Agricultural Conservation Easements
Protecting agricultural land, one farm at a time!
Oswit Land Trust (OLT) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit land trust based in Palm Springs, California. Formerly known as Save Oswit Canyon, OLT was formed in 2021 to save one of the last unprotected alluvial fans in the Coachella Valley, Oswit Canyon, from being destroyed by development. This ecological treasure is refuge for the endangered Peninsular bighorn sheep, fox, bobcats, mountain lions, migratory birds, and other wildlife.
OLT established its first agricultural conservation easement with an 1,800+ acre farm in Imperial County in 2023 and is currently working with the Federal Government and the State of California to help distribute hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to farm owners throughout California to forever preserve their land as agricultural.
You Keep Your Farm
Protect the Environment
Additional Benefits
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Frequently Asked Questions
There are many programs that offer conservation easement grants. Grant programs provide the funding to OLT to buy the easement on the farm property. These programs require completion of a competitive application process which OLT works closely with the farm owner to obtain.
One source is through the state of California’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund which supports the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Program. Part of this program’s goal is to provide funds to California farm owners through the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) program, which focuses on properties that are at risk of being developed for non-agricultural uses and that have existing environmental significance. The California Civil Code states that the preservation of land in its natural, scenic, agricultural, historical, forested, or open-space condition is among the most important environmental assets of California.
Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC)
The farm owner can also donate the easement to OLT, which may have certain tax advantages.
Oswit Land Trust is a 501c3 nonprofit public benefit corporation dedicated to preserving critical habitat for wildlife corridors, sensitive species, and agricultural land. We achieve our goals through the acquisition of land, conservation easements, and advocacy. We are a proud member of the Land Trust Alliance.
Contact Oswit Land Trust: Reach out to OLT to discuss your goals and see if your farm qualifies for a conservation easement.
Appraisal & Negotiation: OLT works with you and appraisers to determine the value of your development rights. Together, you negotiate the terms of the easement.
Grant Funding: OLT facilitates the application process for funding from various Federal and State programs, including California’s SALC program.
Agreement & Monitoring: Once approved, you sign a legal agreement with OLT outlining the easement restrictions. OLT conducts periodic monitoring on at least an annual basis to ensure compliance.
Your Farm. Your Legacy. Forever protected.
We help farmers to ensure their land is forever protected as open space. It's that simple!
Preserving land.
Has multiple benefits to the environment & our community.
Farm land protected forever as open space.
Let California’s bounty from nature thrive!
Live in balance.
With the land. With wildlife. With each other.
The Pacific Flyway.
Alaska to Patagonia flyway for migratory birds with important stopover in the Coachella Valley.
Success Stories
Alphabet Farms Ranch - A
Imperial County, CA
Alphabet Farms Ranch – A is 1,888 acres of productive farmland in Imperial County, CA. With Oswit Land Trust holding the agricultural conservation easement (ACE) the land is protected from destruction and development in perpetuity. This is Oswit Land Trust first conservation easement and our first conservation project of agricultural land. This is a joint project of Oswit Land Trust and Trust for Public Land.
The property is in Audubon’s Imperial Valley Globally Important Bird Area (IBA), the largest IBA in California and the nearby Salton Sea is one of the most important nesting sites and stopovers along the Pacific Flyway. The irrigation canals that crisscross Imperial Valley and border parcels of Ranch A are classified as riverine wetlands and provide important habitat. Burrowing owls (CA Species of Special Concern), Yuma clapper rails (federally endangered), and California black rails (CA threatened species) are known to use these canals. Dozens of birds including several species of raptor and the charismatic sandhill cranes were seen taking advantage of the unique resources provided by the agricultural lands.
"The property is in Audubon’s Imperial Valley Globally Important Bird Area (IBA), the largest IBA in California and the nearby Salton Sea is one of the most important nesting sites and stopovers along the Pacific Flyway."
PROTECTED
Community Spotlight
“More Than a Festival”
""I would see people who had come for the festival and discover there were grapes growing just down the street. I wanted to draw attention to the differences between the two worlds of Coachella." Alexandera Valdez - Grade 12
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How is Easement Value calculated?
Example: If the unrestricted fair market value of the land is $1,000,000, and the value of the land with the deed restrictions related to the conservation easement is $600,000 then the value of the easement is $400,000.
Full Market Value
$1.000.000
Market Value with Easement
$600.000
Easement Value
$400.000
How Much Money Will the Farm Owner Receive?
Assuming an endowment of $40,000 to fund annual monitoring by OLT, the farm owner would receive $360,000. Each conservation easement is unique and written specifically for the benefit of the farm owner. The value of the easement will depend upon many factors related to the value of real estate in your area, which can vary greatly. The farm owner can use the proceeds however they see fit.