This kind of Ecoterrorism will be attempted all over the country. Groups are active all over the country. Here in Ohio there is a group who’s goal is to restore a good portion of Northern Ohio, some of the best farmland in the US to swampland. I copied a small part of there website below. As you can see they are using the power of the state to assist them. Because they are very active politically they have shaped tax laws to their benefit and are using the tax law to take farmland and idle it in the name of “open spaces and wild life conservation. Remember when you do your Ohio taxes not to check the box marked Donate to Wild Life Conservation.
http://www.wcnet.org/~bsc/
Northwest Ohio was once called the Great Black Swamp. This expanse of wetlands and woodlands stretched from Ft. Wayne, Indiana to Findlay, Ohio. Beneath a dense canopy of oaks lived a rich diversity of plants and animals. When settlers discovered the agricultural value of the soil, they cleared and drained much of the swamp for farming.
What We Do
How we preserve natural spaces:
Advise farmers and landowners regarding the techniques and estate-planning benefits of land preservation.
Act as a permanent guardian for the land's conservation values, backed by the office of the Ohio Secretary of State.
Monitor easements on an annual basis to assure terms of the easement are upheld. Scheduled visits with the landowner for review of the easement.
Educate future landowner(s) of the terms of the easement.
Secure and enforce conservation easements.
Acquiring-through donation or purchase-natural or agricultural land that is left undeveloped.
Work with local and state officials in the coordination of conservation efforts.
Educating the public about the need for and the benefit of land management and preservation.
Gee, I bet the farmers in that area can't wait for that wonderful "plan" to commence.
There's a convoy leaving from your area. Are you getting involved.
I really don't hear anything alarming in your post, in quotations from the Ohio site. An easement is a VOLUNTARY contractual restraint on a use of property. It's one of the best private, free-market ways of encouraging particular usage. Historic property for example will sometimes have an easement VOLUNTARILY donated by the PRIVATE OWNER in the deed of the property, that say, the house cannot be torn down or externally remodelled, unless the easement holder (usually a state based historic group) approves. In this way--with NO GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION, certain limits or uses of property can be obtained. This is MUCH less intrusive to freedom than zoning laws for example....where the government uses its big hand to force particular land use....
Easements are VOLUNTARY, by the land owner....and organizations must convince land owners its in their own best self-interest to grant particular easements. The state or private interest groups have no power to demand such easements. Zoning is something much greater to fear, rather than easements.
I used to be a Realtor involved with historic property...so I know what I'm talking about.