| What
is the Desert Foothills Land Trust? |
| It is a local, nonprofit,
organization that protects important land resources for the
public benefit. The Desert Foothills Land Trust, like the
nearly1,400 other land trusts in the United States, responds
to the unique conservation needs of our Foothills community.
For more information on land trusts in the United States,
visit the Land Trust Alliance's
web site. |
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| What
is the Desert Foothills Land Trust history? |
| DFLT was founded in
1991 by local residents who were concerned about increased
development of the Sonoran Desert. The Cave Creek Improvement
Association and the Foothills Community Foundation contributed
start-up financial support. The Land Trust has received
endorsements from the Arizona Archaeological Society and the
Arizona Nature Conservancy. |
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| What
is the mission of the Desert Foothills Land Trust? |
| The Desert Foothills Land Trust works
with communities and partners to protect, preserve and
steward sensitive lands and species for the survival of the fragile Sonoran Desert.
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| What
are the goals of the Desert Foothills Land Trust? |
| To preserve and maintain
open space in its natural or restored state where native
species of plants and animals can thrive and people can
experience the splendor of the Sonoran Desert. It is not our
intent to create manicured parks with amenities. |
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| How
does the Desert Foothills Land Trust acquire land? |
Fee simple ownership: the
Trust acquires title to land that has been donated to or
purchased by the Trust.
Conservation easement: granted to the Trust by a willing
landowner, the easement restricts development on part or all
of the owner's property. The property remains in private
hands, its use guided by the terms of the easement while
management and protection of the conservation values are the
responsibility of DFLT. |
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| How
does the DFLT protect property forever? |
| DFLT is a 501(c)3
nonprofit corporation, entitled by state and federal statutes
to hold property in perpetuity. The board of directors
represents all of the communities DFLT serves. Deed
restrictions placed on the property at the time of acquisition
require the Trust to maintain the natural archaeological
features of the property in perpetuity. To assure the
financial resources are available to carry out this mandate,
the Barry Goldwater Stewardship Endowment Fund was established
in 1997. |
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| Can
land held by the DFLT be sold? |
| The Desert Foothills Land
Trust's purpose is land preservation. It does not sell land
that has been accepted for preservation. All donations are
subject to the requirements placed on them by the donor. It is
possible for a donor to give the Trust appreciated assets,
including land, and receive a charitable tax deduction. This
land can be sold just as shares of stock or other assets are
sold to support the disposition of property. Donors place
restrictions on the disposition of property. |
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| What
preserves are under the DFLT management now? |
For a listing of preserves
and their availability for public access, please visit our
preserve pages.
Preserving land is an ongoing activity of DFLT and other
Foothills properties are under current consideration for
future preserves. |
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| Does
the public have access to DFLT preserves? |
| Each preserve must be
handled differently according to the wishes of the donors and
the sensitivity of the property. For current information on
public accessibility, visit our
preserve pages. |
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| What
about neighbors bordering the preserves? |
| The Land Trust must live up
to any requirements placed on donated properties. It will work
cooperatively to balance the enjoyment of the preserves by
neighboring owners and the community at large. |
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| What
is the Land Trust's commitment to the community? |
| The charitable status of
the DFLT requires that it provides public benefit. Within the
bounds of its mission and requirements of donors, the
properties are available to use by the public whenever
possible. DFLT is also committed to promoting open space and
resource conservation as a community benefit. |
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| How
can I become a part of the Land Trust's mission? |
| The fulfillment of DFLT's goal depends on financial and volunteer support from
the communities it serves. The Trust welcomes all residents
and visitors to become members and volunteers to work together
to preserve the precious Sonoran Desert. You may sign up to
become a member or volunteer here or learn more about other
opportunities for supporting our mission here. |
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