Conservation Easements

Conservation easements provide a practical, legally effective means for a private landowner to protect the significant features of a property, or a portion of a property, while retaining private ownership. By defining and removing particular rights from the ownership of a parcel of land, the conservation easement creates permanent safeguards against uses of the land that could damage or destroy its ecological, scenic, recreational, or resource values. Each conservation easement is written specifically to address the needs and desires of the owner, the natural characteristics of the land, and the conservation objectives of the owner. The holder of a conservation easement agrees to protect the land’s specified conservation values in perpetuity.

Land subject to a conservation easement is still privately owned and managed. All rights of ownership which have not been specifically transferred by the conservation easement remain with the current owner. For example, a landowner may restrict or limit the rights to develop a property for commercial, industrial, or multi-residential purposes while retaining rights to use the land for grazing, farming, harvesting of timber, recreation, or for residences for the owner's family.

Drews Valley Ranch

In 2004 the Oregon Rangeland Trust purchased a conservation easement on the Drew’s Valley Ranch in Lake County, Oregon. Purchase of the easement was accomplished through the cooperation of The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Trust for Public Land and was funded through the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, the Natural Resource Conservation Service Farm and Ranchland Protection Program and a donation from the landowners, Jack and Bev Sparrowk.

The conservation easement will be held and monitored by the Oregon RangelandTrust and allows the Sparrowk’s and any future owners of the ranch to continue ranching on the 11,400 acres that comprise the property.  The easement ensures that the ranch will continue as a working landscape, providing wildlife habitat and open space as well as a cattle operation and will not be developed now or in the future. 

Maxwell Ranch – Phase 1

In 2009 Oregon Rangeland Trust, working with Ducks Unlimited, utilizing funding provided by North America Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) secured an easement on the Maxwell Ranch that protects riparian habitat on 400 acres. This easement ensures that over 2.2 miles of Cox and Bauers Creeks will be protected and restored while remaining a working landscape.

It is the desire of the landowner and ORT that an easement be placed on the remaining 3,200 acres of the Maxwell Ranch. ORT is currently working with the landowner, riparian and rangeland management experts, and potential funders to make this a reality. This unique property hosts meadows, with over nine miles of creeks, timber, uplands, and habitat for mule deer, upland birds, and in stream species including redband trout. An easement on this property will insure the non-development of the parcel and protection of the aforementioned habitat. 

Wallowa Valley Irrigation Ditch Easement

In 2008, the Oregon Rangeland Trust was approached by the Wallowa County Cattlemen’s Association regarding a potentially serious threat to the delivery of irrigation water for the Wallowa Valley. A parcel of land which both the Silver Lake Ditch and the Old Farmers Ditch cross was being sold as a Park and there was no recorded easement in place insuring the continuation of a right of way. Working with the ranchers and farmers of the Wallowa Valley, ORT successfully negotiated for the transfer of an easement for both ditches. In turn ORT leased the easement to the respective ditch companies insuring that approximately 9,000 acres of the Wallowa Valley continue to have their irrigation water delivery source available.