Shoreline property owners can get a break on their federal taxes for partnering with the Lake Erie Islands Chapter of the Black Swamp Conservancy to provide habitat for the Lake Erie water snake.
Shoreline property owners should consider a conservation agreement for your property. The Lake Erie Islands Chapter of the Black Swamp Conservancy (LEIC-BSC) has money granted from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife (ODNR-DOW) to use for expenses associated with securing donated agreements (ex.survey or appraisal costs) on the Lake Erie Islands.
The grant is from the state’s Wildlife Diversity program. Protecting habitat through agreements will help meet the targeted number of protected acres the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Lake Erie Water Snake Recovery Plan have set for each island.
Establishment of conservation agreements will aid in recovery of the Lake Erie water snake and will help to remove the snake from the Federal list of threatened species.
A conservation agreement is a restriction that a landowner can voluntarily place on their property. It is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land conservancy that permanently protects its conservation values.
A building envelope can be reserved for future construction within an agreement. An agreement can be placed on either a portion of a property or the entire property.
A landowner keeps the title to the property and there is no public access. An agreement can be customized for each individual landowner. Any donation of a conservation agreement is tax deductible. The agreement program sponsored by the ODNR-DOW and LEIC-BSC is to be used to preserve properties with Lake Erie water snake habitat either along the shoreline or at their hibernation sites.
If you have any questions about this program or are interested in participating, please contact the Lake Erie Islands Chapter of the Black Swamp Conservancy.