Conservation Land Management Services
RCCD offers annual stewardship monitoring, baseline documentation and mapping services for municipal open space and conservation easement parcels.
Annual Easement Stewardship
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and an eligible conservation organization or agency that permanently limits uses of the land to protect its conservation values. It is the responsibility of the easement holder to ensure the terms of the deed are being upheld, ultimately safeguarding the long-term protection of the property. This is done, in part, through an onsite monitoring inspection that involves walking the easement boundaries and/or interior to record recent changes, boundary conditions and any other relevant information.
Other annual stewardship tasks may include:
Compilation of an annual monitoring report which documents site walk findings.
Boundary marking and maintenance.
Communication with the landowner, keeping current landownership records up to date.
Aerially imagery monitoring
Baseline Documentation
Baseline documentation includes detailed records of the property’s condition and features at the time it is conserved and is used as a basis of comparison for all future monitoring. A record of a property’s condition is critical for all conservation easements, however for some, these records may also be a legal requirement. When a charitable deduction is claimed for a donated conservation easement, a record of the property’s condition at the time of easement conveyance is required to satisfy IRS regulations.
Baseline documentation should be largely influenced by the purposes of the easement and its conservation values. For example, if a property is conserved to protect its prime agricultural soils or wetlands, these features should be included in the baseline report. Another critical component of baseline reporting is documenting features of an easement’s boundaries. Conditions will change over time and these detailed records will help to provide a reference for long-term boundary maintenance.
Components of a Baseline:
Summary of the easement deed including information on the easement’s conservation values, restrictions and reserved rights.
Photo documentation of natural features, existing disturbances and easement boundaries as depicted on a legal survey.
Mapping of all photo points, wetlands, soils, topography, surrounding protected lands, tax parcel information etc.
Final written report detailing all findings.
* Sometimes easements are granted to entities, and there is no baseline documentation completed or it was completed incorrectly in the past. It is still important to have baseline records on file even if completed after the conveyance of the easement, for future monitoring and potential boundary matters.
Mapping/GIS
Create conservation easement boundary shapefiles and/or GPS Points
Property mapping: wetlands, forest composition, soils, NHFG WAP, lidar/dem overlay, etc.
Contact RCCD now to learn more and discuss your conservation land management needs.