Wayne County easement application deadline extended

WAYNE COUNTY, PA — The Wayne County Agricultural Land Preservation Board has extended the 2009 easement application deadline to March 31, 2009.

An agricultural conservation easement restricts the development or improvement of the land for purposes other than agriculture, ensuring that productive farmland will be safeguarded from encroaching development and protected for future generations. The Wayne County Agricultural Land Preservation Board, along with support and funding from the county commissioners, oversees the purchase of agricultural conservation easements (sometimes called development rights) from owners of quality farmland. Since 1992, the board has preserved over 30 Wayne County farms, helping to slow the loss of prime farmland for non-agricultural uses.

To apply for a conservation easement, you must have a minimum of 35 acres and meet other certain qualifications. To receive an application, contact Ed Pruss from the Wayne County Cooperative Extension at 570/253-5970 or Christa Odell, county administrator, at 570/253-8904. Submission of an application does not obligate the landowner, the County of Wayne or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

For more information visit WayneCoLandPreservation.org.