Conservation Easements
A conservation easement is a legal tool by which a landowner agrees to specific restrictions on development and land use. Conservation easements may be established to assure that land remains available for agricultural, forest, recreational or open space, protecting natural resources, maintaining or enhancing air or water quality, or preserving historical, architectural, archaeological, or cultural aspects. The easement is 'held' by a qualifying private or governmental organization, which enforces the restrictions on land use. Conservation easements are voluntary and permanent - the land remains subject to the easement restrictions even if ownership changes.
In some cases, such as when natural areas are involved in a subdivision, local governments may choose to require a conservation easement as part of the subdivision process. Or, a community may establish conservation easements on existing public land with high quality natural areas.
NRI Information needed to prioritize areas for conservation easements
An inventory of the community's most biologically and culturally significant sites will help in determining where conservation easements are most appropriate. Prioritization of these sites is important because resources with which to purchase conservation easements are often scarce. The process of prioritizing sites for conservation easements typically includes criteria such as the ability of a given site to fulfill the community's natural resource goals, imminent threat to the site, and cost. Keep in mind that this tool should be used primarily to protect sites that would otherwise be developed without a conservation easement.
Key considerations for communities thinking of 'holding' conservation easements
The organization holding the conservation easement is responsible for monitoring and enforcement of the easement. This includes an understanding of the site's long-term management and maintenance requirements. Easement holders also need to be aware of any liabilities associated with the site (e.g., environmental or public health/safety hazards, existing easements).
Heritage Registries
Communities, conservation organizations, or other groups may wish to use a registry program to recognize and encourage private citizens who own land containing natural areas. Participation in a land registry is informal and non-binding, and involves a pledge from the landowner to provide good land stewardship. The registry provides an opportunity for the community to provide educational information about the landowner's property and how the significant natural features might be protected or enhanced. Local governments that do not have the capacity to provide such technical assistance may wish to partner with a conservation organization or simply promote participation in existing registries to their citizens.
NRI Information Needed for Heritage Registries
A heritage registry is often based on the desire to promote stewardship within a remaining high quality ecosystem (e.g., Big Woods) or a particular type of natural area (e.g., wetlands) that is increasingly threatened with mis-management by private landowners. An inventory showing the locations of the targeted ecosystem type(s), and their current quality and management status (if available) is needed to determine sites eligible for inclusion in the registry. In addition, the organization sponsoring the registry must have adequate information about the targeted natural areas so they can provide quality technical assistance to landowners.
Education and Outreach
Communities can engage private landowners with education and outreach in an effort to improve environmental quality by promoting appropriate land stewardship strategies and restoration efforts. Educational programs may include interpretive programming, tours, site visits, and literature distribution via community web sites, newsletters, utility bill inserts, etc. As with heritage registries, if a community does not have the capacity to provide technical assistance to landowners, they may wish to partner with a conservation organization in doing landowner education and outreach.
Education is a two-way street. While a community may see itself as the 'provider of information', local citizens, especially those who have a long history in the area, have a wealth of local knowledge that can be invaluable to local decision makers, especially at the site level.
Many of the decisions made by local officials affect the quality of their community's natural resources and, therefore, its long term future. Consequently, education of local officials is a key element in the community planning process. In order to make sound, informed decisions, community leaders should seek out a basic understanding of the location and biological significance of natural areas within their jurisdiction. When dealing with complex issues, community leaders may want to partner with local resource professionals, who can provide much more information about the ecological processes of a site and the potential consequences of a given course of action. A great place to start is Northland NEMO (Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials) - they offer a variety of educational programs about the links between land use decisions and natural resource quality, and what local decision makers can do to ensure the long term health of their community's environment.
NRI Information Needed to do Education and Outreach
Subject matter for educational programs ranges from very general (e.g., keeping water clean) to very specific (e.g. stewardship strategies to protect and manage a sensitive area on a specific site). For generalized campaigns, the community can use materials already developed by other organizations (there may be cost associated with getting the materials). When an education and outreach program is tied to a specific natural area, information presented needs to be unbiased and reliable so the following decisions are based in fact and logic. An inventory of significant natural areas, with information on specific stewardship strategies, is an excellent way to begin developing an educational program that will result in positive action by landowners and decision makers.
Again, the community may want to partner with local natural resource professionals in developing education and outreach programming. In addition, it's advisable to check in with a professional educator to be sure the presentation style and level of detail is appropriate for the audience. (In some areas of the state, U of M Extension Service has educators on staff to help local governments develop natural resources education plans.) The Metro WaterShed Partners has also developed a number of high quality educational materials that are available for use by local units of government.
