Press Release - February 15th, 2022
Owen County, KY - Gazing out into her forest on a Sunday afternoon, Owen County resident
Connie May takes delight in a stand of beech trees, their coppery leaves glistening in the sun.
We trek over the crunch of leaves, past old cedars whose trunks are more than an arm’s reach
around, to a rock outcropping so that she can show me a patch of reindeer moss, a rare find in
this area of the state. A favorite spot on the property, she tells me, is a large sycamore with a
hollowed cavity that can fit three whole people inside.
The love May has for her 80 acres located off of US-127 is apparent. She takes pride in Owen
County, the place she’s called home for more than 15 years, particularly the “greenness” of it.
As such, she and her husband Loren Curtis want to see the forests of the area remain intact
for generations to come. That’s why they signed a conservation easement with the land
conservation group Woods and Waters Land Trust, a nonprofit that provides landowners with
the opportunity to permanently protect the land they love.
A legal document attached to a property deed, a conservation easement allows landowners to
limit development on parts of their land to protect its conservation value while retaining
private ownership. Conservation easements are flexible and can be adapted to allow for
activities important to the landowners, such as hunting or farming. By entering into the
agreement with WWLT, May and Curtis were able to choose which areas of their land they
wanted to restrict development and which they wanted to leave open for activities, like
cutting wood. What’s key, though, is that the land covered in the easement is protected in
perpetuity, meaning legally it’s protected forever, even when it changes ownership.
“You never know what the future holds and a way to permanently protect the land you love is
placing it into a conservation easement,” says WWLT Executive Director Jennifer Palmer. “This
will allow the land you love to be safe and flourish for future generations to enjoy.”
Accredited through the Land Trust Alliance and not affiliated with any government programs,
Woods and Waters Land Trust helps landowners find the best solutions for their properties.
They can even work with conservation easement donors to secure significant tax benefits,
including reduced income taxes and estate taxes.
But for May, knowing that she’s helping keep a delicate ecosystem remain intact has renewed
her zeal for the place she calls home. “Since protecting our land, I’ve been thinking more about
the future,” May says. “I wonder what our trees will look like in 50 years. In 100 years.” She
wants to see what the forests of Owen County can become if she and her neighbors work
together to protect it.
“Our 80 acres won’t make a big difference on its own, but we are just the first,” May says. “I am
sure other landowners will be inspired to protect their land for future generations of hunters,
birdwatchers and nature lovers like me.”
For more information about Woods and Waters Land Trust and conservation easements, visit
www.woodsandwaterstrust.org.
