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Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Ind. Gov't. - Harrison County's proposed countywide conservation easement program

Grace Schneider of the Louisville Courier Journal reports today:

The Harrison County commissioners set aside an hour during their meeting last night to gather views from residents on a proposed countywide conservation easement program -- and they got an earful.

Although at least nine people urged the commissioners to enact the program, several opponents, including farmer Brian Churchill of the Depauw area, raised questions about whether the conservation plan would prevent family farmers from giving a portion of their property to their children.

The "listening session" followed at least two years of study by a task force appointed by the commissioners to explore ways to preserve Harrison's dwindling farmland, forests and open space.

Harrison is one of the fastest-growing counties in Southern Indiana, and estimates are that the county is losing farmland to development each year.

The task force has proposed setting up a program to allow landowners the option of voluntarily placing their land into an easement that would prevent future development and ensure it's used only for agricultural purposes.

Under the proposal, federal money from the Department of Agriculture's Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program would fund 50 percent of the purchase of a landowner's conservation easement. A Harrison-based entity would come up with the other half.

All easements would be held and enforced by a local land trust.

Most who expressed skepticism said they oppose any effort to spend county tax money to purchase easements. They also questioned who would decide which landowners are allowed to participate and how the program would affect property taxes.

Don Smith of Depauw asked what might happen if automaker Honda chose to move to Harrison County: Could the company still purchase property already set aside in a conservation easement?

Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 19, 2006 10:42 AM
Posted to Environment | Indiana Government