An easement often grants a third party, mainly a utility company, limited rights to properties not belonging to them. In North Fork, Colorado, conservation easements do the opposite by preserving the "heaven here on earth," says Kathy Browning.
Many utility companies use eminent domain and easements to run power lines and cable lines in certain areas even if the landowners oppose them. In Colorado, "The word easement doesn't actually mean what we think it does. Most people think of an easement as a right of passage, and in fact it is a right of passage through time for land to stay intact," Susan Lohr said. Conservation easements provide communities with scenic open space by preserving the natural environment.
Even with a Conservation Assistance Program (CAP), there is still a chance your land may be taken away. "An easement doesn't eliminate the potential for eminent domain by the government, but they would have to compensate the family. This is rare and usually it's for a strip of land to widen a highway," says Kathy Browning. Conservation easements also keep land values steady because the land cannot be developed on.
"Over 70 easements have been placed in the North Fork Valley by CAP. That amounts to 8,300 acres that will be preserved," says Kathy Browning.
FULL STORY: Conservation Easements Preserve What We love About the North Fork
Conservation Easement Program Protects 100,000 Acres of Agricultural Land in New York State
A state famous for its largest city is making a concerted effort to protect agricultural lands as part of a larger national push.
Conservation Easements: Crafted With Good Intentions and Now Exploited for Tax Benefits
A tax break designed to protect land has become just another massive tax loophole. It looks like conservation easements are here to stay.
Farmland Preservation a Hot Topic in Idaho's Most Populous County
As the city of Boise and surrounding communities in Ada County, Idaho continue to grow and sprawl outward, agricultural land in the county may become a thing of the past.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.
Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.
In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont