Sharing a Family’s Forest: The Greenbergs Donate Their Land

By donating land to Kestrel Land Trust, the Greenberg’s permanently conserved 65 acres of their family’s estate.

In 1955, newlyweds Stanley and Bernice Greenberg bought a piece of forested land in Westhampton, and moved there three years later with their two young daughters, Rebecca and Carolyn. “We grew up with a sense of how special the land was,” Rebecca said.

“We felt that donating this land in our parents’ memory would be a wonderful way for us to acknowledge and honor them, while preserving and sharing the woods they cherished with the community they loved and called home,” Rebecca said.

The Greenbergs’ donation was just one step in a thoughtful plan for their parents’ estate liquidation. After consulting with Kestrel and professional estate planning advisors, it became clear that the family land could help the sisters realize multiple financial goals—including personal income and tax relief—while protecting the majority of the property. Rebecca and Carolyn first sold their parents’ home. Then they sold two building lots from the wooded property. The newly conserved adjacent land offered added appeal to prospective buyers. From the 65-acre land donation, the Greenbergs could receive a tax credit that reduced their income taxes for several years.