News Desk

Conservation Easement Update: Oregon Family Donates to Protect Roosevelt Elk

Do you love open space? Do you envision your grandchildren and great grandchildren fishing for wild trout in a shady stream, spending an afternoon daydreaming in a grove of aspens or rising at dawn to hunt for deer? Do you fear that the land you own will some day be sold to a developer?

You can protect the land you own in several ways. One is a Conservation Easement. Ben and Debbie Hogevoll of Siletz, Oregon chose that option for their 106-acre parcel of land located along the central Oregon coast. The area, bordering the Siletz River, contains old-growth timber and is a migratory corridor for Roosevelt elk. They realized their property was critical for the elk and wanted to conserve the land for future generations. They retain ownership of the land and can sell it…but, as in most cases, the Conservation Easement goes with the land. Conservation Easements vary as to restrictions. Some activities might be off limits even to you, the owner. A conservation easement might prevent you from building additional structures or logging off the timber. Benefits include enhanced property values and tax incentives. But the biggest benefit is protecting your real estate from future development.

Normally a private, non-profit land trust will acquire the easement and work with the landowner to develop open space plans, monitor the property and provide stewardship of the land. The Hogevoll’s chose the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation as their Land Trust Program manager. Together they are managing the property for the benefit of the Roosevelt elk population in Oregon’s coastal range. With the increase in real estate development on Oregon’s coast, the Elk Foundation hopes the Hogevoll’s generous donation to conservation will have set an example for other landowners in the area.

There are currently more than 1,600 land trusts operating across the country, some over 100 years old. The Land Trust Alliance reported that from 2000 to 2005 local and state land trusts conserved open space at a rate of over a million acres per year, yet the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service reported that between 1997 and 2001, 2.2 million acres were lost to development each year. Conserving our land is critical for future generations. When landowners commit to a Conservation Easement, they decide whether or not to allow hunting or public access; they also can opt to retain farming rights. Each easement is written to protect the land but vary with individual wishes of the landowner.