Farmstead permanently preserved
September 7, 2008 | Leelanau Enterprise (MI)
The Leelanau Conservancy has announced that a Lake Leelanau woman has permanently protected her land through the sale of a conservation easement to the organization.
In exchange for restricting from development 76 of her 80 acres, Jean Sedlacek received compensation for the development rights that she said has “helped our family in immeasurable ways.”
Sedlacek, a 73-year-old mother of three who has lived on the land for 44 years, said the funds will allow her to help her children, including son Randy, 39, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when he was 29 and lives with his mother. She said she was able to put an addition onto her home and make other changes to help his needs. Though wheelchair-bound, Randy is an avid hunter who uses an ATV to access the land and two hunting blinds he maintains, and his mother said the conservation easement will enable him to remain on the land for the rest of his life.
