: info@csrlt.org.

Land Donation - You can choose to donate a portion of your land to the Central Savannah River Land Trust. This is the simplest option for conserving your land. Donating land relieves you from all future property taxes, eliminates capital gain taxes, and in addition provides a large tax refund for your charitable donation.

Conservation Easement - If you wish to retain the title to your land, but also desire to protect a portion of it for perpetuity, you can place a conservation easement on the property. Conservation easements, basically, restrict certain uses of the land (i.e. development rights) while allowing the owner certain other uses, which can even include some types of ranching or farming activities. The restrictions in the easement, which are designated by the property owner, will remain with the land forever, regardless of ownership. The Land Trust in this option will become the steward of the easement, agreeing to enforce the land's protected status. Conservation easements often reduce the resale value of property - due to the restrictions on development, etc. - and therefore can reduce the owner's property taxes. Placing a property under conservation easement can provide a significant benefit for the property owner as well as for the environment. For more information about conservation easements, please visit the Land Trust Alliance's website or e-mail us for a free brochure.

Bargain Sale - If you do wish to transfer the title of your land, but cannot consider a full donation, you can chose to sell your land to the Land Trust for less than market value. The difference, then, between the sale price and the fair market value of the land you can often be claimed as a charitable deduction for income tax purposes. This deduction can help offset any capital gains taxes incurred by the sale of the property.

Fair Market Value Sale - Another option if you wish to transfer the title is to sell your land to the Land Trust for a fair market value price. This option is relatively straightforward. However, if the land has appreciated in value since the date you acquired it, you will be responsible for all capital gains taxes on the property. Many land owners who wish to sell their land do not choose this option, but rather sell their land at a bargain price, therefore lowering their capital gains taxes while offsetting the remainder by claiming a charitable donation deduction. If you sell your land to the Land Trust for fair market value, you are not eligible for any tax deductions.

Retained Life Estate - If you do not wish to transfer the title of your property for the remainder of your or your children's lifetimes, but do wish the Land Trust to have full control at a later date, you can establish a Retained Life Estate. A Retained Life Estate allows you stipulate a length of time for you or your family's continued use of the land, after which time the land will be donated to the Land Trust and permanently protected under conservation easement. With this option, the landowner remains responsible for all upkeep and property taxes until the land is turned over to the Land Trust. At that point, the land becomes a donation and is eligible for a tax deduction for the property owner's heirs. This option helps offset the cost of estate taxes to the heirs of the property owner's estate.

Gifts by Will - Another option if you desire to retain the title and use of your land for the remainder of your lifetime is to stipulate a conservation easement on your land with the Land Trust in your will. By leaving a portion of your property to the CSRLT in your will, you relieve your heirs from the associated estate taxes and ensure the continued protection of your land for perpetuity.

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