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For land trusts, holding a conservation easement is often less expensive than holding land . In fact, it may be preferred where the trust is able to negotiate restrictions that protect the property ' s conservation resources . As part of the acquisition process, the land trust will need to conduct a baseline data inventory to establish - the condition of the property at the time the easement is granted . The trust must also have access to the professional advice needed to acquire the easement and must be sure it will have the personnel and financial resources to monitor and enforce the easement in the future . For the community, conservation easements may be popular because they keep the property in private ownership and on the property tax roles . For the landowner, the terms of the easement can be crafted to meet the landowner ' s needs . An easement can be granted on all or part of the property, and public access need not be allowed . For example, conservation easements can be used in the case of "limited development" projects, where a property is partially developed but its major conservation values are protected . Where the landowner continues to own the larAo he or she can use it, sell it or bequeath it, subject to the terms of the easement. Likewise, all subsequent owners are bound by the restrictions in the easement . There are two sources of information that should be consulted about conservation easements . The first source is Article 4 of Chapter 121 of the N. C . General Statutes and * is known as the "Historic Preservation and Conservation Agreements Act" (see Appendix K) . It contains the provisions which authorize State government agencies, local governments, and nonprofit corporations to enter into conservation agreements with private landowners for the purpose of holding conservation and preservation easements or other interests in land . The second source is The Conservation Easement Handbook: Managing Land Conservation and Historic Preservation Easement Programs, written by Janet Diehl and Thomas S . Barrett for the Land Trust Alliance and Trust for Public Land in 1988 . A companion text, Model Conservation Easement and Historic Preservation Easement, 1996, by Thomas S . Barrett and Stefan Nagel, contains revised easements and commentary from The Conservation Easement Handbook (see Appendix L) . The conservation easement has served as a model for land trusts nationwide, including easements held by the Triangle Land Conservancy . In 1995 , 414 acres were managed under easement by the Triangle Land Conservancy in the six-county Research Triangle region, of which 171 acres (41 . 3 %) were located in Orange County . Appendix M contains the conservation easement for Maple View Farm, a 300 - acre farm in Bingham Township owned by Bob and Chris Nutter, and farm manager, Russ Seibert . Held by the Triangle Land Conservancy, the initial 107 -acre easement represents the first phase of a conservation plan that combines limited subdivision of the property with protection of natural, agricultural, and scenic lands . Combined with the conservation objectives is an economic development plan of pasteurizing, bottling, and selling Maple View Milk. After the tax incentives from the first easement are used up , the remainder of the farm will be put under easement . Temporary Agreements . Temporary or nonbinding agreements are used when permanent protection does not suit the land trust ' s or landowner ' s needs and wishes . In such instances, the trust believes that the property ' s conservation value is h its resources i not great enoug to put nto 4-24 0. 4