Conservation Easement Highlights

Big River

Mendocino Land Trust, with terrific community support, has protected several coastal lands from logging or development and placed them in…

Conservation Easement: Big River

Big River Conservation Easement: 142 acres on property owned by The Conservation Fund and monitered by MLT since 2002.

Conservation Easement: Bonterra

In 1998, the Mendocino Land Trust partnered with Bonterra to conserve 360 acres of vineyards and open space near Hopland.

Conservation Easement: Brush Creek

In 2015, MLT worked with the Edward Miller Trust to protect 2,018 acres of working forestland along Brush Creek. This…

Conservation Easement: Dark Horse Ranch

In 2013, the Mendocino Land Trust began working with Ukiah area farmer Paul Dolan to ensure his 156 acres of…

Conservation Easement: Eel River / Lake Pilsbury

In June 2022 Mendocino Land Trust closed on our largest conservation easement to date. MLT has taken on responsibility for…

Conservation Easement: Feliz Creek

Feliz Creek Conservation Easement: 320 acres near Yorkville. Conserved in 2005.

Conservation Easement: Freriks Property

We hope you will enjoy the story behind a 25-acre conservation easement near Albion. It is told by Shirley Freriks,…

Conservation Easement: Gleason-Prescott

In 2012 the Mendocino Land Trust worked with a landowner near Willits to permanently protect 423 acres of wildlife habitat.…

Conservation Easement: Gobbi Street

Gobbi Street: 53 acres near Ukiah conserved in 2013.

Conservation Easement: Linney/Dye

Linney/Dye: 72 acres outside Point Arena. Conserved in 2000.

Conservation Easement: Lovers Lane Vineyard

133-acres of agricultural land in Ukiah will remain devoted to agriculture in perpetuity.

Conservation Easement: McNab

McNab: 110 acres near Hopland, conserved in 1998

Conservation Easement: Otto Smith

A conservation easement completed in 2017 protects 30 acres of forest near Leggett.

Conservation Easement: Phillips/Corning

40 acres southwest of Hopland. Conserved in 1992.

Conservation Easement: Potter Valley DOT

8 acres conserved as mitigation for a Dept. of Transportation project in 2014.

Conservation Easement: Pygmy Forest Protection

This project to protect rare Mendocino cypress woodland habitat (more commonly known as pygmy forest) is near completion. Mendocino Land…

Conservation Easement: R&R Ranch

An exciting conservation easement that came to the Land Trust in 2021 is the R&R Ranch. Located in eastern Mendocino…

Conservation Easement: Returned Pomo Lands (Trout and Alder Creek)

The Land Trust worked with the Pacific Forest & Watershed Lands Stewardship Council to protect 873 acres of land previously…

Conservation Easement: Ridgewood Ranch

Ridgewood Ranch near Willits, the final resting place of the famous racehorse Seabiscuit, is home to two of MLT’s conservation…

Conservation Easement: ruth weiss property

This 5 acre property on Albion ridge belonged to the famous Beat poet ruth weiss. She and her trustees bequested…

Conservation Easement: Salvation Army

Salvation Army: 112 acres conserved near Manchester in 2000.

Conservation Easement: Yorkville Family Lands

Here's the story behind 746 acres of conserved family lands located near Yorkville as told by the landowner who sought…

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Conservation Easement Highlights

What is a Conservation Easement?

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What is a conservation easement?

Did you know that landowners can take action to permanently protect what they love about their property while continuing to own and live on the land? A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and Mendocino Land Trust which restricts the use of a particular property in order to protect its conservation values.

Conservation easements can be used to achieve a wide range of conservation purposes, including open space preservation, agricultural preservation, and natural resource protection. The conservation easement is recorded in the form of a grant deed and is binding on successive owners of the property in perpetuity. In other words, it is forever.

A conservation easement is an adaptable tool, and it may be tailored for each property based on the common preservation goals of the landowner and the holder of the easement. For example, conservation easements may prohibit development over scenic landscapes; prohibit non-agricultural uses over agricultural land; restrict timber harvests to sustainable levels over forest land; or require that land be kept “forever wild” over natural areas.

Find out more about conserving your land here.