The Saint Kateri Conservation Center serves as a national, Catholic faith-based land trust to conserve Catholic-owned land and other conservation land for the benefit of landowners and the public. These lands include forests, farms, urban lots, and properties along rivers and the ocean.
A land trust is a charitable organization that acquires land or conservation easements, or that takes care of land or easements, to achieve one or more conservation purposes.
The conservation purposes may include protecting natural habitat, water quality, or scenic views; ensuring that the land is always available for farming, forestry, or outdoor recreational use; or protecting other values provided by open land.
We are especially interested in preserving the sacred and religious values of the land. This includes protecting Catholic pilgrimage and heritage sites, land owned by Catholic religious orders, and land that has sacred value for Indigenous Peoples.
We strive to protect Catholic-owned land from becoming completely secularized, while meeting the needs of Catholic groups that may be facing financial constraints or declining membership.
The most common way to protect land is by “conservation easement.” A conservation easement is a voluntary, legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust or government agency that permanently limits uses of the land in order to protect its conservation values. It allows landowners to continue to own and use their land, and they can also sell it or pass it on to heirs. The limits of the conservation easement “runs with the land,” meaning that even if the land is inherited or sold the restrictions stay in place.
The Saint Kateri Conservation Center is uniquely positioned, together with our partners, to advise religious entities about ways to address their financial needs while also remaining true to the land entrusted to their care. Always seek knowledgeable legal and financial advice before committing to land protection.
For more information, please go to our contact page or email us at saintkatericenter@gmail.com.