HUNTSVILLE -- The Northwest Arkansas Land Trust announced Thursday it has entered into a conservation easement with the owner of Sweden Creek Farm to continue the property's agricultural heritage in perpetuity.
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between the landowner and the Land Trust that limits certain mutually agreed upon uses of the land to protect its conservation values, according to a news release from the Land Trust. The agreements are customized to every property.
The landowner continues to own and use their land, and they can sell it or pass it on to their heirs. Hunting and fishing are allowed, and public access is not required. Terms of the conservation easement stay with the deed and are upheld by the Land Trust in perpetuity, according to the release.
Carol Anne Rose and her late husband, Curly Miller, ran their 90-acre forest farming operation for more than 30 years, the release states. The family farm has been using certified organic agricultural practices to produce shiitake mushrooms for decades.
"Since recently retiring from farming and listing the property for sale, it was important to me to preserve the future of this farm," Rose said in the release. "I purchased this land in 1986 and since then have seen many other farms developed into housing neighborhoods, shopping malls, recreation destinations, etc. that will no longer support a farm family. My hope is that the amazing natural resources of this Ozark Mountain farm will support families, farming, and many other compatible home businesses into the future."
Grady Spann, director of the Land Trust, said Rose is "making a difference in the preservation, conservation and protection of our Ozark heritage, especially protecting and encouraging growing locally sourced food."
The Land Trust is the region's first local and accredited land trust dedicated to enhancing the quality of life through permanent land protection, according to the release. It serves 13 counties, with a core focus on Benton, Washington, Madison and Carroll counties.
With the Sweden Creek Farm conservation easement, the Land Trust has nearly 8,000 acres conserved, the release states.