Conserving Your Land

The process of conserving your land

Ag + Open Space works with willing landowners to negotiate the purchase or donation of conservation easements. The acquisition process includes:

Project evaluation
In this stage, we assess which conservation goals, as defined by the Vital Lands Initiative, this project would align with, such as conserving natural areas, scenic vistas, agriculture, and more. Priority is placed on projects that will be the most effective and efficient in achieving the goals laid out in the Vital Land Initiative, and/or projects that are most under threat for subdivision, development potential, change in use, etc. We also assess the current conditions of the property. By potential for development, we mean the potential to subdivide the land into smaller parcels and/or build houses and roads, for example. 

Landowner Interest
While assessing the property and beginning to think about the design of the conservation easement, we prioritize the landowner’s current and future interests, which may include uses and improvements such as houses, agricultural infrastructure, recreational amenities, etc. 

Designing and negotiating the conservation easement
We use high-quality data and information, as well as on-the-ground experience to design conservation easements that best protect identified conservation features. We take into account all we’ve learned between our own project assessment and conversations with the landowner to develop a conservation easement that satisfies the interests of both the landowner and our agency. Conservation easements may designate building envelopes (areas where buildings can remain and/or be developed), and also designate locations for scenic, agricultural, or natural areas. 

Defining the purchase price
We work with independent appraisers to assess the market value for the easement, and then we work with the landowner to reach agreement on the purchase price. The appraiser values the land before placement of the conservation easement and after placement of the conservation easement. The difference in those two values is the maximum value of the conservation easement itself, and once we have that value we work with the landowner to negotiate the actual purchase price. You can learn more about Landowner Benefits here. 

Protected forever
Once a conservation easement is signed and recorded, this protection stays with the land forever, even if ownership changes. Our staff will continue to work with landowners to steward the land, and you can learn more about working with our Stewardship team here.