SIDNEY -- Nebraska Land Trust Executive Director Jacob Alishouse met with the Cheyenne County commissioners this morning.

Alishouse met with the commissioners regarding the U.S. Air Force missile fields and the use of conservation easements.

"We gave a similar presentation in Banner County. Don Lease II ended up kind of volunteering to help us out, but also said we should come over here and talk to the other two counties. So we also will be talking to Kimball; just about the missile field kind of laying in you guys' territory," Alishouse said.

Alishouse said the Nebraska Land Trust works with Conservation Easements across the state. 

"We have different kind of focus areas. One is, well, actually the Lower Platte between Lincoln and Omaha. Another one is up in Pine Ridge, just up north of here; Crawford, Chadron area. 

According to the Nebraska Land Trust website, "The Nebraska Land Trust uses voluntary land preservation agreements known as conservation easements which enable landowners to leave a permanent legacy of protected wildlife habitat, scenic views, clean water, historic sites, and working agriculture on their land. Easements legally protect these resources while being flexible enough to allow for other activities that are compatible with private land stewardship and conservation. In a sense, conservation easements represent the most basic of property rights – the right to determine the future of one’s land."

He said Nebraska Land Trust has not done a Conservation Easement in the Cheyenne County area. He said a Conservation Easement defines how a parcel of land can be used.

"You're using it to restrict certain aspects of what a landowner has for rights. So they may give up their right to subdivide or develop that land. So for us, we're an agricultural land trust, that's a good thing because we're going to keep ranches ranching and keep farms farming," he said.

Alishouse said the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) approached the Nebraska Land Trust, saying the Air Force talked to them about some funding that might be available for easements directly in the area of a missile field. He said there were windmills scheduled for construction in the area, and denied by the military. 

"The Air Force wants that because they have to be able to access all the different sites pretty quickly both on the ground and in the air. So, if you have things you're flying around, that's problematic. I think there's some other things, like counter-intelligence, that they're worried about," he said.

He said there is an alternative way to offer financial or monetary alternative to these landowners. The REPI (Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration program) through the Department of Defense. 

"These are traditionally used to buffer like bases. They will pay about 50 percent or more of the easement value," Alishouse said.

He said the Air Force and Nebraska Land Trust seeking seeking to define local boards who know the regions instead of sending representatives from the eastern part of the state to work out easements. He said there are certain areas where the Air Force does not want structures.