Partnerships make it all possible
- Michelle Wood
- December 20, 2019
- 1069
As the end of the year approaches and we are simultaneously wrapping up the 2019 projects and planning for what the new year will bring, it becomes clear how important our partnerships are in the many successes of a Soil and Water Conservation District.
And since this is a season of gratitude and celebration, I would like to extend our many thanks to those we have been able to work with over the year. From our longstanding relationships with our federal partners in the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Farm Service Agency to budding new partnerships with businesses, local agencies and farms, we know we wouldn’t be able to fulfill our mission without you.
We know our office is small, so it makes sense to partner with those who also are out in the community where we can help amplify each other’s impact. One such group we have made connections with over the past year is the Killbuck Watershed Land Trust. With a name like that, it’s no surprise we’ve come together over opportunities to protect and conserve the natural resources in this area.
I joined its board of trustees this year to share my knowledge of the watershed and help identify opportunities where we can work together.
The founders of the Killbuck Watershed Land Trust came together in the early 2000s with a mission to “promote, protect and preserve our natural heritage." For those that don’t know about what a land trust can do, a land trust is a nonprofit organization "that, as all or part of its mission, actively works to conserve land by undertaking or assisting in land or conservation easement acquisition or by its stewardship of such land or easements."
Locally there are a few other trusts with similar missions such as the Owl Creek Conservancy, based out of Knox County, and the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, which covers 17 counties across the northeastern part of the state. Even The Wilderness Center, based out of Wilmot, does some of the same work to hold conservation easements and promote land preservation.
The KWLT has an office in Wooster, yet its board members and scope of operations cover Richland, Ashland, Wayne, Holmes, Coshocton and Tuscarawas counties. Its primary objective is to assist landowners in acquiring and monitoring conservation easements on their property.
A conservation easement is a voluntary movement made by a landowner to forgo land-use change on a piece of property. A farmer may choose to request an easement in order to maintain his/her farm in agriculture in perpetuity. Other landowners may wish to place some or all of their ground in an easement in order to preserve it for the next generations in the same condition they currently enjoy it. It is a binding, legal agreement that follows the ground from owner to owner because these easements do not prevent the land from being able to be sold, just what types of activities can happen to it.
Deciding to place an easement on your ground is not a decision to be made lightly, and the process to establish the easement requires careful writing of the terms you would like to have written into your agreement. This is why working with a land trust can be very helpful, as there is a team of people well versed in the legal responsibilities, requirements and benefits who can help walk you through the process.
If you are interested in what options exist for land preservation, consider contacting someone with connections to a land trust. What works for one landowner might not be the right one for you, but someone with the knowledge of the various programs that exist in Ohio may be able to offer suggestions or ideas that help you make the decision to benefit your family, our community and the next generations. Leaving a legacy on your land is something that also deserves gratitude and celebration.