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Highlights
Moss Side Slopes is held by a conservation easement. A conservation easement is a tool that a land trust uses to conserve land owned by someone else. An easement is a legal document that transfers certain rights to the easement holder, in this case Allegheny Land Trust. It is interesting to note that the property is owned by a municipality. Once in place, the landowner and successive owners may no longer usse the land in ways prohibited by the conservation easement. The holder has the legal right to prevent unauthorized uses of the land. Conservation easements usually must be permanent restrictions on the owner's rights if the landowner is to gain the benefit of favorable income or estate tax provisions under the Internal Revenue Code.
The Pennsylvania Conservation Easements Act lists the following purposes of conservation easements: "retaining or protecting the natural, scenic, agricultural or open space values of real property, assuring the availabilty of real property for agricultural, forest, recreational or open space use; protecting, conserving or managing the use of natural resources; protecting wildlife; maintaining or enhancing land, air or water quality or preserving the historical, architectural, archaological or cultural aspects of real property."