Avon Hills Initiative

Funding is available to assist landowners interested in conservation easements. Conservation easements are a tool by which landowners voluntarily limit the use and development of their property in order to permanently preserve its natural features. Restrictions set out in each easement will preserve the open space, habitat, water quality, and natural resources. But the easement allows landowners to retain all their other rights such as hunting, working the forests and fields, and the ability to post their land. The restrictions are designed to permanently follow the deed, thus protecting the property in perpetuity. 

Conservation easements provide a public benefit by helping to protect the high-quality natural habitats, water quality, and the scenic integrity of a local landscape. The Avon Hills has native plant communities of tamarack swamp, oak forest, and maple-basswood forest that provide nearly unaltered habitat and significant ecological value. More easement information is available from the MN Land Trust.