MOUNT VERNON — It was all smiles at Owl Creek Conservancy’s new head office ribbon cutting.

Holding large golden scissors, Owl Creek Conservancy executive director Vicki K. Kauffman thanked the community’s 25 years of support on Thursday.

The conservancy is a private non-profit organization aimed to maintain agricultural land in the Knox County area.

(Below is a gallery at Owl Creek Conservancy’s ribbon cutting on Thursday, March 13, 2025. Credit: Grant Ritchey/Knox Pages.)

Easement definitions

  • Conservation: A conservation easement is a legal agreement that restricts land use to preserve its natural, scenic, open, or agricultural condition, or to maintain it as a habitat for wildlife. It limits development to protect these conditions and allows the easement holder to inspect the property to ensure compliance.
  • Agricultural: Land true to agricultural use.

Source: Ohio Revised Code

Owl Creek Conservancy has 50 land easements, Kauffman said, 40 are considered conservation and 10 are agricultural. Total acreage is roughly 5,700, she said.

Completing an easement can take around 12 to 18 months to be completed, Kauffman said. For example, a survey may be required, along with a present conditions document, detailing boundaries, special features, and land use (e.g., woodland, agricultural areas) through maps, GPS coordinates and photographs. Kauffman said the conservancy has limited staffing too.

The conservancy partners with landowners to permanently conserve important lands from development.

The main tool the conservancy uses to accomplish this goal is a permanent land-protecting agreement called a conservation easement, Kauffman said.

According to its website, the conservancy takes direct action to conserve land and educates the public about the advantages of land conservation, Knox County’s diverse land assets, and the benefits of wise land-use planning.

Before Blue Ash Plaza became the conservancy’s new place of operations, Kauffman worked inside her barn.

Either cold temperatures or spiders crawling on the walls–it was time to make a change, Kauffman said.

The amount of records, files and paperwork started to become too much, Kauffman said, with the space the conservancy was working with.

They needed an official office space.

Though there aren’t official office hours, Kauffman said she can host tours for the office space if asked. Those interested can reach Kauffman at info@owlcreekconservancy.com.