Landowner Consideration of Conservation Easement Utilization in the Adirondack Park of New York

A survey regarding the granting of conservation easements was administered to private, non-commercial Adirondack Park landowners with a residence on their property. The theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991) and a conceptual model for easement adoption proposed by Kabii and Horwitz (2006) served as a framework for the study. Analyzed constructs included attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, nature conservation equity, nature conservation ethic, economic dependence on property, private property rights, confidence in permanent easement mechanisms, and demographic variables: gender, age, and years owned property. Significant relationships between constructs were identified and policy implications addressed. 1.0 Introduction Conservation easements are less than fee ownership interests in a parcel of land, designed to accomplish specific land management goals by limiting the allowable development on a property and often defining management standards (Bick & Haney, 2001). Specific terms of easement deeds differ greatly, with each deed drafted to meet individual property and conservation objectives. The easement adoption process involves a grantor (the landowner) who voluntarily grants an easement on their land to a grantee (nonprofit organization or government agency), relinquishing a portion of their property rights through donation or sale (Bick & Haney, 2001). Conservation easements are often viewed favorably because the conserved land remains privately owned, and activities for which the land is currently used such as agriculture and forestry are frequently allowed to continue (Salkin & Cintron, 2001). Conservation easements have grown greatly in popularity in recent years. Annually, 70% of the land area protected and half of all financial investments for land conservation are now related to conservation easements (Fishburn et al., 2009). The amount of land encumbered by conservation easements within New York by the state and local land trusts has increased from 2.3 million acres in 2000, to 6 million acres in 2005, and 8.8 million acres in 2010 (Land Trust Alliance, 2010). Conservation easements address private lands, an area of great importance to forestland conservation. Approximately two thirds of the 620 million acres of forestland in the lower 48 states are privately owned (Butler & Leatherbury, 2004). Within the Adirondack Park 3.4 million acres (roughly 57% of the park) are privately owned (NYDEC, 2012). The purpose of this study is to examine private, residential landowner considerations in granting conservation easements within New York’s Adirondack Park. A conceptual model for voluntary easement adoption proposed by Kabii and Horwitz (2006) and the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991) were used to create the study model. Study objectives were to quantify constructs identified by Kabii and Horwitz (2006) as well as those from the theory of planned behavior (1991), to identify important relationships between constructs, and to identify policy implications. This research is particularly important due to its assessment of existing theory, value for practical application, and specificity to the unique area of the Adirondack Park. 2.0 Literature Review An overall lack of empirical research has been conducted concerning landowner motivations for granting conservation easements (Kabii & Horwitz, 2006), with existing studies largely focusing on agricultural land in areas outside the northeastern United States. Koontz (2001) identifies the subject of property protection for non-agricultural land used for non-extractive activities as largely absent from the current literature. Several studies have demonstrated that motivations for granting an easement may differ by location and land use (Farmer, 2009; McGaffin & Graham, 2009). Research that has addressed forestland easements in the northeast region including Bick (1996) and Feinberg (1997) does not focus specifically on potential grantor motivations, rather addressing this issue as a secondary objective. Two models were used to create the framework for this study: a conceptual model for conservation easement adoption (Kabii & Horwitz, 2006) and the theory of planned behavior (Azjen, 1991). Kabii and Horwitz (2006) identify nature conservation equity, nature conservation ethic, economic dependence on property, perception of private property rights, and confidence in permanent covenant mechanisms as the five constructs, which influence permanent easement adoption. The theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991) identifies attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control as constructs influencing behavioral intention, which in turn influences the behavior itself.