By VICKI JOHNSON
Ohio Correspondent

PERRYSBURG, Ohio — More than 5,000 acres of farmland and natural areas in northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan have been protected from development by the Black Swamp Conservancy (BSC).

The land trust, based in Perrysburg, acquired conservation easements on four properties covering 520 acres this spring, to increase the conservancy’s acreage to 5,199 acres. The newly protected properties are two farms in Seneca County near Tiffin, a farm in Fulton County near Delta and Cedar Meadow Preserve and a Catawba Island Township park near Port Clinton in Ottawa County.

Protected land is located in 10 counties, including 2,023 acres in Fulton County, 1,020 acres in Seneca County, 933 acres in Sandusky County and 679 acres in Wood County. The conservancy owns 257 acres and the rest is in conservation easements.

“This is not only an exciting achievement for Black Swamp Conservancy, it provides a tremendous benefit to people across this region,” said Kevin Joyce, the conservancy’s executive director. “It demonstrates that, since the conservancy’s founding in 1993, the hard work of so many people – including our landowners, supporters, board members, volunteers, staff and conservation partners – is paying off. The conservation of open space contributes greatly to our quality of life.”

A conservation easement is a voluntary land protection agreement between a landowner and a nonprofit land trust such as BSC.
The agreement limits the use of the land so conservation values are protected. The details of the agreement are written into a deed of conservation easement, which is filed with the county recorder.
Conservation easements do not change ownership.

The landowner retains all rights, except those he or she agrees to give up when they sign the document.

Conservation easements protect property into perpetuity – they are binding on the landowner who signs the document and on every future owner of the property. The conservancy visits each property at least once a year to assure the terms of the easement are not violated.

Founded in 1993 by a group of citizens concerned about the loss of open space, the conservancy acquired its first easement in December 1997.

By February 2003, BSC had conservation easements covering 1,000 acres. Seven months later, in September 2003, the conservancy reached the 2,000-acre mark. It passed the 3,000-acre milestone in April 2004 and exceeded 4,000 acres by May 2006.

Joyce said landowner interest in conservation continues to grow. “The enhanced federal income tax incentives for donating a conservation easement have generated lots of interest among landowners in our service area,” he said.

“Our current projects will add another 2,000 acres to the conserved property in northwest Ohio, and we receive several calls every week from landowners interested in learning more about their land conservation options.”

This spring, the conservancy submitted 26 applications to the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s (ODA) Office of Farmland Preservation for the Agricultural Easement Purchase Program to protect another 2,624 acres.

Among them are eight farms in Seneca County covering more than 1,000 acres. Another 11 applications for 1,000 acres are in Fulton County and seven are for 500 acres in Henry County.

Farmland owners are not permitted to apply directly, but must work through a sponsoring agency. The program provides funding for the purchase of development rights.

Applicant farms are scored under a system of ranking criteria. The highest-scoring applicants are offered payment for development rights, but funds are limited. Only about 15 percent of applicants get grants.

“Agriculture and food is a $79 billion industry in Ohio – the leading industry in the state,” Joyce said. “But you can’t even have an agriculture industry without farmland, and our state is second in the country in the loss of prime farmland to development. “So we think our farmland preservation work helps ensure the future success of the agriculture industry and plays a part in the success of the entire Ohio economy.”

Application project manager Rob Krain said he has found farmland owners care deeply for their land. “This year, all of our applicants agreed to accept a grant amounting to only 40 percent of the value of their easements,” he said.

“That shows the level of commitment that northwest Ohio farmers have in preserving their farmland and their way of life.”

Kelly Carneal, program manager in ODA’s Office of Farmland Preservation, said organizations such as the conservancy are important in helping preserve Ohio farmland.

“Ohio has lost one-third of its farmland since 1950, the equivalent of 23 Ohio counties. One acre of prime farmland here in northwest Ohio cannot be easily substituted for one acre of Arizona desert – it is non-transferable and non-renewable,” Carneal said.

For more information on the conservancy, visit www.blackswamp.org