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This study examined the significant life experiences (SLE) of individuals who had placed conservation easements on private property. Specifically, this study explored how early life experiences may impact ones conservation ethic to effect decisions on land protection. The researchers utilized a sequential embedded mixed methods research design, relying on both qualitative and quantitative data in order to develop an understanding of the phenomenon. All participants for ihi~ study were individuals who had placed a conservation easement on her or his property in lndi~nia. The mixed method analysis indicates that individual and infom~al experiences in and about the outdoors had the greatest perceived impact and were significantly dift~rent than more formalized experiences among the study's participants. The discussion focuses on the impact of informal experiences in the outdoors and the impact on the sell-perceived development of conservation ethics as significant life experiences pertaining to conservation behavior and the placing of conservation easements. Implications of this exploratory study arc discussed as they pertain to practitioners and scholars alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined landowners' motivations for placing conservation easements on personal property. A mixed method sequential embedded research framework was utilized to elucidate the motivations of greatest consequence for landowners adopting conservation easements throughout Indiana. Specifically, the researchers sampled owners of agricultural and forestland who have adopted conservation easements. The qualitative results indicate that the motivation to limit development stems from witnessing the development of land, environmental ethics and values, personal history associated with the place, and the need for farmland for the public good. The quantitative results suggest that environmental values were the primary motivation for conservation easement adoption, with uniqueness of place being ranked second. Discussions of the study's results are presented with implications for the land conservation and conservation behavior fields. Finally, future directions for research within the phenomena of conservation easement usage are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]