U.S. Fish and Wildlife asks Codington County to record 'no objection' for grassland easements funded by LWCF

Chad Carlson of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told the Codington County Board of Commissioners on May 27 that his office is seeking a local "no objection" before using Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) dollars to purchase grassland easements in the county.

"A grassland easement is simply an agreement between the landowner and the Fish and Wildlife Service to keep grass in the land and not convert the land to cropland," Carlson said, describing easements as perpetual agreements that do not restrict normal grazing.

Carlson said the Service currently funds most easements with the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, commonly called the duck stamp, and that interest far exceeds available funding. "We currently have over 600 landowners in Eastern South Dakota alone that are awaiting an easement offer," he said. He explained LWCF — revenue generated from offshore oil and gas leases — could be used to reach landowners outside the Service’s highest-priority waterfowl habitat maps. "There's no difference between an easement funded by the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund or funded by Land and Water Conservation Fund," Carlson said.

Commissioners asked how easements are valued, whether they affect property taxes, and whether landowners can remove easements. Carlson said valuations are site-specific and driven primarily by soil types and market indicators; payments are typically a one-time lump sum rather than annual payments. He told the board the easements remain on title as permanent, and that they do not remove property from the tax roll. He said the Service has limited flexibility for health-and-safety exceptions but does not allow removal to convert land to cropland.

Carlson offered a public map layer that shows current easements and said he would email the layer to county staff. He also said the new administration requested local outreach and a documented "no objection" before the Service uses LWCF funds in a community; that record could be a vote, an email, or a note in the minutes.

Commissioner Johnson moved and Commissioner McElhaney seconded a motion to record Codington County's no objection; the board voted in favor and the motion carried. The board instructed staff to include the action in the minutes. Carlson said he would follow up by emailing the easement map layer and his contact information to the county.

Why it matters: The requested county action does not authorize easements or change program rules but provides a formal local record asked for by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before using LWCF to expand the pool of landowners eligible for grassland easements.