45-44. Baseline Documentation and Monitoring.

  1. Baseline documentation purpose. This policy establishes the procedure for collecting, compiling, and storing baseline documentation for agricultural conservation easements managed by Henderson County, the Henderson County Soil and Water Conservation District, or a qualified conservation organization. The County must have baseline documentation for all properties it protects. This information establishes the condition of a property at the time of easement acquisition or donation, allowing comparisons with findings during subsequent monitoring events.
  2. Baseline data collection. The volume and specificity of the information included in the baseline documentation report may vary depending on the easement terms and the property's conservation objectives. Henderson County’s policy is that the Henderson County Soil and Water Conservation District staff, the Farmland Preservation Coordinator, or their designee will collect baseline data.
  3. Baseline data collected during a site visit will generally include:
    1. Boundary photos as well as photos of special features, structures, and other improvements and/or human modifications.
    2. Data and locations on a map of each photo, special feature, structure, and other improvements (Global Positioning System (GPS) is preferred);
    3. Other natural resource information documenting the conservation values of the site, such as soil maps, land cover data, natural community descriptions, ecological data, and other relevant agricultural or forestry information.
  4. The easement grantee shall keep a copy of the baseline documentation report on file, which the landowner must review prior to closing.
  5. Monitoring purpose. To protect conservation values and maintain safety on its fee simple properties, the Henderson County Soil and Water Conservation District staff, the Farmland Preservation Coordinator, or its designee will regularly monitor and maintain detailed records of inspections, problems on the property, and actions taken to address such issues.
    1. Monitoring personnel. The easement holder is responsible for overall monitoring supervision, which will be coordinated with the Henderson County Soil and Water Conservation District staff and the Farmland Preservation Coordinator. 
    2. Monitoring procedure. Comprehensive monitoring shall be performed at least annually, with additional monitoring visits and reports to be generated as needed. Property owners will be notified prior to the scheduled monitoring visit.