Conservation easements are a method of private land conservation that may benefit a landowner and their family, while preserving local working lands, ecosystems and community character. They are entirely voluntary and established by a willing landowner on their property to protect conservation values, which can include agriculture, water resources, wildlife habitats, migration corridors, open spaces, cultural sites and more. They are legal agreements between a landowner and a qualified land trust, such as the Green River Valley Program of the Jackson Hole Land Trust (GRVP) here in Sublette County.

A conservation easement transfers certain property rights – typically including development, surface mining and subdivision – to the land trust to hold in trust to protect the property’s unique conservation values. With protections in place, the landowner retains ownership of their property while the land trust upholds the terms of the easement agreement with all future landowners. When the most ecologically and agriculturally important lands are secured on this kind of longterm scale, it ensures our network of farms and ranches, wildlife habitats and irreplaceable landscapes will be intact for future generations.

In our area, conservation easements are an especially viable option for multi-generational ranching families wishing to protect their ranch lands during financial and succession planning. Because conservation easements transfer development, mineral and/or subdivision rights to a land trust, the remaining property value is lower, often resulting in lower property and estate taxes.

A conservation easement’s value is the difference in property value before and after a conservation easement is established. This value can be a tax-deductible donation from the landowner to the land trust or purchased by the land trust using a variety of funding sources. More state and federal funding is available than ever for conservation easements in our area, and use of those funds will never result in the transfer of ownership of private land to the federal government. 

Currently, the GRVP manages more than 34,000 acres of conservation easements in Sublette County, another 4,000 acres in Sweetwater County and many more protection projects are in the works. In 2023, three new conservation easements were established: the 120-acre Lead Creek easement in Daniel, the 850-acre P\T Livestock Johnson Ranch in Big Piney and the more than 3,000-acre Sundance Mesa II Easement in the Great Divide Basin.

Protecting these lands in perpetuity today benefits not only the landowners, but also our community by conserving what we love most about our area: open space, wildlife and our agricultural heritage. If you are interested in learning more about conservation easements and how they benefit our landscapes and livelihoods, visit us at the GRVP office at the corner of Tyler Avenue and Pine Street or visit jhlandtrust.org/grvp.