Tanks a lot

There's an interesting struggle going on in near San Luis Obispo Ca. that's pitting public safety vs. public good. As told in the San Luis Obispo Tribune the Cambria Community Services District wants to build a half million dollar water tank or tanks on a sliver of land that currently has a conservation easement on it. The easement prohibits any structures on the land. The current tanks are too old and in danger of collapsing during an earthquake. The district wants to use just 6100 square feet of land adjoining its current property for the tanks. Sounds reasonable, right? Ok, add to the equation that the easement on the adjoining land is there to protect one of five remaining stands of Monterey pine in the world. Now it gets a little stickier. The rancher who owns the land is suing to block the tanks. Environmental groups and Greenspace, the Cambria Land Trust argue the district has other options, and could build the tanks on the existing property, that it's just trying to take the easiest route out. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
Ann Jennings of the Congaree Land Trust has an op-ed piece in Columbia, S. C.'s paper The State that argues for the value of conservation easements. Using many of the talking points put forward by the LTA, Ms. Jennings localizes the story by pointing out that South Carolina leads the nation in using conservation easements to preserve land. It's a well written article, and is a good model for any trust trying to get local newspaper coverage on the conservation easement deduction.
And blogging will continue to be sporadic over the next few days. We're getting ready to move Nature Noted World Headquarters to the new Burns family compound. (The new place really just has an old smokehouse that's been screened in, but that's two buildings on the property, so that's good enough for a compound in my book.) And don't forget to root for OSU against Arizona in the big dance. Go Pokes!