Hardwood Hills Protection Program

Your Land is part of a bigger story.

You didn’t choose your land by accident. Whether it’s been in your family for generations or you acquired it more recently, it’s a place you enjoy throughout the seasons and care for deeply. And here in west-central Minnesota, that care matters more than ever.

Protecting Minnesota’s Hardwood Hills together.

Your property sits within the vital Hardwood Hills, a rare transition landscape where forests meet prairies, shaped by rolling hills, kettle lakes, wetlands, and oak and maple woods.

Eighty-five Species in Greatest Conservation Need depend on this region, including red-shouldered hawks, trumpeter swans, songbirds, and native insects. And it’s a vital corridor for migrating birds, waterfowl, and pollinators moving across an otherwise heavily agricultural landscape.

Let’s Work Together

Leah Hall is a Senior Conservation Program Manager for the Minnesota Land Trust, overseeing the Central Minnesota program. With 15 years of experience in conservation, she works with landowners to establish permanent conservation easements that protect vital ecosystems.

Leah holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and Geography from the University of Oregon and an M.S. in Natural Resources Management from the University of Minnesota.

Questions? Contact Leah at 651-240-7878 or lhall@mnland.org

You can leave a legacy on the land.

Through the Hardwood Hills protection program, you can permanently protect your land through a conservation easement while continuing to own and use your property. And because of grant funding, you may be able to be financially compensated.

For many, permanently protecting their land through a conservation easement is a way to care for what they love today—and leave something meaningful behind.

What is a conservation easement?

Why apply for a conservation easement?

Do you qualify for the Hardwood Hills Protection Program?

To qualify for this program, the property you wish to protect must:

• Be located within the Hardwood Hills Protection Program area, which includes portions of the following counties: Polk, Norman, Mahnomen, Clearwater, Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, Douglas, Todd, Stearns, Meeker, and Morrison.
  
  
• be at least 40 acres in size with larger parcels preferred.
  
  
• Contain less than 10% of proposed easement area in cultivation.

What are the conservation easement terms and restrictions?

Land Trust conservation easement terms generally:

• Permit low impact recreational uses, such as camping and hunting. 
• Prohibit or limit agricultural uses, including wildlife food plots. 
• Permit vegetation management in accordance with a habitat management plan approved by the Land Trust. The first plan is funded by the Land Trust.  
• Prohibit division into separate ownerships. One conservation easement per owner. 

Easement value and compensation

On your application, you must specify a desired payment amount per acre. The amount you choose may affect whether your project is ranked and if it is ultimately chosen.  

Applications to the program will be ranked on both the ecological value of the land and the payment amount desired. The Land Trust will evaluate all applications received and make selections.

If your application is selected, the Land Trust will use a certified appraiser to determine the value of the proposed conservation easement. Upon finalizing the conservation easement, you would receive a one-time payment, up to 100% of the appraised value.

The Land Trust cannot pay more than the appraised value of the conservation easement.

Benefits of donating conservation easement value

The Minnesota Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) public charity. As with other charitable contributions, the donation of a conservation easement may allow the landowner to claim a federal income tax deduction for the value of the easement. A gift of a conservation easement may also reduce estate taxes. Please consult your attorney. 

Have questions? Contact Leah at 651-240-7878 or lhall@mnland.org.

Completed Protection & Restoration Projects in Your Area

• 
  Restoring a Landscape from the Past & Preserving it for the Future
  The Heurungs have protected over 70 acres of their property in Stearns County, mostly composed of forest and woodland, grassland, and wetlands, and 2,829 feet of shoreline that includes a portion of the Sauk River and a restored pond.   Active stewards of their land since they acquired it in 2017, the family partnered with Stearns… Read more: Restoring a Landscape from the Past & Preserving it for the Future
• 
  Protecting 79-acres of Critical Waterfowl Habitat in North America’s Duck Factory
  Landowners Dave and Stephanie Sanderson have enjoyed their beautiful Otter Tail County property for many years, engaging in a variety of recreation activities including hunting, hiking, bird watching, and photography. In partnership with the Minnesota Land Trust, the Sandersons have generously donated a 79-acre easement, protecting the habitat, wildlife, and opportunity to recreate in perpetuity.… Read more: Protecting 79-acres of Critical Waterfowl Habitat in North America’s Duck Factory
• 
  A Ducky Partnership
  Minnesota is renowned for its ecosystem diversity; countless wildlife, plants and insects call it home. So, it may not be surprising to learn that Minnesota is also home to America’s “Duck Factory”, one of the most productive nesting areas for waterfowl in North America. The prairie pothole region, found in western Minnesota, is a landscape… Read more: A Ducky Partnership

Funding for this program is provided by the Outdoor Heritage Fund as recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council.