Easement is a legal term. According to Webster it means the establishment of a right to make use of land for a limited purpose. 

Holding easements and assisting landowners with the easement process are activities of the Northern Neck Audubon Society. The NNAS program supports conservation by preserving local lands--farms, forests and natural areas--from the wrong kind of development. The owner of the land is able to tailor the easement to reflect personal values and unique goals pertaining to the property of a designated area. Thus the easement enables landowners to permanently protect their land and still continue to own it, live on it, and enjoy it with the assurance that it will always be protected and preserved. 

Land under easement may be sold or passed to heirs, all the while remaining subject to the original intent. Intent may differ according to each individual, the land and owner options. To protect and preserve the habitats of many species of plants and animals is a generous gift to future generations by private property owners who obtain conservation easements. In addition to conservation easements, other types of easements exist: historic, cultural, public access, etc. 

The NNAS's conservation easement program is designed to 1) answer questions, 2) assist landowners to obtain easements, 3) pay the costs associated with the process, such as for a survey, and 4) hold the easement with responsibility to maintain it in the future.  

Individuals interested in learning more about this program as a legal vehicle with environmental and tax advantages, may contact NNAS President, Ellis Squires, at [email protected].