The picture below is a screenshot of an interactive map of Conservation Easements. You can see that map here:
https://www.conservationeasement.us/interactivemap/
There are two main areas of federal focus on Perpetual Conservation Easements.
Around Federal lands such as national parks, military installations etc.
And along navigable rivers.
There are different types of Conservation Easements. You can learn about them here: https://knrc.org/issues/conservation-easements/
Depending on the type of CE; those parcels of land are now managed just like western states where permitting and permission is required of the land owner to do anything with his land. The feds decide. Most federal conservation easements are a purchase of the property by the federal government at a fraction of the price, and then leased back to the landowner for a period of contract years. Upon the expiration of the lease, the land goes to the purchaser or the deed holder of that Conservation Easement.
To give you an example, go to that first link of the map and scroll into Tall Grass National Prairie in Kansas. Tall Grass is located in the south-central part of Kansas in Chase County. Tall grass is a National Park or referred by Congress as a National Park Unit. Now consider:
Of Tall Grass National Prairie Park:
10,894 acres are owned by the Nature Conservancy.
32 acres are owned by the National Park Service.
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, KS – National Park Trust
2/3rds of Nature Conservancy’s budget is spent purchasing Conservation Easements. The Nature Conservancy is a partner of the federal government. Because the Nature Conservancy is a non-governmental organization, they do not have to abide by the Freedom of Information Act and other laws that government agencies must follow. It is in the governing bodies best interest to find a partner in to achieve projects that are not publicly popular.
After a large percentage of land along the rivers was put into Conservation Easements (the best, and most nutritious soils in the U.S.) — WOTUS was created and public use trails through riparian areas became a Federal Initiative enacted by Congress with inviting names such as “Moving Ahead for Progress” and “Safe Passages to School Act of 2019.”
What does all this mean to you?
The federal government wants your land. As it acquires more land, that parcel is forever removed from the market and land prices go up as more people compete over fewer parcels for sale. The less land used to produce food makes food prices go up and increases the imports from countries whose government is not robber-barons. The latest USDA data on imported food is here:
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/us-food-imports/
While you are checking out all of these links and going through the stats. Please consider these questions:
Who are the stakeholders of the federal land programs in your area? Are they the Nature Conservancy? The Audubon Society? Are the stakeholders from your area….. are the stakeholders in the United States?