The Star News - October 12, 2006
by Michael Wells

Nahas Conservation Easement Donation

The Payette Land Trust has received a conservation easement on 288 acres of land located south of McCall along the North Fork of the Payette River last week.

Ron and Mary Nahas, who split time between Idaho and California, granted a conservation easement to a good deal of their ranch off Nisula Road.

The land under easement includes two and a half miles of river frontage, Payette Land Trust Executive Director Bob Vosskuhler said.  It will remain natural open space and agricultural land forever,  Vosskuhler said.

"By any measure, making this donation has been an enjoyable and satisfying experience for Mary and me," Ron Nahas said. "Given the generous tax benefits, it certainly made financial sense."

While standing on a hill leading down into the floodplain of the North Fork of the Payette River on the land to be placed into the conservation easement, Nahas pointed out a bald eagle and discussed the reasons for his and Mary's decision.

"One, I would never like to see it subdivided," Nahas said. "Two, it gives me a lot of pleasure thinking that it is never going to be subdivided. Three, frankly the financial benefits of doing it and doing it now are extraordinary." 

"I think if the conservation weren't of interest to you wouldn't think of doing it even with the financial benefit, but the conservation benefit is of interest to us," Nahas said.  "It gives us great pleasure to know that working together with the trust, we will preserve these grasslands, meadows, and river front in perpetuity," he said.

"I am hopeful that other land owners in the valley will take advantage of the opportunity and derive the same satisfaction we have," Nahas said.

With the easement, the land trust now owns or holds an easement on 728 acres of land in Valley and Adams counties.

"The function of a land trust is to provide a mechanism for local property owners to control in perpetuity to what extent they wish their land to be developed," Payette Land Trust President Steve Millemann said. "In the process there is the potential for the landowner to enjoy significant income and estate tax benefits."  "We are pleased that Mary and Ron Nahas have entrusted this beautiful piece of property to the Land Trust," Millemann said.

The Land Trust, started in 1993, is dedicated to protecting and preserving open space in Valley County. The trust is a member of the Land Trust Alliance, an affiliation of 1,500 land trusts across the country, working together to promote and support land conservation efforts, a press release said.

In addition to continuing discussions with local landowners regarding the donations of conservation easements, the Payette Land Trust is also seeking buy land.

Call Vosskuhler at 634-4999 for more information. 

The Payette Land Trust is a non profit (501© 3) dedicated to protecting and preserving open space in Valley County.