#conservationeasements — Public Fediverse posts

#California - #WildlifeCorridors and #HabitatConnectivity

#CLAW envisions a connected network of habitat throughout the #SantaMonicaMountains, and beyond.

"For thousands of years, wildlife has been traversing the Santa Monica Mountains along well-established migratory patterns in order to find food, water, shelter, and mating opportunities. As urban sprawl spreads through this region, access to these routes becomes blocked or dangerous.

What CLAW is doing

CLAW is taking a multi-pronged approach to protecting connected habitat blocks and wildlife corridors in #LosAngeles.

- Wildlife Corridor Ordinance: CLAW successfully advocated for the City of Los Angeles to designate the eastern Santa Monica Mountains (between the 405 and 101 Freeways) as LA's first #WildlifeDistrict. The City Planning Department’s preliminary work for this ordinance can be seen in the Wildlife Pilot Study.
UPDATE: In December 2022, LA City’s Planning Commission voted to support the Wildlife Ordinance! The last step before a full City Council vote is the Planning and Land Use Committee. Follow our advocacy on this ordinance here.

- Land Acquisition: CLAW and partner organizations fundraised over $1.6 million to acquire 17 acres of critical connective habitat in #LaurelCanyon in our Let's Buy A Mountain campaign. CLAW's nature cam documented the use of this land by multiple species of animals, including mountain lion and gray fox. This land, one of the largest parcels in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains, is a keystone portion of an established wildlife corridor.

- #ConservationEasements: CLAW holds a conservation easement on a parcel of open space habitat in the Santa Monica Mountains. Conservation easements are binding agreements that ensure the land will remain natural and undeveloped in perpetuity.

- Corridor Watchdog: In April 2018, CLAW filed an appeal against the approval of an 8,000 square foot house planned for development over an ecologically unique hillside stream area with multiple protected trees. The Los Angeles Planning Department failed to properly evaluate the importance of this land as a wildlife corridor connecting two crucial habitat hubs. Unfortunately, this construction project is continuing with full approval. CLAW will continue to monitor critical connective habitat sites to ensure that environmental review is thoroughly analyzed and considered."

Learn more:
https://www.clawonline.org/wildlifecorridors

#SolarPunkSunday #LandIsLife
#WaterIsLife #EndangeredSpecies #CaliforniaWildlifeCrossing #SantaMonica #Reconnection #WildlifeCorridors #WildlifeConservation #HabitatConservation #PreserveNature

#Maine - #Agricultural #ConservationEasements

"The primary purpose of an Agricultural Conservation Easement is to protect the agricultural soils, agricultural viability, and agricultural productivity of a property in perpetuity by limiting non-agricultural uses of the property.

What is it?

"It is a voluntary, legally recorded permanent deed restriction place on the property. The easement or 'development right' may be donated or sold (or a combination of the two) usually to a land trust which then holds (and manages) the easement. Land protected from development with an easement remains in private ownership.

Agricultural easements help farmers balance goals of:

- generating revenue for farming or retirement;
- making their land more affordable to future farmers;
- keeping their farmland in farming;
- maintaining a treasured legacy of #SustainableFarm #stewardship.

"Agricultural conservation easements are private transactions, entered into for perpetuity, and thus harder to undo compared to other land protection land use strategies.

"The process can take some time to negotiate and carry out. The cost of buying easements on a significant scale can be prohibitive. It is also important that the 'holder' of the easements has the capacity to ensure that the agricultural land is managed as intended.

"You can contact your local #LandTrust or the statewide #MaineFarmlandTrust when considering easements as a farm viability and farmland protection tool."

Read more (via #GrowSmartMaine):
https://growsmartmaine.org/agricultural-conservation-easements/

Learn more about Maine Farmland Trust:
https://www.mainefarmlandtrust.org/farmland/protect-farmland

#FarmsForMainesFuture #SaveTheFarms #Sprawl #LandPreservation #SolarPunkSunday #Farmland #FoodSecurity #MaineFarms #GrowLocal #EatLocal

Another branch of the Marean family has already put 92 acres of land into a #ConservationEasement in nearby Standish!

https://www.pressherald.com/2024/04/17/centuries-old-standish-farm-protected-from-development/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/8PYVG

#ForeverFarms #MaineFarmlandTrust
#ConservationEasements #SaveTheFarms #PreservingFarms #MaineFarms #SolarPunkSunday

More information about #LindonFarm and #DonMarean from #MaineFarmlandTrust

"We’re excited to share that late last year, MFT closed on an easement on the Lindon Farm in Hollis, a 42-acre farm owned by Don and Linda Marean. The Mareans generously donated the full value of the easement towards the stewardship of the farm, which they have used as a horse farm since they purchased it 35 years ago. The fields have been used for pasture and to grow hay, and while currently set up as a horse farm, the farm’s infrastructure has great potential for livestock operations or other ventures down the line for future farmers of the property.

"With very few commercial farms left in the town of Hollis, the preservation of this piece of farmland holds much potential for supporting the local economy and farming landscape in the surrounding area. As a former state rep and past chair of the Land for Maine’s Future board, Don has long been invested in the future of Maine agriculture, and we’re grateful to the Mareans for donating the easement to protect their farm for future generations. We want to extend thanks to the Mareans as we celebrate this new addition to the network of #ForeverFarms!"

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2QHuCNLMNc/

#ConservationEasements #SaveTheFarms #PreservingFarms #MaineFarms #SolarPunkSunday

Here's some good news about a neighbor down the road -- he and his wife put an Agricultural Conservation Easement on their 42 acre farm to protect it from future development!

"Special Broadcast Presentation on the Benefits of Agricultural Conservation Easements - Aug. 21st @5:30pm
Posted on: August 14, 2025 - 12:04pm

There will be a special broadcast presentation on #SacoRiver Community TV (Cable channel 5 )Thursday, Aug. 21st @ 5:30pm by #DonMarean regarding the process and benefits of placing an agricultural conservation easement in perpetuity on their farm. This presentation will also be available to view on our Town's YouTube channel! We hope you can tune in!"

Another branch of the Marean family has already put 92 acres of land into a #ConservationEasement in nearby Standish!

Town of Hollis YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SRCM-TownofHollis/featured

#ForeverFarms #MaineFarmlandTrust #ConservationEasements #SaveTheFarms #PreservingFarms #MaineFarms #SolarPunkSunday

The Land Trust Alliance is offering its Ninth Symposium on Advanced Legal Topics in Land Conservation June 8 & 9, 2023 as a virtual event. Detailed information is available here: https://landtrustalliance.org/resources/learn/explore/advanced-legal-issues-symposium-2023 #LegalEducation #ConservationLaw #ConservationEasements #LandTrustAlliance

@dancline #ConservationEasements are good ideas phlosophically but problematic in practice, if the beneficiaries: (1) are not discrete entities (e.g., organized nonprofits); (2) don’t have a proven record of land management expertise; and (3) don’t have a sound long term management/financial plan.