Black Swamp Conservancy Adds 1753 Acres in 2011

Perrysburg, OH – Black Swamp Conservancy added 1,753 acres of land to their conservation holdings in 2011. With the addition of 12 new properties, the Conservancy now protects 11,171 acres of farmland and natural areas from development, forever.

The Black Swamp Conservancy’s service area covers 12 counties in northwest Ohio. The properties added in 2011 are located in Fulton, Hardin, Henry, Ottawa, Sandusky and Seneca Counties. A 603-acre farm owned by the Mauch family in Sandusky County is the year’s largest addition, as well as the Conservancy’s biggest protected property.

“We are pleased to report that the Conservancy had an excellent year in terms of the number of acres protected,” stated Kevin Joyce, the Conservancy’s executive director. “We’re glad we can be a resource for the generous landowners here in northwest Ohio who are interested in preserving their land for generations to come.”

Black Swamp Conservancy preserves land mostly through perpetual land conservation agreements known as conservation or agricultural easements. Through such an agreement, the landowner gives up the right to develop the property – such as by constructing buildings, putting in roads or driveways or subdividing the land – in order to protect its conservation values, which includes its value as prime farmland or as habitat for native plants and animals.

Conservation agreements protect the land without any change in ownership. The Conservancy does not take ownership of the land, but is responsible for monitoring the condition of the property to ensure the terms of the agreement are being upheld.