Permanent Conservation Easement
Permanent Conservation Easement Programs are voluntary Federal-State-Landowner partnerships that give eligible landowners financial incentives to put conservation practices on agricultural lands. In Michigan the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) runs the program. The main drive for landowners who participate in this program is the need to see permanent solutions to the maintenance and improvement of water quality and wildlife habitats within their property. This easement restricts the potential for developing or farming on the property but leaves ownership in the hands of the original landowner. The easement donor not only benefits from the knowledge that natural resources are being protected but also receives financial incentives as well.
To be eligible for participation in the easement program the landowner has to enroll her land in a CREP practices that include Riparian Forest Buffer,[1] Filter Strips,[2] Wetland Restoration,[3] Shallow Water Areas.[4] Application forms for the program can be obtained from the CREP Technicians, County Drain Commissioner, land trusts, conservancies, and Conservation District Offices. The application process is free and the selection is done on a “first come first served” basis due to limited funding for the program, however, water quality benefits are also important in the selection process. Funding for the program is through the grants form the Clean Michigan Initiative (CMI) Nonpoint Source grant funds. The landowner gets paid for the easement when the CREP practices highlighted above have been installed on the property and the easement is recorded. The easement is held by either the Michigan Department of Agriculture or local conservancies, land trusts or local units of government.
Terms of the Permanent Easement Program allow the landowner the freedom to “sell, lease, will or deed the land, as well as hunt and fish on it,” and the landowner also controls access to the land including public access. The easement only applies to areas on the property that are enlisted in the CREP practices.
The Permanent Conservation Easement Program allow landowners the opportunity to preserve and conserve in perpetuity the natural resources on their property through erosion control, water quality maintenance and improvement and wildlife habitat protection while they retain the ownership of the land and they get paid for their participation in the program.
Reference:
Lake Macatawa Watershed
Michigan CREP: Permanent Conservation Easement Program.
Michigan Department of Agriculture
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
P.O Box 30017
Lansing, MI 48909
Phone: 517.241.0236
Website: www.mda.state.mi.us keyword CREP