“No Offer Refused” does not apply to conservation. Like other conservancies, the North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy must pick and choose which properties to accept for conservation. To be considered for protection via conservation, by law, a property should offer (in simplified form): open space, good wildlife habitat, visibility of open space from public roads and other public spaces, proximity to or inclusion of wetlands and watercourses, connections to other open spaces or potential future open spaces, extension of a greenbelt corridor or the potential beginning of a corridor, and/or relief from suburban/urban closeness.

While we’re always grateful for property offers, we sometimes have the joyless task of turning an offer down because it fails to meet conservation criteria.

By signing a deed or a conservation easement, a conservancy makes a commitment to steward the property into perpetuity, (forever). In the case of a conservation easement, this means periodically inspecting it for violations to the easement agreement, with a process for addressing any violations found.

Accepting a property donation constitutes an even deeper commitment, not only to monitor the land for intrusions, such as dumping or dirt-bike paths, but also, it means managing the land; keeping an eye on invasive species and taking measures to control them. In some cases, it might mean restoring the land, by re-introducing native species where land has been degraded. When a new property donation is accepted, the conservancy creates a management plan for the property. It may take many years to fulfill the goals of a management plan, and some management plans may be revised to meet changing conditions. But a thoughtful plan in the beginning serves as a guide for future land stewardship.

Accepting a property for conservation can be complicated, and people are sometimes dismayed by the length of time it takes to complete a land or conservation easement donation. When someone, usually a landowner, a developer, or a township government official, brings a parcel to our attention, completing the process includes gathering information - the parcel’s Sidwell, or Property Identification number, maps, aerial photographs, plat maps, the property’s history; and the reason for the donation. Actions the conservancy must take prior to accepting a property include: a preliminary site visit and report on perceived conservation values and liabilities, a Baseline Study and documentation, a Phase I Environmental Assessment, a title search and legal work. If a conservation easement is to be donated, the legal work will involve negotiating and drafting of the Conservation Easement Agreement between the conservancy and the property owner.

All of this can take months. When the documents are signed, it’s cause for celebration, for both the donor and the conservancy. The conservancy knows that the land it’s receiving is worthy of the effort it will take for us to steward the land over many years. And the donor can rest assured that their land will retain its conservation value and will never be developed.

For More Information Contact:

NOHLC, P.O. Box 285, Clarkston, MI 48347
Tel: 248-846-6548
FAX: 248-846-6548
Email: nohlc@hotmail.com