What Is Monitoring And Why Do We Do It?

The California Rangeland Trust currently holds conservation easements on over 183,000 acres of land throughout California.When the Rangeland Trust accepts a conservation easement, it commits itself to perpetual stewardship of the easement land.This means the Rangeland Trust has an ongoing obligation to regularly monitor its easements and enforce easement terms if they are violated.

The purpose of the monitoring is to confirm that the terms of the conservation easement agreement between the landowner and the Rangeland Trust are being fulfilled.For example, if the landowner agreed to construct agricultural structures only within a certain area of the ranch, we make certain no prohibited construction is taking place.Or, if the easement prohibits paving unpaved roads we confirm the roads are still unpaved.

Each monitoring visit provides an opportunity to maintain and develop a stronger relationship with the owner and build a spirit of cooperation.Perpetuity is a very long time.A monitoring visit reinforces the partnership between the owner and the Rangeland Trust to uphold the terms of the easement.While all our easement properties are still owned by the original landowners, at some point in the future, the ranch may be transferred to new owners.These personal visits give the landowner names and faces to accompany the legal terms of the deed, and also provide the landowner with ready access to someone who can answer questions about the easement.Ultimately, our goal is to prevent violations and foster a spirit of partnership.

During the monitoring, the Rangeland Trust monitors take pictures from established monitoring photo points to document the condition of the ranch.This provides a running record of the ranch's condition over time.In addition to photos, the monitors complete a written checklist of their observations of the ranch.The photographs and written field notes serve as evidence of trends on the ranch, whether positive or negative.Evidence of a negative trend provides the Rangeland Trust with an opportunity to sit down with the landowner to discuss the matter and hopefully avoid a costly violation.If the matter is not amicably resolved after discussion, then the annual monitoring documentation will provide evidence of the violation if the matter must be resolved by litigation.

Recently, some land trusts have been criticized on a national level for not fulfilling their functions as responsible tax-exempt organizations.Monitoring helps establish the Rangeland Trust as a responsible nonprofit organization.The Rangeland Trust is proud of its strong stewardship policy of monitoring the easements it holds.