Jon Christensen’s article, "Who Will Take Over the Ranch?" is very timely, and covered a lot of ground (HCN, 3/29/04: Who Will Take Over the Ranch?).

I own a small ranch in a sensitive area in northeast Washington, and have spent the last three years discussing conservation easements with a land trust located in another county.

An important point that Christensen did not cover: With many land trusts, the landowner is required to pay for a stewardship endowment up front, monies needed to support legal defense of the easements "in perpetuity." Not all land trusts are rich.

I believe that some sort of pooled funding will eventually be available to help defend easements in cases where, in the future as the protected land changes hands, new owners might be less willing to support the original conservation values.

With the recent economic decline and much-reduced retirement income, I found myself unwilling and unable to fork out the amount needed for the endowment. That’s too bad, but life ain’t always perfect, and I’ll keep working to protect my place for the future.

Andy Studebaker
Keller, Washington