Palisade, Colorado is leading the way with conservation properties. According to The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction, Mesa Land Trust just placed 92 acres under conservation easements as an effort under the Fruitlands Forever Initiative.
The initiative was launched in 2010 by the Mesa Land Trust, and aims to place 500 acres under conservation easements. A conservation easement limits the development on a private property, while still allowing for agricultural uses and some building. In exchange, landowners are paid and may receive tax benefits, and they can then put the money back into their ranch, farm or orchard/vineyard.
Palisade is located in Mesa County, which is expecting major population growth over the next decade. Conservation easements will allow larger properties to remain intact, which will allow for better production, and take the pressure off developing agricultural land for housing developments.
Orchard Mesa Reserve (pictured above), a Colorado orchard for sale, is part of over 700 acres of conservation properties that Mesa Land Trust has placed easements on in the Palisade area.