Yolo County HCP/NCCP Joint Powers Agency
is seeking landowners interested in selling habitat conservation easements
and establishing mitigation receiving sites
The Yolo County Habitat/Natural Community Conservation Plan Joint Powers Agency (“JPA”) is
seeking landowners in Yolo County interested in selling a habitat conservation easement or
establishing a mitigation receiving site on their land. All proposed sites must be consistent with
the draft Yolo HCP/NCCP, a countywide conservation plan currently under development to
preserve habitat for 11 endangered and threatened species.
Benefits
Selling a Conservation Easement
Selling a habitat conservation easement
or establishing a mitigation receiving
site is a means of conserving habitat on
agricultural land while also providing
income to the landowner. The sale of an
easement results in an immediate
payment for each acre of land placed
under easement, while the sale of
mitigation credits results in income as
credits are sold. In some cases, a
mitigation receiving site or other
property with a habitat conservation
easement may be subject to a reduced
assessment value for tax purposes.
Easements also protect the land and its
resources for the future, ensuring that
future generations have continued
opportunities to farm, while providing
capital or income to the landowner.
A habitat conservation easement is a tool for landowners to
protect their land while retaining ownership. It entails a set
of legally binding, permanent restrictions placed on land to
protect habitat, open space, and agricultural resources,
typically by restricting most or all development. An
easement may be voluntarily donated or sold by a
landowner, who thereafter retains many property rights.
This often includes the right to continue farming and living
on the land. Conservation easements are generally
conveyed to private non-profit organizations that specialize
in holding easements. Such organizations will periodically
monitor land covered by an easement to ensure that
landowners comply with restrictions in the easement over
time. Conservation easements are drafted to carefully
define the monitoring and enforcement rights of the
easement holder. Landowners continue to have complete
control over public access to their property, as easements do
not convey a broader public right of access.
Establishing a Mitigation Receiving Site
A mitigation receiving site is property encumbered by a
habitat conservation easement for the purpose of
creating mitigation credits that can be marketed and sold
to offset the impacts of future development. Proponents
of projects that decrease or impair Swainson’s hawk
habitat may purchase credits on a per-acre basis for
project impacts from the owners of local mitigation
receiving sites. A credit purchase also requires the
recording of documents to validate the transaction and
track remaining credits. The establishment of mitigation
receiving sites preserves important agricultural land and
provides local and timely mitigation for the loss of
Swainson’s hawk habitat resulting from local
development activities.
Costs
There are a number of legal and other
transaction costs associated with selling
a conservation easement or establishing
a mitigation receiving site, including
costs of providing an appraisal, title
report, title insurance, and other
documentation. The entity purchasing a
conservation easement typically covers
these costs, but the landowner may also
be responsible for some costs. The
landowner is responsible for all
transaction costs associated with the
establishment of local mitigation
receiving sites. The landowner must also
reimburse the JPA for staff time
associated with either the sale of a
conservation easement or a mitigation
receiving site transaction.
Learn More
To learn more about these opportunities or fill out an
application, please visit the JPA’s website:
www.yoloconservationplan.org.
Click
on
the
“Conservation Easement/Mitigation Receiving Site”
link to download an application for initial screening of
your property. For more information or an application,
please
contact
Susan
Garbini
at
susan.garbini@yolocounty.org or (530) 406-4883.
Yolo County Habitat/Natural Community Conservation Plan Joint Powers Agency
YOLO NATURAL HERITAGE PROGRAM
~ Partnering for Conservation ~
Member Agencies
County of Yolo  City of Davis  City of Winters  City of West Sacramento  City of Woodland University of California, Davis