An easement gives one party the right to go onto another party's property. That property may be owned by a private person, a business entity, or a group of owners. Utilities often get easements that allow them to run pipes or phone lines beneath private property. Easements may be obtained for access to another property, called "access and egress", use of spring water, entry to make repairs on a fence or slide area, drive cattle across and other uses. The easement is a real property interest, but separate from the legal title of the owner of the underlying land.
The Oklahoma Deed of Conservation Easement is a legal document that establishes a voluntary agreement between a landowner and a government agency or a qualified conservation organization. It aims to protect and preserve the natural, scenic, agricultural, or open space values of a property in perpetuity. This easement restricts certain activities and land uses on the property to maintain its conservation values. One type of Oklahoma Deed of Conservation Easement is the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACE). This program helps to protect agricultural lands and their related conservation values. It provides financial and technical assistance to landowners who voluntarily enter into conservation easements to limit non-agricultural uses on their properties while keeping the land in agricultural production. Another type is the Forest Legacy Easement Program, which targets working forests that are at risk of conversion to non-forest uses. This program helps to conserve important forest lands for their economic, ecological, and recreational values. By participating in this easement program, landowners agree to maintain their forest properties and sustainably manage them for timber production, wildlife habitat, watershed protection, and recreational opportunities. The Scenic Rivers Easement Program focuses on protecting designated scenic rivers and their adjacent lands. This program ensures that these valuable water resources and their surrounding ecosystems are maintained for their natural beauty and recreational significance. Landowners who participate in this program voluntarily grant easements that prevent development and other destructive activities along the riverside. The Oklahoma Deed of Conservation Easement offers various benefits for landowners, including potential tax advantages, the ability to pass on their property's conservation values to future generations, and contributing to the overall preservation of Oklahoma's natural heritage. These easements are created through a collaborative process between landowners and qualified conservation organizations or government agencies, ensuring that both parties' interests are protected while preserving the unique and valuable aspects of the land.
