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Montana Land Reliance briefs planning board on conservation easement tools and funding
Summary
Representatives from Montana Land Reliance explained how conservation easements work, funding sources (federal ALE, state programs), monitoring obligations, and the nonprofit's role; they noted Broadwater County currently lacks a local easement-purchase program.
Garrett Titus of the Montana Land Reliance told the Broadwater County Planning Board that conservation easements are voluntary, perpetual agreements that remove subdivision or commercial development rights while leaving the land in private ownership. "An easement . . . legally limits certain types of development while allowing landowners to continue traditional uses of land," Titus said, and he outlined options including donated easements and purchased easements funded through the federal Farm Bill Agricultural Lands Easement (ALE) program and other state and local sources.
Titus and colleagues emphasized that an accredited land trust monitors easements in perpetuity and that baseline resource documentation is prepared prior to recording. He noted Broadwater County does not currently maintain a local open-space funding program to buy easements, though federal and state programs can supply funds in some cases. The presentation set the stage for three specific easement proposals the board later supported.
