Q. What is a conservation easement?
A. A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement regarding current and future uses of the land, providing permanent protections of scenic values or open space, wildlife habitat, native plant communities, an environmental corridor or prime agricultural lands. The landowner who donates a conservation easement to the Geneva Lake Conservancy or another qualifying organization is eligible for income tax benefits. If you would like your land to be permanently protected, contact the Geneva Lake Conservancy by phone (262/275-5700) or e-mail glc@genevaonline.com.

Q. How can we protect prime agricultural lands?
A. Farmland can be protected and preserved for agricultural uses through a variety of means, including government conservation reserve programs, zoning, and easements, either donated or purchased. A purchase of development rights (PDR) program, paying the farmer the value of the land's development rights in exchange for a binding agreement that the land will forever remain in agricultural uses, is the most commonly employed means of providing permanent protection. Because of the associated costs, PDR programs are generally supported by some means of public funding. The Geneva Lake Conservancy advocates a PDR program for Walworth County.

Q. Why are native plantings, particularly in shoreland areas, important?
A. Native vegetation is an attractive and "natural" enhancement of the shoreland. While broad expanses of well-manicured lawn may be attractive to some, they are costly, both financially and environmentally, to maintain. Shoreline buffer zones of native plants provide bank stabilization, greater retention and absorption of stormwater runoff, no pesticide, herbicide or fertilizer pollution, natural habitat, and may discourage resident goose populations.

Q. What is a primary environmental corridor?
A. A primary environmental corridor is a linear portion of the landscape characterized by a variety of natural features — rivers and streams and their associated floodplains, wetlands, woodlands, wildlife habitat, prairies and rugged, hilly terrain. Environmental corridors are an important component of southeastern Wisconsin ecology, providing uninterrupted stretches for wildlife propagation, filtering or absorption beds for sediments or other contaminants that might otherwise find their way into streams, rivers and lakes, and other natural values.

Q. What is "Smart Growth"?
A. Smart Growth is the new Wisconsin comprehensive planning program designed, among other purposes, to combat unregulated urban sprawl. After 2010, any unit of local government that wishes to control its own development must have a comprehensive plan in place. Any proposed land use must be consistent with the adopted plan, whose provisions carry the weight of a zoning ordinance. Unlike current zoning restrictions, however, rezoning or variances will not be allowed without amendment and readoption of the comprehensive plan.

Q. Is the Geneva Lake Conservancy concerned only with protection of Geneva Lake and the lands in its immediate watershed?
A. No. The Conservancy's name derives from its earliest days, and serves as a reminder that Geneva Lake is a focal point for attracting both visitors and modern urban sprawl to the area. The Geneva Lake Conservancy works with property owners throughout Walworth County who wish to place meaningful permanent protections on their land. Currently, land protection discussions are underway with property owners in half of Walworth County's sixteen townships.

Q. Does the Conservancy oppose all development?
A. No. The Geneva Lake Conservancy favors "responsible" development — growth that respects the natural and historic values that make Walworth County such a desirable place. We believe a benchmark for development should be a corresponding growth in the amount of land set aside to permanently protect natural areas and scenic vistas, which is why we favor and support a conservation subdivision ordinance for the County. The Conservancy believes prime agricultural lands should be devoted to farming, not converted to suburban neighborhoods where the primary crops are concrete and grass. In all, we seek a landscape of uses that preserves the area's unique character and its accompanying quality of life.