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75 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, August 28, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 23, 2004 Cottonwood Creek parcels annexed Latest easements add 75 acres near Ashland to properties protected by Land Conservancy By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune With the stroke of a pen, two picturesque private parcels in the Colestin Valley have become permanently protected by conservation easements. The adjoining parcels totaling 75 acres are part of the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy’s efforts to preserve in perpetuity the conservation values of the property. "We are thrilled to add these two parcels to the other 26 properties we already have protected," conservancy president Dan Kellogg said in a statement. "These spectacular lands are adjacent to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and will extend the wildlife corridor in the area and also add to the scenic backdrop of Colestin Road," he added. Since it was created in 1978, the conservancy has placed conservation easements on a little more than 2,300 acres in five southwestern Oregon counties. Advertisement Both properties are in the Cottonwood Creek drainage high in the Klamath River watershed near the California state line south of Ashland. One of the parcels, a 40-acre piece, is owned by Alex and Jennifer Liston Dykema. "The heart and soul of doing this is to protect the land," said Alex Dykema, who is also the attorney for the conservancy. "As a landowner, when you find a special piece of property, it’s nice to know it will be protected," he added. The easements were placed on the properties last week with the help of the Carpenter Foundation and the donation of the two landowners, according to Diane Garcia, executive director of the conservancy. Basically, the easements prohibit development, commercial logging and other activities which would degrade the conservation features of the land, she explained. Each easement is specifically designed for the parcel to permanently protect the land, she said. The land trust holds the easements and is responsible for ensuring the agreements with landowners are upheld, she said. Since its inception, the non-profit conservancy has sought to protect streamside vegetation, forest and woodlands, open space, farmlands and rangeland. In addition to knowing that conservation values are protected, a landowner who donates a conservation easement may be able to deduct the value of the donation on their federal income tax form, she said. The Colestin Valley properties include a grass and oak woodland as well as a mixed conifer species of incense cedar, ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, sugar pine, white oak and Douglas fir. Because of continued growth in the region, the conservancy recently hired Ashland resident Su Rolle to serve as its stewardship coordinator, Garcia said. Rolle retired from the U.S. Forest Service in 1999 after a 25-year career, having served as ranger in charge of the Applegate Ranger District. She also worked as interagency liaison between the Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management and communities in the Applegate River drainage. Rolle’s job will include monitoring properties, conducting ecological assessments of protection projects and creating a volunteer monitoring program. For information on land conservation or easements, contact the conservancy at 482-3069 or by e-mail at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities