FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec. 29, 2017
Conservation easement ensures land won’t be developed
More than 250 acres in Vermillion County that are home to two endangered species will be protected forever as a result of a donation to the Central Indiana Land Trust (CILTI).
Located in the middle of the county between the Indiana-Illinois state line and the Wabash River, the property includes ideal habitat for Indiana bats and the Northern long-eared bats, both of which are federally endangered and at risk of becoming extinct. There’s a dense forest with oak and tulip poplar trees, wildflowers covering the forest floor and a stream.
The property is part of a mitigation for a wind farm, which have been shown to negatively impact Indiana bats. Land outside of the conservation easement will be restored with wetlands to benefit Indiana bats.
“This agreement ensures that the property called Mule Ridge will be improved to the point that rare and endangered species of flora and fauna will thrive there and in surrounding areas,” said Cliff Chapman, executive director of the Central Indiana Land Trust.
Because the property will remain in private ownership, it will not be open to the public.
Conservation easements are legal agreements between landowners and land trusts that place specific land-use restrictions on a property according to the landowner’s desires. Those restrictions are attached to the title of the property, so they remain in place even if the property is sold to new owners. This means landowners can derive financial benefits from the property – enjoying it themselves, continuing to use it as a working property or even selling it – so long as they use the property in ways consistent with the conditions of the conservation easement. Conservation easements also deliver certain tax benefits to landowners.
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Media contact: Jen Thomas, JTPR, jen@jtprinc.com, 317-441-2487
Jen Schmits Thomas
Media Relations