Conservation Easement Program
LOWER ARK’S CONSERVATION EASEMENTS
“On March 12, 2003, the Lower District Land Trust was created by the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District. This allowed the District to accept donated conservation easements to help preserve the beauty, open space, agricultural practices, and the rural way of life for five counties.” (Mark, Caitlin)
Lower Ark Conservation Tid Bits:
Colorado is 2nd in the United State in acres preserved
Return on investment to Colorado is 6:1
Total Number of Easements held by Lower Ark: 63
Total Number of Acres under easements: 17,149
Ditches with an easement: Bessemer, Colorado, Blunt, Catlin, Fort Bent, Fort Lyon, Holbrook, and Rocky Ford Highline
Counties with an easement: Bent (6), Crowley (14), Custer (1), Fremont (10), Huerfano (1), Otero (13), Prowers (2), Pueblo (15), and Teller (2)
Lee Hancock, Conservation Easement Consultant, manages the conservation program for the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District. His agricultural lending and real estate appraisal background provides the necessary insight to assisting landowners through the conservation easement process. A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust or government agency that permanently limits the use of the land in order to protect its conservation values. The purpose of a conservation easement is to ensure that the land is being used for agricultural purpose in perpetuity. A conservation easement can be an important tool to preserve a family farm or ranch along with the habitat and scenic views.
The primary focus regarding conservation easements for the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District is to pursue the preservation of surface water rights within the Lower Arkansas Valley. Conservation easements provide an avenue for landowners who have the same objective of retaining these surface water rights. A conservation easement is a productive tool to accomplish this mission.