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Two Landowners Conserve Deer Creek Watershed
Published on Mar 26, 2008 - 9:22:21 AM
By: Nevada County Land Trust
Photo courtesy Nevada County Land Trust. Click to enlarge
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GRASS VALLEY, Calif., March 26, 2008 -- Thanks to the vision of two rural Nevada City families, Nevada County Land Trust closed 2007 by conserving more than 240 acres within the Deer Creek watershed above Lake Wildwood. Al and Lynne Dover, who had previously donated a conservation easement on 15 acres of their Peaceful Valley Ranch, added over 83 acres to their easement. Just downstream, Holger and Tacy Hahn permanently conserved 158 acres on both sides of Deer Creek.
Both conservation easements protect blue oak woodlands, foothill grasslands and mixed conifer forests. In total, the two projects permanently protect nearly a mile of Deer Creek, putting these lands off limits for future development. "We are so pleased that both the Dovers and the Hahns have translated their love of the land into the protection of these two outstanding properties," said Marty Coleman-Hunt, executive director of NCLT, adding, "Their generous donations will help ensure the integrity of this critical watershed in our community for generations to come."
The 240 new acres brings the total to 6,240 acres of land in Western Nevada County, and parts of Sierra and Yuba Counties that have been permanently preserved through the use of conservation easements. A conservation easement is a legal means for restricting development on land in perpetuity. It means under the terms of the agreement landowners retain title to their land and can define how the land shall be used forever. It also means Nevada County Land Trust holds and restricts the development rights on the land, also forever. The land is preserved as open space, agricultural use or timber preserve.
"Many years ago we were fortunate enough to be able to buy a beautiful ranch within the Deer Creek Watershed," said Al Dover. "We would like to share our good fortune with future generations and neither luck nor wishful thinking will preserve this watershed and its flora and fauna. The Land Trust will."
Changes in federal tax treatment of conservation easements, which may be made permanent in the 2007 Farm Bill, provided additional incentive for both landowners. The new tax rules allow landowners to deduct up to 50 percent of their adjusted gross income as a charitable donation in the year that a conservation easement is donated. Any unused donated value can be carried forward for an additional 15 years. The tax rules are even more generous for agricultural and working forest landowners (who derive all or most of their income from farming, ranching or timber harvesting). For more information on these tax rules, please contact the NCLT office or visit www.nevadacountylandtrust.org.
The Nevada County Land Trust is a 501(c)(3), for the public benefit organization. The Nevada County Land Trust exists to create a balance between nature and the needs of the people who make a life and a livelihood here. Our mission is to enrich the deep community connection with our land - today, tomorrow and forever. For more information, see our website, http://www.nevadacountylandtrust.org or contact Marty Coleman-Hunt, Executive Director at marty@nevadacountylandtrust.org or 530-272-5994.
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