Final answer:
The recipient of an easement is the dominant estate owner who retains the right of use, while the giver of the easement, the servient estate owner, retains full ownership but allows the easement. Easements serve private and public interests, including land conservation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The person who is receiving the easement is known as the dominant estate owner, while the person or entity granting the easement is referred to as the servient estate owner. When an easement is created, the dominant estate gains the right to use the servient estate’s property for a specific purpose. In this context, the correct completion of the sentence would be "c) Is the dominant estate owner; retains the right of use." The dominant estate owner does not own the land but rather has a legally enforceable right to use it for a particular purpose. In contrast, the servient estate owner retains full ownership of their land but must allow the easement holder to exercise their rights as defined by the easement agreement.
Easements are used not only for private purposes but also for public objectives, such as the preservation of open space and conservation. For example, an easement might be established to prevent development on a parcel of land, ensuring that the property remains open, which contributes to the wider public benefit. While the servient landowner retains ownership rights over the property, restrictive covenants and easements can serve to limit how they might use their land.