MOUNT VERNON — Vicki Kauffman drives through the Knox County countryside every morning to get to her job at the Owl Creek Conservancy in Mount Vernon.
It’s during these drives that Kauffman admires the “viewshed” of Knox County. Viewsheds, are borrowed views — ones that she doesn’t own or pay a tax on.
“I get to see all of those bucolic things, and I am not responsible for them … But I get to enjoy the appearance of it as I drive past,” Kauffman said.
To her, the acres of farmlands, forests and agricultural production are what makes Knox County special. It is also a reminder of why she does her work.
What is the Owl Creek Conservancy?
Owl Creek is a public nonprofit that works to conserve the natural and historic lands of Knox County.
“The Conservancy works in partnership 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,” according to Owl Creek’s website.
The conservancy holds a total of 50 easements, with 40 conservation easements and 10 agricultural easements. 47 of these easements are located in Knox County.
Kauffman joined the Mount Vernon-based land trust 23 years ago and has served as executive director for the past five years. During that time, she has helped preserve 10 properties totaling over 750 acres through conservations easements and other land protection efforts.
“The short version of our mission is to conserve the land and water of Knox County. Really, our goal is to conserve the rural character of Knox County for future generations. Those are the things that make Knox County so special, and those are the things that we are trying to preserve,” Kauffman said.
Much of that work centers on farmland, which makes up a significant portion of Knox County’s landscape and economy.
“In our area, it’s mostly farmers who own the property that makes Knox County what it is … Agriculture is the number one (industry) in Knox County. It’s worth conserving as a way of life as much as anything else.”
One of the conservancy’s primary tools for protecting farmland is the Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program, known as LAEPP.
Protecting farmland through LAEPP
The program allows eligible farmland owners to voluntarily sell the development rights to their property through agricultural easements. By doing so, the land remains in agricultural use permanently while allowing the owners to continue farming it.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture administers the program and the state’s Clean Ohio program funds it.
“Owl Creek Conservancy applies annually and has always been approved. Once you are approved as a local sponsor, that makes you eligible to receive those funds for agricultural easements,” Kauffman said.
Owl Creek Conservancy works directly with interested landowners, helping them through the application process and overseeing projects locally.
For the nonprofit, the state funding makes a substantial difference.
“LAEPP brings taxpayer money into Knox County and helps us preserve the rural character and rural way of life here,” Kauffman said.
Landowners who participate agree to permanently limit future development on their property while retaining ownership of the land.
“…When (landowners) sign those rights away, they receive some compensation for it. Many of them need that funding to hang onto their existing land or to purchase more agricultural property,” Kauffman said.
Interest grows through word of mouth
While awareness of LAEPP was once limited in Knox County, Kauffman said participation has steadily increased as farmers share their experiences.
The conservancy’s most recent success story is Althea Dye and Chris Fletcher, who preserved about 160 acres through two separate agricultural easement projects.
“Althea, who works at Knox Soil and Water Conservation District, has been instrumental ever since they got involved in the program with sending business our way,” Kauffman said.
Previous projects also helped build momentum for the program throughout the county.
“I would say that word of mouth has probably been the best indicator (of it working) to me … once we did Chris’ applications, there was a lot of talk over the fence, and people started talking about LAEPP. Interest has really taken off,” Kauffman said.
That growing interest, however, has created another challenge.
Demands exceed available funding
Although more landowners are expressing interest in permanently protecting their farms, funding has not kept pace with demand.
“The biggest challenge is that the funds are limited, and we can only get to a certain number of people per year, which essentially right now is one farm per year,” Kauffman said.
The current list is about 10 years out. There are also development pressures from data centers and other projects that make it difficult for people to say no to the offers they’re receiving, Kauffman said.
“People are selling their farms or other large parcels of land in surrounding counties for exorbitant amounts of money. Then they’re reluctant to pay tax on that income, so they come into Knox County and purchase large parcels here for exorbitant amounts to do a 1031 exchange. That drives up land prices and taxes in Knox County, which further hurts people in agriculture or wanting to get into agriculture,” Kauffman said.
Those rising land values, coupled with development pressure, have reinforced for many landowners the importance of protecting agricultural ground before it changes permanently.
“A lot of people have concerns about what could be in the future, and that’s driving them to look toward conservation. Many people think Knox County has always been this way and will always remain this way, but when you look at how things can change, you realize that sometimes concrete steps have to be taken if you value the rural character of Knox County. If you truly want to conserve it, you have to act,” Kauffman said.
A lesson for other communities
As Ohio communities grapple with growth and development, Kauffman believes Knox County has an opportunity to preserve the state’s unique qualities. But action has to be taken before those landscapes disappear.
She previously spoke with a group in neighboring Delaware County that had hoped to establish its own land trust.
“Development is so prevalent (in Delaware) and so much has already been lost that it felt like they were 20 or 30 years too late. If you want to conserve the place where you live, it’s better to get started sooner rather than later,” Kauffman said.
For Kauffman, the work ultimately comes back to those daily drives through Knox County. Preserving the lands requires planning and long-term commitments so future generations can enjoy the same borrowed views that greet her every morning.
