Orange County NC Website
* <br />2012- 08- 14.THOMPSON.Conservation Easement Deed DRAFT <br />(3) North Carolina General Statute 139 -2 et seq., which provides that "it is hereby <br />declared ... that the farm, forest and grazing lands of the State of North <br />Carolina are among the basic assets of the State and the preservation of these <br />lands is necessary to protect and promote the health, safety and general <br />welfare of its people... It is hereby declared to be the policy of the legislature <br />to provide for the conservation of the soil and resources of this State;" <br />(4) North Carolina General Statute 106 -583 et seq., which states that "It is <br />declared to be the policy of the State of North Carolina to promote the <br />efficient production and utilization of the products of the soil as essential to <br />the health and welfare of our people and to promote a sound and prosperous <br />agriculture and rural life as indispensable to the maintenance of maximum <br />prosperity," <br />(5) The Uniform North Carolina Conservation and Historic Preservation <br />Agreements Act, North Carolina General Statute 121 -34 et seq., which <br />provides for the enforceability of restrictions, easements, covenants or <br />conditions "appropriate for retaining in land or water areas predominantly in <br />their natural, scenic, or open condition or in agricultural, horticultural, farming <br />or forest use;" and which provides for tax assessment of lands subject to such <br />agreements "on the basis of the true value of the land and improvement less <br />any reduction in value caused by the agreement;" <br />(6) The North Carolina Conservation Tax Credit Program, North Carolina <br />General Statute 105- 130.34 and 105 - 151.12 et seq., which provides for state <br />income tax credits for donations of land that are useful for fish and wildlife <br />conservation and other similar land conservation purposes; <br />(7) The establishment of the North Carolina Farmland Preservation Trust Fund <br />established in 1986 [N.C.G.S. 106- 744(c)] to preserve important farmland in <br />North Carolina; <br />(8) The special use assessment of farm and forest land as set forth in North <br />Carolina General Statute 105 -277.2 et seq., and <br />(9) The Orange County Agricultural Development and Farmland Protection Plan, <br />adopted November 17, 2009, which supports the granting of agricultural <br />conservation easements to help protect farmland as a valuable natural <br />resources. <br />WHEREAS, Grantor and Grantee have the common purpose of protecting the <br />above described Conservation Values and current condition of the Protected Property and <br />preventing conversion of the Protected Property to non - agri cultural uses and Grantor <br />agrees to create and implement a conservation plan (hereinafter the "Conservation Plan ") <br />that is developed utilizing the standards and specification of the NRCS field office <br />technical guide and 7 CFR Part 12, and is approved by the <br />11 <br />