Investing in Conservation

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Field Sport Concepts

Professional Thinker

Group: Members
Posts: 60
Joined: 16-February 11
LocationCharlottesville, VA

Posted 11 January 2012 - 09:50 AM (#1)

Investing in Conservation

Good Stewardship, Good Business, Good Neighbors

“Good Stewardship, Good Business, Good Neighbors”

Those six words mark the beginning of the cover story of the most recent edition of The Land Report and do a pretty good job of summing up our own feelings toward investing in conservation. You see, investing in such practices as wildlife management, stream restoration, and recreational land use has a plethora of benefits to both people and the natural environment. These include higher biodiversity, improved water quality, and, of course, higher real estate values, to name just a few.

In this particular story, billionaire T. Boone Pickens tells of many of the conservation efforts he has incorporated into his land investment strategy over the years. As he puts it, “We always made a profit from the ranch sales. But what I feel really good about is knowing that we left the land in better shape than we found it.” Indeed, by incorporating wildlife management programs, Pickens was able to promote larger and healthier populations while also profiting off of the increased recreational values of the land.

Further, Pickens was also astute at determining the highest and best use for his and surrounding properties. For example, when a colossal reservoir was discovered beneath the surface of his land in Roberts County, Texas, he recognized that rather than using that water to support irrigation-intensive agricultural practices, he decided to sell the water credits to local urban centers and instead allow the land to lie fallow. In return, he not only profited off the sale of the water credits but also received tax benefits by placing his land into a conservation reserve program, and the land was allowed to return to pristine prairie.

You can read more about T. Boone Pickens and his conservation efforts by clicking here (begins on page 38). While you’re reading, make sure to check out the stunning photography by friend of Field Sport Concepts, Wyman Meinzer. And if you’d like a sample of our approach to investing in conservation, you can view a presentation given by FSC principal Bob McKee of McKee Carson by checking out this article from our most recent quarterly newsletter.

Founded in 1993, Field Sport Concepts, Ltd. (www.fieldsport.com) is an affiliation of nationally respected consultants in the disciplines of resource and land planning, engineering, landscape architecture, equestrian architecture, environmental sciences, conservation finance, and field sport facility/venue design. Committed to sustainable ownership and rural land preservation, our organization offers a comprehensive resource aimed at presenting landowners with economically feasible and sustainable strategies for short and long-term land-use and conservation. Most importantly, it represents a unique collaboration where otherwise independent specialists are brought together to comprehensively enhance rural properties with a focus toward conservation and the provision of opportunities for field sport activities.

FSC offers comprehensive services to plan and develop field sport programs including equestrian, shooting, hunting, fishing, falconry, and high adventure sports. These activities are also complemented by conservation finance services including easements and monetization of ecosystem services. Our strength lies in being able to fully unlock the economic and recreational potential of a property by planning for multiple compatible uses such as appropriate sporting programs, in combination with conservation easements; habitat restoration; comprehensive wildlife, natural resource, and timber management; habitat or wetland banking, and agriculture. Combining our range of expertise with our passion for the outdoors, we seek ways to enhance rural properties in a manner that is sympathetic to the natural environment while providing opportunities for the pursuit and appreciation of the sporting life.

Please visit our website at http://www.fieldsport.com/

KansasLand

Professional Thinker

Group: Moderators
Posts: 71
Joined: 26-December 10
LocationKansas

Posted 18 January 2012 - 10:43 PM (#2)

I would add to that Good Mentoring. A Kansas Rancher family just won national award and they help teach others what they have done on their land. They have spent years improving grasslands and mitigating over-grazing.

http://www.kdwpt.sta...EWARDSHIP-AWARD

Best Wishes,
Marisa Morgan Dallman
Broker-Owner
Kansas Land Brokers, LLC
http://www.KansasLandBrokers.com
800-557-9151

Field Sport Concepts

Professional Thinker

Group: Members
Posts: 60
Joined: 16-February 11
LocationCharlottesville, VA

Posted 24 January 2012 - 01:37 PM (#3)

Absolutely! Even the best management plans can be for naught if the landowner doesn't have someone offering him/her advice and support.

KansasLand

Professional Thinker

Group: Moderators
Posts: 71
Joined: 26-December 10
LocationKansas

Posted 25 January 2012 - 01:23 AM (#4)

Although this article did not make it a point to discuss conservation outright - it seems this quote is on target with this issue.

"land prices are inefficient, ..... “They’re determined by historical productivity and old soil surveys, but not by how much topsoil remains for future income potential,"

from:
Rethink Soil Value | Why Not Reflect the True Cost of Soil Erosion in the Economic Value of Land? at Corn and Soybean Digest

“American farmland has lost half of its topsoil and organic matter, and tremendous productive potential, and farmland buyers haven’t taken the current soil inventory of prospective purchases, which depends hugely on management history,”

and Howard Buffet (not Warren, his farmer son) weighs in on this topic too and uses a tire analogy. Great points.

Best Wishes,
Marisa Morgan Dallman
Broker-Owner
Kansas Land Brokers, LLC
http://www.KansasLandBrokers.com
800-557-9151

Field Sport Concepts

Professional Thinker

Group: Members
Posts: 60
Joined: 16-February 11
LocationCharlottesville, VA

Posted 26 January 2012 - 09:39 AM (#5)

The notion of "future income potential" is definitely a major factor that contributes to our evaluations of highest and best use, and it seems to make sense to place a major emphasis on the amount and quality of topsoil when making those considerations.

One of the passages that stuck out to me discussed whether topsoil would be attributed a separate value and whether that would encourage people to be more careful with it.

"For several resources – like oil, water, minerals, gravel and even wind – society created separate legal documents for surface and subsurface rights, and they are transacted separately. Will topsoil join this category as it grows more valuable?"