Orange County NC Website
Latta Conservation Easement Draft #3 (March 12, 2007) <br />County. The entire Property is within the Little River Protected Watershed. It is a secondary <br />purpose of this Conservation Easement to protect these natural resources. <br />The agricultural resources, including the protection of soils, and natural and scenic <br />resources of the Property to be preserved by this Conservation Easement are collectively referred <br />to as the "conservation values" of the Property. <br />The specific conservation values of the Property and its current use and state of <br />improvement are described in a Baseline Report prepared by the Grantee with the cooperation of <br />the Grantors, and acknowledged by both parties to be accurate as of the date of this Conservation <br />Easement. This Report maybe used by the Grantee to document any future changes in the use or <br />character of the Property in order to ensure the terms and conditions of this Conservation <br />Easement are fulfilled. This Report, however, is not intended to preclude the use of other <br />evidence to establish the present condition of the Property if there is a controversy over its use. <br />The Grantors and Grantee have copies of this Report, and said report will remain on file at the <br />office of the Orange County Environment and Resource Conservation Department. <br />The Grantors and Grantee agree that the current agricultural use of, and improvements to, <br />the Property are consistent with the conservation purposes of this Conservation Easement. <br />The Grantors intend that the conservation values of the Property be preserved and <br />maintained, and further, Grantors intend to convey to Grantee the right to preserve and protect <br />the agricultural and other conservation values of the Property in perpetuity. <br />The conservation purposes of this Conservation Easement are recognized by, and the <br />grant of this Conservation Easement will serve, the following clearly delineated governmental <br />conservation policies: <br />(1) Sections 1238 H and 1238 I of the Food Security Act of 1985, as amended, which <br />authorizes the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program, administered through the United <br />States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, which provides <br />funds for the acquisition of Conservation Easements or other interests in prime, unique, or other <br />productive soils for the purpose of limiting conversion to nonagricultural uses of the land; <br />(2) 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 Carolina are among the <br />basic assets of the State and the preser'vat'ion of these lands is necessary to protect and promote <br />the health, safety and general welfare of its people... it is hereby declared to be the policy of the <br />legislature to provide for the conservation of the soil and resources of this State;" <br />(3) North Carolina General Statute 106-583 et seq., which states that "It is declared to be <br />the policy of the State of North Carolina to promote the efficient production and utilization of the <br />products of the soil as essential to the health and welfare of our people and to promote a sound <br />and prosperous agriculture and rural life as indispensable to the maintenance of maximum <br />prosperity;" <br />Page 2 of 18 <br />