It does not open up private property to public use. It is for the landowners to decide if they want to allow any public use of the property. When you donate a conservation easement to a land trust, you permanently give up some of the rights associated with the land. For example, you might give up the right to build additional residences, while retaining the right to grow crops. Future owners also will be bound by the easement's terms, and the land trust is responsible for making sure the easement's terms are followed.
Conservation easements are flexible and can be tailor-made to meet the needs of the landowner.
Wyche gave an overview of conservation easements. Becker, Gene Cornett, president of Greenville Farm Bureau and Tom Garrison, owner of Denver Downs Farm, talked about growth patterns in the upstate. The 4,500 square mile area that includes the counties of Greenville, Spartanburg, Pickens, Anderson, Laurens, Cherokee and Oconee Counties is one of the fastest growing areas of the country, according to Becker. More than a million people live in the region, and the population grows by 31 persons per day. Each day new development consumes another 50 acres of land.