Clarke County Conservation Easement Authority on the Land Conservation Assistance Network

Clarke County Conservation Easement Authority
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last updated: May 2021

The Conservation Easement Program is designed to provide an option for landowners to protect family farms in Clarke County and their unique natural and cultural resources. It represents an opportunity for landowners to voluntarily donate or sell a conservation easement to a public authority to be held in trust for perpetuity. In turn, the landowner will receive monetary compensation either though direct payment from the Authority or by selling the tax credits generated by the easement donation. The amount of compensation is based on the difference between the value of the property prior to the easement and the value of the property after the easement. The difference in value reflects the land’s value as protected open space (such as farmland, forest land or rural use) versus the "highest and best" use (often residential development).

There is an increasing recognition that farm and forest land, clean water and air, diverse wildlife habitats, scenic vistas and rural character have public as well as private value. The Easement Purchase Program provides a means for attaining a balance between landowner’s rights and responsibilities and the public value of rural land. The Easement Purchase Program supports the goals of the Comprehensive Plan by adding an additional tool to protect the County’s natural, scenic, cultural and historical resources, promoting a stable, sustainable and vital agricultural and forestry base, and protecting the County’s surface and groundwater supplies.

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REMINDER: This listing is a free service of LandCAN.
Clarke County Conservation Easement Authority is not employed by or affiliated with the Land Conservation Assistance Network, and the Network does not certify or guarantee their services. The reader must perform their own due diligence and use their own judgment in the selection of any professional.