We are a Land Trust

As part of its mission to protect and preserve the future environmental integrity of the Muskingum watershed, Friends of Lower Muskingum River is incorporated as a Land Trust. As a Land Trust we have assumed ownership, and thus protective custody, of several vital properties within the watershed land area. We have acquired property from a concerned individual, which is being used by Marietta College as a field biology station under a Memorandum of Understanding between FLMR and the college. FLMR also acquired and then transferred to the City of Marietta a 9-acre addition to Kroger Wetlands, which is a passive use park with walking trails. Learn more about Land Trusts and Conservation Easements here. If you wish to contact Friends of Lower Muskingum about donating your property to a Trust or to ask for help setting up a conservation easement, we are there for you.

Follow the links below to learn more about some of our Land Trust properties…

Wilson Wildlife Sanctuary

Testimonial from a Local Couple Who Placed a FLMR Conservation Easement on Their Land

“In the course of our lives we’ve lived in enough different areas to realize that more and more of our precious green space is being eaten up by development or cut up into small acreage lots. Not that that is always a bad thing but we need to save some larger areas for wildlife and future generations. Our property in Noble County is remote enough that industry is not likely anytime soon but it would have made many home building lots. Some may tell you that a conservation easement will hurt your property value but that isn’t necessarily so, especially in this area. Not many large tracts of rural land are still available and will be sought after more and more.

We had known about conservation easements for several years but had not thought of them as applying to us. They seemed to be something for large organizations such as The Nature Conservancy to use. We slowly came to realize that we have something to save and that is 382 acres. Most of it is land that has been strip mined and areas that were at one time farm ground. Reforesting by the state and mining companies and with the help of beaver, the land looks much different now than it did 32 years ago when we first moved here. Our main concern was to keep it from being subdivided and that was easily accomplished with our conservation easement with the Friends of Lower Muskingum River. More difficult was deciding what else we wanted to prevent or permit. We also added the stipulation that there be no other houses; it will remain a one-home property. Conservation easements are written for each property for the individual needs and wants of each land owner. They are added to the deed and stay with the property in perpetuity.

It was such a relief and great satisfaction when we finally finished, signed and recorded our easement. Not that it was terribly difficult to do, but knowing that no matter what happens to us now, this 382 acres will remain 382 acres!”

– Herb and Susie Hulls 2009