My topic I choose to discuss was the conservation easements program. Ducks Unlimited defines a conservation easement as a legal agreement that a land owner makes to restrict the type and amount of development that may take place on his or her property. Conservation easements are funded by many different federal programs, that pay farmers or landowners to leave or provide habitat grounds to help conserve wildlife populations. The easement has to meet the needs and interest of the landowners and the wildlife it is set to conserve. Ducks Unlimited is one of the biggest supporters and provides funding for most of the easements around this area and all across America. The main focuses of the easements to to protect against loss of wetland habitat. I believe the conservation easements are great ways to provide for habitat loss without profit loss to landowners. Much of the land provided for easements is critical farm gound so without funds to compensate the landowners there is no way possible that people would be so eager to let the farm ground grow up to provide habitat for certain types of wildlife. There are strict laws set forth to restrict hunting regulations within the easements. Some of the laws restrict all hunting within or around the area. My opinion is that the regualtions help out large amounts of wildlife drawn to these areas. If there were restrictions to the easement then there would be no purposen in even putting forth the efforts to conserve wildlife and its habitat. With urban growth expanding rapidly today, easements are one the only ways to ensure that there will be habitat for wildlife today and into the future. I am completely for the conservation easement programs and who they are designed to protect.

Kent Reno