Conservation Easements
An Investment in Land Protection
For more than 30 years, Shenandoah Valley Conservancy has worked with landowners up and down the Valley to promote land conservation using conservation easements. Tens of thousands of acres of valuable farmland and forestland and hundreds of miles of streams and rivers are now permanently protected as a result.
What is a conservation easement?
A conservation easement is a voluntary contract between a landowner and a qualified land trust that allows the landowner to protect the important conservation features of a property by legally restricting undesirable land use. Easements protect against excessive subdivision and development to protect land for agriculture, wildlife habitat, and recreation.
How do easements work?
The terms of a conservation agreement are negotiated around the kitchen table, and vary greatly depending on the landowner’s plans for their property. Since the agreement is permanent, it remains with the land even after it has been sold or willed to heirs.
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The easement holder is a third party that commits to seeing that the agreement is upheld by future landowners. Therefore, the holder needs to be a carefully chosen partner. Conservation easement holders are typically charitable land trusts such as the Conservancy or public agencies such as the Natural Resource Conservation Service or the Virginia Department of Forestry.
Easements are voluntary, flexible, and permanent. They protect conservation values unique to each property including farmland, forests, wildlife habitat, watersheds, and scenic landscapes. They typically prevent land uses such as residential subdivisions, commercial or industrial operations, and mining, while allowing traditional rural land uses such as farming, grazing, hunting, and timbering to continue. A conservation agreement never allows public access, unless it is the express desire of the landowner for it to do so.
Benefits of an Easement
For more than 30 years, Shenandoah Valley Conservancy has worked with landowners up and down the Valley to promote land conservation using conservation easements. Tens of thousands of acres of valuable farmland and forestland and hundreds of miles of streams and rivers are now permanently protected as a result.
- Prevents uses such as residential subdivisions, commercial or industrial operations, and mining
- Allows for traditional rural land uses such as farming, grazing, hunting, and timbering
- Remains in tact forever even after it has been sold or willed to heirs
- Provides tax benefits for landowner
- Does not automatically allow public access
Steps to Donate an Easement
1
Contact the Conservancy
To get started, we would have a conversation about your goals and visions for your land now and far into the future.
2
Site Visit and Landowner Interview
After an initial conversation, our team will visit your property to further outline how we can help protect what is most important to you and to the Valley as a whole.
3
Preliminary Easement Review
The Conservancy’s Conservation Committee will then review the project.
4
Legal Research and Drafting
If approved, we will work with your attorney to help draft your easement, complete the necessary due diligence work, and prepare all the documentation to create an easement that will stand the test of time.
Protect Your Land:
Our Guide to Conservation Easements
Shenandoah Valley Conservancy is committed to making the process of protecting your land forever as straightforward as possible. We would love to help you advance your vision for conserving your property. To learn more, download our Landowners’ Guide to Conservation Easements or contact Peter Hujik, Executive Director, or Taylor Evans, Director of Land Protection, at 540-886-3541.
“I was originally concerned that an easement would limit the future use of our property, but the team was flexible and worked with us to accommodate the way we have traditionally used our land while preserving the property and its history forever. I’m a big Teddy Roosevelt fan, so preserving the mountain and rivers for my daughter and future grandkids was key to this project.”
— ROBERT HUPMAN, Landowner, Warren County
“Protecting my land from development and preserving the huge trees on my property was important to me. The process of getting a conservation easement may seem complicated, but the staff guided me smoothly through the process. I went with VCC (now Shenandoah Valley Conservancy) because of their focus on the Shenandoah Valley, their helpful staff, and a board that has members from across the region.”
— LEE TAPLINGER, Landowner, Highland County
Download Guide
Complete the form below to download our Landowners’ Guide to Conservation Easements