Easement Monitoring

I recently started my annual monitoring visits of Conservation Easements.  I now have roughly 6,500 acres to monitor in the Poconos alone.  Conservation Easements are a great tool for landowners who want to protect the features of their property that they love for future generations, yet still retain ownership.  You can learn more about conservation easements by clicking on this link to Natural Lands Trust's (NLT) information site.  http://www.natlands.org/categories/article.asp?fldArticleId=85

On Wednesday, January 10, I visited a site just west of Lake Wallenpaupack.  Erin Lee, from NLT's Conservation Services Department, accompanied me as we walked much of the boundary line of this 450 acre property.  We drove through a snow squall on our way there.  When we arrived the roads were snow covered and slick.  The wind was brisk and the temperature was raw.  But we were dressed for the weather and actually had an enjoyable walk.

This past Tuesday, I joined Erin and Mike McGeehin (also from the Conservation Services Department) to monitor an easement in Marshall's Creek.  Erin was there to take photos for the Baseline Document.  Mike was there to GPS the locations of the photos.  He also took points along the trails that we walked, so that he can make our maps of the property more accurate. 

I jumped at the opportunity to join them, as this is a new easement for me and they are more familiar with the property.  Believe it or not, this is a 4,000 acre parcel in the Poconos that will not be developed.  I was able to get a good feel for about one quarter of the property on Tuesday.  I need to return later this winter to explore the other 3,000 acres.

The Poconos are outside NLT's usual area of operation.  Fortunately, the Board of Trustees has been very willing to expand the boundaries to include these Conservation Easements.  Good thing too, NLT is one of the few Land Trusts in the country with the expertise to handle easements of this magnitude and complexity.  The pressures for development in the Poconos are overwhelming, and it is fortunate that we are able to help these landowners hold on to something that is so important to them -- and  so important to the region.