CONSERVATION EASEMENTS

To date, the most viable option for preserving agricultural land has been the Conservation Easement. Land under conservation easement may be ranched or farmed as it has historically been, but it cannot be subdivided or developed. The so-called "development rights" are held by a private land trust which guarantees that it will remain undeveloped in perpetuity. Ranchers who are financially able, donate their development rights. The value of such 'rights' is the difference between the assessed value of the land for agricultural use, and its value for potential development purposes. Ranchers who want to stay on the land, but are not in a position to donate, can receive fair-market compensation for their development rights.

Conservation easements have been extremely effective in preserving some of the ranches that give western Colorado its picture-postcard character. State and national organizations provide sizeable grants for purchase of conservation easements. However, local matching funds are required before such a grant will be considered.

The most successful counties are those that have put in place some sort of publicly-supported mechanism to generate funds to be used as a local match. The alternative -- repeated fund drives which tap the same few generous sources over and over -- is not viable over the long run.

One of RLPG's early initiatives was "Ballot Issue 1A" in November, 2000 which proposed a small mill levy increase to generate seed money which could leverage much larger contributions from Great Outdoors Colorado and private foundations. Though the measure was defeated at the ballot box, it garnered a degree of support that was heartening, given a rather hasty campaign.

Another, still on-going project is to secure funding for a conservation easement on the Jerry Johnston ranch south of Highway 24 between Woodland Park and Divide. This property is key to protecting wildlife habitat, riparian meadowland, and views of the Peak, as well maintaining ranch operations along the Woodland/Divide corridor.

A local source of further information on conservation easements is:

The Palmer Foundation Land Trust
P.O. Box 1281
Colorado Springs, CO 80901
(719) 632-3236
www.palmerfoundation.org