Implementing Natural Area Corridors with Conservation Easements

Through its 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update, Scott County recognizes the value of natural areas and corridors and the need to develop and adopt new approaches to help the County balance growth with natural resource protection. These approaches will vary depending on the specific resources present on the land and the choices of the particular landowner. A number of possible implementation tools are promoted in the 2030 Comp Plan, from clustering home sites away from the resource, to transferring development rights from one parcel to another. The use of conservation easements was a common theme for any of the approaches and the County had a number of questions on how to structure and finance a conservation easement program.

In 2008, Scott County staff began discussing now best to structure a land protection program to manage lands and conservation easements effectively to preserve the public values the County sought in the first place. The project developed a list of questions to answer and then refine into a framework suitable for Scott County to implement. Research was completed regarding other existing conservation easement programs, the cost of administering and monitoring easements, and the cost of land management necessary to maintain, restore or enhance the biological communities protected by easements. This information was then used to develop policy related questions, which were referred to a working group comprised of a cross segment of interested parties ranging from Township supervisors to developers to local and state Land Trusts. Through a series of facilitated meetings this group provided recommendations on the level of management that should be targeted, financing, and management structure.

For a copy of the complete report summarizing the findings from this project, see the Scott County website www.co.scott.mn.us/conservationeasement or call Paul Nelson, Natural Resources Program Manager for Scott County as 952-496-8054.

This project was funded by a Community Conservation Assistance Grant and the Minnesota Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. Project partners included Scott County, Scott Watershed Management Organization (Scott WMO), Minnesota Land Trust, Great River Greening, and Embrace Open Space. There are a number of items in the report that are unique, including a Stewardship Guide for Natural Areas Corridor Program prepared by Great River Greening that provides land management costs for various biological communities; a Review and Evaluation of Existing and Potential Local Government Conservation Easement Programs by the Minnesota Land Trust, and a Conservation Easement Project Cost Analysis also prepared by the Minnesota Land Trust.

PROJECT SUMMARY
FULL REPORT

Partners in this project include:
Great River Greening
Embrace Open Space
Minnesota Land Trust
Scott County
Funding for this project was recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources from the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund and the MN DNR Metro Greenways Program.