Land Advisors Organization announces the formation of its Land Conservation team, which specializes in facilitating real estate transactions that conserve important land and water resources, with an aim towards balancing the built and natural environments.
Conservation advisory services are customized to the unique needs of each client, which range from multi-generational landowners to new purchasers; from developers to land trusts; and from government agencies to local communities. Services provided by the Land Conservation team include:
- Assisting landowners in developing strategies for multi-generational ownership and for leaving an enduring legacy;
- Evaluating land portfolios and developing both acquisition and disposition strategies;
- Designing and implementing strategies for protection of source water and other natural resources;
- Developing effective mitigation strategies to offset development impacts;
- Planning for parks, open space, and protected land networks;
- Evaluating conservation options and funding sources;
- Identifying and applying for conservation program funding;
- Extensive expertise in drafting and negotiating conservation easements;
- Negotiating and completing complex conservation transactions
“The conservation of land is of vital importance and properly executed, can be of great benefit to a landowner and the community as a whole,” said Greg Vogel, CEO of Land Advisors Organization. “More communities, developers and landowners are seeing the positive economic impact of well-planned and implemented conservation strategies. Our Land Conservation team brings the insight and expertise Land Advisors Organization has been seeking to become a leader in land conservation and responsible land use.”
Heather Reading is leading the new Land Conservation team with Pete Johnson, Large Land Advisor. They each bring more than 20 years of expertise in land and water conservation to Land Advisors Organization. The team provides advisory services that help solve land use and resource challenges; protect drinking water supplies; improve recreational opportunities; and contribute to vibrant economies.
As the former land and water protection director for The Nature Conservancy in Arizona, Reading has extensive experience negotiating complex real estate transactions; developing market-based land and water conservation solutions; facilitating public-private partnerships; shaping public policy; and working with agricultural families to save their working farms and ranches.
Reading earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Master of Science in Forestry from Northern Arizona University, in Flagstaff, Arizona. She is a member of the Land Trust Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, American Farmland Trust, and the Urban Land Institute, and serves in an advisory capacity for several local land trusts.
“I’ve spent the majority of my career aligning diverse stakeholders around a shared vision of achieving outcomes that benefit people and nature, while contributing to the economic vitality of communities across Arizona,” said Reading. “I approach real estate transactions through the lens of conservation by bringing creative strategies that derive value while also ensuring the preservation of resources, which fills a niche in the market. Offering this approach to Land Advisors Organization and their network is an exciting opportunity for me and our team and has the potential of providing lasting benefits to communities everywhere.”
Reading and Johnson are working with the firm’s Advisors in Arizona and other key markets around the country to assist clients and customers with varying land conservation needs.
Founded in 1987, Land Advisors Organization is the nation’s largest land brokerage firm specializing in providing deep market insights to landowners and purchasers for the most comprehensive and effective evaluation of land in markets across the country. By integrating current local market information with cutting-edge technology and geographically specialized professionals, Land Advisors Organization advises clients in identifying and capitalizing on valuable land opportunities in all economic environments. Land Advisors Organization serves landowners and purchasers from offices in Phoenix, Tucson, Casa Grande and Flagstaff, Arizona; Irvine, San Francisco, Century City, Pasadena, Roseville and San Diego, California; Orlando and Tampa Bay, Florida; Boise, Idaho; Las Vegas, Nevada; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Charlotte, North Carolina; Austin, Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah and Seattle, Washington.
