Interested in protecting your land? Think yours fits the bill? Conservation easements could be a great opportunity for you. Organizations are working together to help provide protection and resources for preserving our undeveloped land in Florida. This land serves as a home for many animals that need our help. More information is available on how you can help preserve these animals’ homes with conservation easements. In today’s blog, we’ll provide definitions and descriptions, as well as some updates on the latest news. Visit our Dark Hammock Legacy Ranch website for more ag news.
Conservation Easements: The Basics
Conservation easements are areas of land set aside by law to get special treatment for the purpose of conservation and protection. This agreement is designed to conserve open space, water recharge areas, environmentally sensitive lands, wildlife habitat or historic features on a specific parcel of land. This is a voluntary, legal agreement between a land owner and a government or conservation organization.
Protecting Wildlife
One well-known conservation easement project takes place in the Ocala to Osceola Wildlife Corridor. This project connects the Ocala and Osceola National Forests, and takes up 1.6 million acres of public and private lands. This habitat serves as a protected home for many Florida species, including the Florida black bear, the indigo snake, and the gopher tortoise. To see our property and the wildlife that live there, we invite you on an agritour.
Application News
If you’re looking to protect your land from future development, keep it as a home for wildlife, and reap some tax benefits in the process, applying for a conservation easement might be right for you. This protected status application opened April 17 for 2023 and will close June 16. While applications are accepted year round, forms received after June 16 will be considered for the following tax year.
We work to do our part to protect our earth, and invite our Florida neighbors to do the same. If you’re looking to apply for easements, visit the Natural Resources Conservation Service for more details. To learn more about our work for the environment at Dark Hammock Legacy Ranch, visit our website or contact us.
