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The Cacapon and Lost Rivers Land Trust presently protects over 9,000
acres through permanent conservation easement agreements signed with
voluntary easement donors throughout the Cacapon and Lost River
watershed. The map (left) shows easement locations and the graph (above)
depicts a bit of our history.
These easement agreements permanently protect farms, forests, and
miles of riverfront along the Cacapon River. Our easements have been
donated by hunt clubs, farmers, and commercial timber companies, as well
as by people who just don’t want to see their land heavily developed.
The Trust focuses its efforts in the Cacapon and Lost River
watershed. We are presently negotiating several new easements that will be signed
later this year and next year.
The Trust works with landowners who wish to protect the conservation
values of their land. Essentially, we help you fulfill the wishes for
the future use of your property.
To date, most of the easements held by the trust are donated. In some
cases the Trust has been able to raise funds to purchase easements on
lands that qualify for those funds.
In 2003, the Trust raised the funds to purchase the development
rights on a 265-acre farm in Hardy County through the federal Farm and
Ranchland Protection Program and other sources, becoming the first
entity in West Virginia to purchase such an easement.
In 2003, the Trust also received Farm and Ranchland Protection
Program funds to purchase the development rights on three additional
farms in Hampshire County. The Trust is in the process of raising
matching funds for this project to purchase these easements.
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