Continuing a Legacy of Generosity

The Colcom Foundation, the sole beneficiary of the estate of the late Mrs. Cordelia Scaife May, approached the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to propose the donation of conservation easements on five properties that she owned totaling more than 455 acres. The parcels are all located in Ligonier Township, in close proximity to Loyalhanna Creek, and will provide connectivity to land lying along Laurel Ridge. The foundation communicated Mrs. May’s desire to protect natural resources and to limit the development of this land.

Mrs. May spent her entire life and considerable resources protecting the ecosystems, preserving the environment, conserving land and water, and the Colcom Foundation is an extension of that effort.

“Increased sprawl concerned her during her lifetime. It threatens natural resources, wildlife habitat, farmland and forests,” said Donna Panazzi, vice president of the Colcom Foundation. “She had a special appreciation for the trees, the native plantings and the wildlife that surrounded her home. Sometimes, when I had occasion to drive her somewhere, she would ask me to stop the car so she could admire a tree in bloom along the drive.”

The Significance to Laurel Highlands Conservation

Acquisition of these easements will protect the conservation values of these properties to further WPC’s conservation objectives including:

• Protect water quality in Loyalhanna and Two Mile Creeks, Laughlintown Run and Four Mile Run;
• Maintain the contiguous forestland of Laurel Ridge; and
• Provide protection of a larger conservation landscape (parcels are in close proximity or adjacent to other eased tracts and acres held in fee simple).

The Conservation Intent

WPC will hold these easements in perpetuity. For all of the tracts, WPC would
place restrictions on industrial and commercial activities, signage, excavation of oil, gas or minerals, timber harvesting and dumping of waste.

After easing the parcels, the Colcom Foundation will list these properties with a real estate agency. The Colcom Foundation has offered to provide $75,000 for stewardship expenses, including baseline documentation and monitoring.

Mrs. May maintained a low profile with regard to her philanthropy and her ability to fund these programs insisting that it was the people who successfully implemented creative programs who deserved the attention.

“Mrs. May believed that conservation easements play a critical role in protecting and preserving the land and the environmental health of a region,” Panazzi said. By establishing conservation easements on Mrs. May’s property in Ligonier, the Colcom Foundation has insured that these significant natural resources will remain undisturbed by aggressive development.
 
What is a conservation easement?
Conservation easements are a voluntary way to preserve land while keeping it in private ownership. The easement is a legal agreement a property owner makes with a qualified conservation recipient (such as a public agency or qualified conservation organization) to restrict the type and amount of development that may take place on his or her property. The easement runs with the land and keeps the land on the tax rolls, preserving private property rights and maintaining the ability to sell or pass the land on to heirs.

Why are easements important?
By protecting important natural resources on private land, private landowners play an important role in preserving resources that are important to them and their community.

What costs are associated with a conservation easement?
The Conservancy must be prepared to monitor and defend all of its easements. The IRS also requires planning for the cost of monitoring and enforcement. If the donor claims a tax deduction for the easement, IRS requirements state that an “eligible donee of tax-deductible conservation easements must have the resources to enforce the restrictions” of the easements. It is standard procedure to establish a stewardship fund, setting aside funds solely for monitoring and defending easements. The Conservancy requests a stewardship donation with every gift of a conservation easement. Generally, the owner of the property makes this contribution.

For more information on conservation easements, contact Ann Sand at 412-586-2374.

All above photos by Paul g. Wiegman.