Conservation easement: Conserving a family’s legacy

In the fall of 1978, Stephen and Lizzie Murdock bought a quarter-section of forested hillside—160 acres—above the Little Nestucca River in Oregon’s Tillamook County and named it Waterwood. They built a house and lived there, off the grid, for more than 30 years. Two of their four children were born on the land, as were their two grandchildren. Ill health prompted Stephen to start thinking about what would become of the land after he and Lizzie were gone.

“The thought of the property not remaining as it is: we couldn’t bear that,” Stephen told us. He and Lizzie began talking with NCLC about arranging a conservation easement: they would retain ownership, but NCLC would hold the development rights to all but the seven acres where their house was sited. Such easements are attached to the deed in perpetuity, guaranteeing that no development can ever occur on the property, even if ownership changes. In 2013 the conservation easement was finalized, ensuring that Waterwood shall remain evergreen—as Stephen put it—“as long as there’s any rule of law.”

“We all feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction knowing that the forest will be protected long after we are no longer here to watch over it.”

Stephen and Lizzie Murdock signing the conservation easement

“The land is sacred to them,” said NCLC’s Katie Voelke. The property was last logged in the 1960s, and only the biggest trees were taken. Today it’s a diverse, maturing forest of Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and red alder with small open meadows and a year-round stream.

“Jon said, ‘We look at things through a 500-year window,’” Stephen recalled of a conversation with NCLC Associate Director Jon Wickersham. “I wasn’t looking that far down the road, but I was thinking 50, 60, 70 years from now someone might want to cash in on it. In 100 years this property is going to be pretty spectacular. It is already.”

Stephen Murdock passed away late in 2013 after a long illness. Before he died, he shared his thoughts about the conservation easement with NCLC.

“Thanks for your efforts to bring our dream of preserving our forest into being. We all feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction knowing that the forest will be protected long after we are no longer here to watch over it.”