Your LAND board has been busy keeping up with the progress of bills allowing perpetual easements. Three similar bills have been defeated. Each of these bills would have opened up a different part of western North Dakota to perpetual easements. LAND testified against these measures.

Senate Bill 2388 was heard in committee recently. This bill would have changed state law to allow 501(c)(5) organizations with agricultural boards of directors to carry easements of any duration. We grieved over this bill because in opposing it, we had to take a stand against the farm organization that introduced it. I was proud of the manner in which LAND members testified on the bill, which received a 5-0 do not pass recommendation from the Senate Natural Resources Committee. The full Senate has not voted as of this writing.

LAND testified in support of House Bills 1276 and 1299. HB 1276 set farmer friendly guidelines for conservation easements. The bill has been amended but still has some merit. HB 1299 would have required any government agency to mitigate for land they wanted to purchase (no net loss of private property), but was defeated.

We also supported HB 1053 concerning the membership on the Governor's advisory committee on sale of private land to non profit organizations. The chairman of the county commissioners in the county affected by the sale would replace the member from the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District.

HB 1425 limits non profit ownership of private land to 50000 acres. This is another try at keeping private property in the mainstream of the rural economy. The Nature Conservancy owns abut 18,000 acres in the state and was the main opponent of the bill. Our previous Governor vetoed a similar bill that would have limited non profit ownership to 15,000 acres. We hope this bill meets with greater success.

At halfway through the legislative session, about half of the bills we are monitoring are finished, so we should be able to direct our attention more precisely. The legislature can move very fast, so we have to be on our toes.

LAND decided at the last board meeting to continue our raffle. We are in the process of finalizing details. Thank you for your support last year. I ask for your support again this year and hope you enjoy participating.