What Happens When a Conservation Easement Changes Hands?

In spring 2024, Jeff and Nichole Tipps were looking for a new home to settle in with their family. They had been living near Crystal Lake, but were looking for a change of pace – somewhere with more space, seclusion, peace and proximity to nature. They found a property on Country Club Rd. in Woodstock, and were drawn in, according to Jeff, by the “rich nature and topography of the land.”

He grew up in the area and recalled driving through Bull Valley with his parents. “I would see the vast properties with long driveways and wonder what was back there and who lived there.” The homes he saw were all different, each with unique qualities. He adds, “My curiosity often ran wild. Just over a year ago, the opportunity to fulfill my curiosity became possible.”

The Tippses were set to close on their new home, but a surprise was in store for the family – at the last minute, they were notified of the conservation easement on the property. For some, this might be a roadblock. For the Tippses, the conservation easement ended up being “the cherry on top.”

This particular conservation easement was granted by Robert and Elizabeth Scherer in 2009. Like many other conservation-minded people in the county, the Scherers sought to preserve their woods – a 12-acre oak/hickory woodland and glacial kettle wetland ecosystem. To ensure the rolling hills they held dear would forever and irrevocably retain their beauty, open space and natural habitat, they placed a conservation easement on their land. The Land Conservancy of McHenry County (TLC) holds the easement, and since then has been upholding its purpose to ensure the dignity of the natural area.

The Tippses scoured the terms of the conservation easement, including all of its purposes, restrictions, rights, baseline conditions and the management plan laid out by TLC. “The easement educated us on the property’s history and gave us a well-laid-out, approved plan to ensure its wonderful longevity and value,” says Jeff.  Jeff and Nichole determined that it was actually in line with what they were hoping to do with the property, and they found that they could use the management plan as a guideline for improving the beauty and natural quality of their woods. Jeff adds, “When executed as intended, the conservation easement allows for a thriving ecosystem, as well as usage and enjoyment of the entire property.”

They got to work. Jeff hired a forester to supplement the easement’s management plan with a forest management plan. He also got a start on removing the thickets of buckthorn, honeysuckle and multiflora rose that had overtaken the property by hiring a local land clearing and management contractor.

In just a year, the Tippses have transformed their 12 acres from a gnarled forest dominated by woody invasives into a woodland with a renewed chance to flourish. “[The conservation easement] has given us a paint-by-numbers process for regenerating the land so that native species and wildlife thrive, which is great for our environment and our humanity,” says Jeff.

With the dense brush removed from most of their property (an incredible feat for anyone familiar with cutting, hauling, and burning brush!) more light is reaching the forest floor. Oaks and hickories finally have some room to breathe, and acorns and seeds of native flowers that have been patiently waiting in the soil will now get the chance to poke their heads out of the ground, stretch out their arms into new pockets of sunlight, and be welcomed into a forest like the ones their great-great-grandparents knew well. It will be exciting to see what natural gems pop up come springtime.

Placing a conservation easement on one’s own property – the intention of preserving land in perpetuity – is extremely important, but it is only the first step. No one can steward the land forever, so we must place our trust in the generations after us. As time goes on, conservation easements will change hands, and we can’t predict exactly how new owners will react to the restrictions and challenges that come with protecting nature. Luckily, the Scherer conservation easement found its way into the hands of the Tipps family. They have enthusiastically begun their tenure as stewards of the woods, and the land is better for it.

If you are interested in preserving your own land with a conservation easement, please contact TLC’s Land Preservation Specialist, Kathryn Dawdy, at kdawdy@conservemc.org or 815-337-9502 x108.