Stewardship Program Overview

Our Stewardship Program assists easement property owners with the continued stewardship of their land and assures – in perpetuity – that the conservation goals stated in the easement are upheld.

The dedicated staff of the VOF Stewardship Program perform many duties in an effort to maintain the conservation values of eased properties. These activities include:

• Maintaining updated stewardship files on every VOF easement property
• Tracking land records including changes in ownership, current tax assessments, building permits
• Visiting conserved lands to ensure the easement provisions are being upheld
• Answering landowner questions regarding stewardship or management of their land (wildlife management, forested lands, agricultural lands, riparian buffers, etc.)
• Responding to requests for reviews and approvals for activities to be conducted on the property (construction, subdivisions, harvesting timber, etc.)
• Interpreting provisions in easement deed
• Helping  landowners correct easement violations through voluntary compliance, mediation or if necessary, legal proceedings

Many activities on easement property require notification and/or written approval. It may take a minimum of 30 days for VOF to review and approve the proposed activities. Please remember to notify your local Stewardship staff as soon as possible before undertaking any of the following activities:

• Construction of any new buildings or structures
• Renovation and/or enlargement of existing structures
• Conveyance of property (provide contact information on new owner)
• Subdivision of property
• Signing any other encumbrances on property (i.e. right-of-ways, ingress/egress, other easements)
• Changing use of property (i.e. from forested lands to agricultural lands)
• Deed/plat for boundary line adjustment
• Harvesting timber

Contact your local VOF Stewardship Office