The North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund is making grants of up to $25,000 available for private landowners to permanently preserve and protect their land.  The land must adjoin or include a river or stream for the purpose of protecting surface water quality. The conservation easement (or agreement) must be held by a conservation non-profit or local unit of government.

The Pacolet Area Conservancy (PAC) is the local land trust that will apply for grants on behalf of the landowner. Funding can provide for surveys, recording fees, title insurance or title opinion, stewardship endowment and legal costs.

A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust or government agency that permanently limits uses of the land in order to protect its conservation values. It allows landowners to continue to own and use their land, and they can also sell it or pass it on to heirs. Each easement is individually written to reflect the wishes of the landowner in protecting their land.

PAC Executive Director Mary Walter said, “We are fortunate indeed to have these funds available to us to further our land conservation here in the Polk County area.  PAC has a long history preserving diverse lands. These particular grants will help protect water quality and water quantity as well.

“We encourage landowners to call our office to inquire about these grants and/or other land protection ideas.”

PAC is a proud member of the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, Blue Ridge Forever, and the Land Trust Alliance (LTA), whose standards and practices guide the work we do.

To date, PAC has protected 60 properties through conservation easements. Additionally, 25 parcels of land are owned by PAC in fee simple, bringing the total of protected lands to over 8,500 acres, creating a treasury of mountains, rivers, streams, farmlands, forests and green space  – land that will be forever preserved.

The Pacolet Area Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit land conservation organization founded in 1989 to protect and conserve the area’s natural resources. PAC works with area landowners to ensure the long-term protection of their property through voluntary conservation easements (agreements) which enable landowners to maintain ownership of their property, preserving precious natural resources – open lands, forests, wildlife habitat, scenic vistas, farmland, stream banks and more.

– article submitted by Mary Walter