The Hodgson Property – A Different Way to Conserve Land

The 237 acre Hodgson farm is located in Fallsbury Township in the northeast corner of Licking County. The farm is nestled in rolling hills with tillable land, a nice tract of forest and a couple of streams - which are being restored with wetlands. A few years ago, landowner Christine Hodgson, and the firm, Water & Land Solutions, approached the Licking Land Trust about helping to conserve the farm using a different mechanism for protection, an Environmental Covenant.

Many are familiar with the more traditional way to preserve and protect land through conservation easements. The Trust holds several easements; it is our responsibility to be active stewards to ensure the terms of each easement are being met.

Aerial map of Hodgson Farm showing streams for watershed remediation.

What is an Environmental Covenant? Environmental Covenants are often required as a condition of clean-up or remediation for a property as a means to ensure long-term stewardship and monitoring. However, they are also used when doing wetland restoration as part of Ohio’s wetland mitigation bank program.

Since the late 18th century, 90% of Ohio’s wetland resources have been destroyed or degraded through draining, filling, or other changes. Because of the valuable functions wetlands perform, it is imperative to ensure that all impacts to wetlands are properly mitigated. Wetland mitigation can occur by purchasing credits at an approved wetland mitigation bank, paying a fee to an approved in-lieu fee program, or permittee-responsible mitigation. Permittee-responsible mitigation can include wetland restoration, enhancement, or preservation.

Wetland Restoration on the Hodgson Property. On the Hodgson property, multiple wetlands are being restored by Water & Land Solutions, and these wetlands will be placed into the wetland mitigation bank. Ms. Hodgson will be paid to have these wetlands restored and maintained so that they can offset other wetlands in the state that are lost to development. The Environmental Covenant was placed on the Hodgson property in 2022 and the LLT has gladly accepted the responsibility of monitoring this property in perpetuity to ensure that these wetlands continue to provide environmental and ecological benefits to all Ohioans. With rapid development in Central Ohio, it is imperative that the Licking Land Trust and other conservation organizations utilize all the tools and mechanisms available to preserve and protect critical lands before they are lost to housing developments, roads, and industry.