After months of research, we have compiled a comprehensive document on Land Trusts and conservation easements, in order to explore creating a Spirit of the Land “Land Trust Organization,” as well as provide information for a number of interested farmers within the Spirit of the Land community. We feel this could be an excellent option and/or future direction for some of Spirit of the Land’s focus. A Land Trust could also open doors in multiple directions: creating a charitable organization that focuses on land protection and conservation, enabling local farmers to conserve land while presenting an economically feasible option, and potentially providing opportunities for environmental research and education.
The document includes all of the information needed to get a working knowledge of land trusts, conservation easements, how to set both up, and what 
it could mean for those involved. More specifically, the document includes: definitions of what Land Trusts and conservation easements are, a look at the relevant Alberta Legislation, how to create and govern a Land Trust organization, how conservation easements function and are created, how to register or amend conservation easements, the potential tax or financial benefits of conservation easements, and a number of examples of land trust organizations in Canada. In addition, we created another document of relevant resources, appendices, and contacts.
You can read the full document here: land-trusts-task-4-google-docs