Matt and Peggy Cannon purchased the Cannon Cattle Ranch, a 358-acre dairy farm in Pittstown, in 1979. Over the years they’ve made many improvements to the farm and grown their herd to about 115 milking cows and 90 young stock. They’ve purchased additional acreage and for the past 30 years have rented land from their neighbor, Theresa Baum, to raise feed crops.
Matt and Peggy aren’t sure what will happen to the farm when they can no longer work it but wanted to make sure it stays a farm. Matt explains “I’d already heard a lot about conservation and have had it in the back of my mind for a long time. It’s a good fit for us. We worked hard to build this farm, our retirement is in it and we don’t want to see it go down the drain. We want to see another farmer here someday.”
The Cannons and Baum, who was also determined to protect her property from future development, worked with ASA and the Town of Pittstown to secure funding through the New York State Farmland Protection Program. Not only has conservation satisfied their shared desire to see the land remain in farming, but it has also given the Cannons the opportunity to purchase the land they’ve rented from Baum at its reduced, agricultural value, strengthening their operation’s viability.
Hooskip Farm, owned by John and Mary McMahon and their son Dan McMahon, is located on the Hoosic River in Petersburgh and straddles the Vermont border. John and Dan operate a 115-cow dairy operation and raise all of their feed on the farm’s rich, river-bottom fields. John says that these superb soils produce nutrient-rich crops, which are in turn responsible for his cow’s strong production and the operation’s success. Soils like these, he felt, should be protected.
The McMahons had already conserved 371 acres of their farm in Vermont with the Vermont Land Trust before working with ASA and Rensselaer County to apply for New York State Farmland Protection Program funding on the remaining 343 acres in New York. Conservation will eventually enable John’s retirement and the transition of the farm to Dan. To date, 1,338 acres of contiguous land have been conserved in this rich valley formed by the Hoosic River.
Also protected is the Stearns Brothers Farm, consisting of two non-contiguous parcels, one of which lies across the river from the McMahon’s farm in Petersburgh and another nearby on Breese Hollow Road in Hoosick. The Stearns retired in 2007 and were renting their land to Guy Clark, who runs a 198-cow dairy operation and custom crop business based in Cambridge. Since only 40 acres of the 287 he owns there are tillable, renting land to support his operation was critical.
The Stearns wanted to see their land remain in agriculture but needed to sell to provide for their retirement. In addition to the Stearns’ land, Clark was also renting a critical parcel of land along Route 313 in Jackson which was also up for sale. Looking for a way to secure both parcels at an affordable rate, Clark asked ASA for assistance.
Castanea Foundation, ASA’s long-time conservation partner, was able to act quickly and purchase the Stearns’ parcels and the 313 parcel as an interim conservation buyer. Clark and Castanea then worked with ASA and Washington County to apply for New York State Farmland Protection Program funding to conserve all three properties.
Clark explains, “I can’t say enough good things about the Castanea Foundation and ASA. I wouldn’t have been able to secure this land, which is so important to my business, without their help.” The Whipstock Hill Preservation Society also contributed funding to protect the Stearns portion.
The Clarks were able to purchase one of the Stearns’ parcels and the land on Route 313 and plan to purchase the remaining Stearns parcel in the near future. In all, 539 acres have been protected and conservation has enabled the transition of land from one farming family to the next.
Municipal partners on these projects include Rensselaer County, Washington County and the Town of Pittstown.
The Agricultural Stewardship Association was founded in 1990 by farmers to protect agricultural land and ensure a future for farming in our region. To date, ASA has helped protect 13,701 acres on 90 properties in Washington and Rensselaer counties. For more information about ASA’s work, visit www.agstewardship.org.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tricia King
The Land Trust for Tennessee
(423) 364-3268
CHATTANOOGA, TN -- The Land Trust for Tennessee announced that the Woodland Park Baptist Church will conserve nearly 32 acres known as Standifer Gap Marsh through a permanent conservation agreement with the statewide nonprofit land conservation organization.
The Standifer Gap Marsh is primarily a spring-fed wetland, with over 1,000 feet of Friar’s Branch running though the property and into South Chickamauga Creek. Designated as a site that contains rare and unique habitat by the Tennessee Important Bird Areas program, the marsh is home to more than 100 species of birds that have been recorded nesting or feeding in and around the wetland. One of these species, the Least Bittern, does not generally breed in East Tennessee. Many of the birds inhabiting or overwintering in the wetland are considered threatened or endangered by state or federal agencies. The conservation agreement includes a provision for mitigation of the property to increase the available habitat and remove many invasive species that threaten the native flora and fauna on the property.
A voluntary conservation agreement, also known as a conservation easement, is a contract between a landowner and a land trust, government agency, or another qualified organization in which the owner places permanent restrictions on the future uses of some or all of his property to protect scenic, wildlife, or agricultural resources.
Conservation agreements are specifically tailored to meet important conservation purposes and the individual needs of the landowner. The easement is donated by the owner to the land trust, which then has the authority and obligation to enforce the terms of the easement "in perpetuity." The landowner still owns the property and can use it, sell it, or leave it to heirs, but the restrictions of the easement stay with the land forever.
“When critical wildlife habitat such as an Important Bird Area is protected, the entire community benefits from the preservation of an irreplaceable aspect of our quality of life” said Jean C. Nelson, president and executive director of The Land Trust. “We are grateful to have the support of landowners, such as the Woodland Park Baptist Church, to personify the mission of The Land Trust and be such stewards of our land in Tennessee.”
This latest project marks the 8th property in Hamilton County protected by The Land Trust for Tennessee in less than five years, of which 6 conserved properties are less than ten miles away from the Marsh.
The Land Trust for Tennessee is a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, founded in 1999. The mission of The Land Trust for Tennessee is to preserve the unique character of Tennessee’s natural and historic landscapes and sites for future generations. We have protected over 60,000 acres in 48 counties throughout the state. Our work has helped conserve signature places including Fiery Gizzard, Mayfield Dairy Farm, the Graysville Mountain portion of The Cumberland Trail, Standifer Gap Marsh, and Lost Cove, as well as thousands of acres of family farms throughout the state. On the horizon is the Moore Farm, home of the historic Rattlesnake Springs. We work to protect our river corridors, wildlife habitats, agricultural lands, historic and scenic sites and urban open spaces. The organization is supported primarily by financial contributions from individuals. More information is available at www.landtrusttn.org.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Megan McDonough
413-218-0683 | mcdonough.megan@gmail.com
NORTHAMPTON, MA -- The third annual Together on the Land Tour visited distressed urban properties being rehabilitated in Holyoke, a resident owned manufactured housing park in Ware, a successful co-housing development in Northampton, an organic farm in Granby tackling farm affordability and green community-built housing in Amherst.
What do these places have in common? A vision and the passion to make that vision a reality.
The hard work of the pioneers at each tour stop was self evident. In Ware, residents of a manufactured housing park came together to raise $1.1 million to buy their park from their landlord so that profits from rents could be invested in their community, not sent out of state. The property was purchased in 2010 due to the efforts of the volunteer resident board of directors and the technical assistance of the Cooperative Development Institute. Oakwood has been transformed to the Quabbin Sunrise Cooperative.
That same passion that encourages the residents at Quabbin Sunrise to work for free on behalf of their community, was evident at each tour stop. The farmers at Red Fire Farm have built a successful organic vegetable farm in Granby, but want their passion for farming to take root for the long-term. They are purchasing additional farm land in Montague with the assistance of Mount Grace Land Trust so that they don't have to rely as much on year-to-year leases on fields in Granby. And permanent farm affordability restrictions will ensure the next farmer has the chance to do the same.
The tour was an opportunity to learn more about the challenges of living communally, establishing whole farm affordability, creating cooperatives and building homes with volunteer labor and much more. A program from the tour with resources is available online at www.vclt.org/tour2011.
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]]>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Three Valley Conservation
513-524 2150 | http://www.3vct.org
OXFORD, OH -- The Three Valley Conservation Trust (TVCT) and the US Department of Agriculture announced approval of an unprecedented federal partnership to help sixteen farms along several of its major streams. A Federal Cooperative Agreement between the Trust and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will provide dollar for dollar pass-throughs of money to assist landowners in preserving their family lands. This agreement will make available up to $5.2 Million in Federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) matching funds to forever protect sixteen farms during the next year.
The funds will enable the Three Valley Conservation Trust (TVCT) to help communities to protect sensitive stream corridors and drinking water wellfields along tributaries of the Great Miami River in three Ohio counties. In addition, these same funds allow Three Valley to implement its strategic conservation plan to preserve high conservation priority farms where landowners have made commitments to conserve their lands through contracts with the Trust. These properties are located on Four Mile, Seven Mile, Twin, Little Twin, Paddys Run and Dry Fork creeks. TVCT’s Cooperative Agreement is one the largest in the Nation.
According to Matt Harbage – FRPP Program Manager in Ohio, “The purpose of FRPP is to provide funding to assist in purchasing easements on land to stop non-agricultural use of that land. One Land Trust that preserves property using many different sources of funding while maintaining an unmatched closing efficiency in this State is the Three Valley Conservation Trust whose Executive Director is Larry Frimerman. Protecting these irreplaceable farm lands is essential to securing agricultural production in this region for years to come and Three Valley Conservation Trust has done an outstanding job prioritizing farms to be enrolled and going after sources of funds on a variety of properties from farmland, grassland and forestland.”
When completed over the next eighteen months, these easement agreements will preserve 2400 additional acres with prime soils, more than eight miles of stream corridor, 550 acres of forest habitat, and critical drinking water supplies for future generations. The NRCS agreement will help the Trust honor its landowner commitments for projects such as the TVCTs Seven Mile/Four Mile Creek Protection Project, undertaken with assistance from the Duke Energy Foundation. This partnership effort will help landowners to protect sensitive streams and open spaces. As a result, the project will protect water quality for an aquifer that supplies drinking water for two million Ohioans and hundreds of industries from Dayton to Cincinnati.
In addition the project contributes to keeping farmland available for locally grown food, another essential component to sustainability for the Region. This set of stream corridor projects also serve as connecting wildlife routes for waterfowl and migratory birds.
“Three Valley will make it possible to save the family farm,” commented one landowner. "Without them, we may well have had to sell to the highest bidder. The newly amended federal cooperative agreement between TVCT and NRCS granted requests for eight additional properties in a supplemental funding application round to bring TVCT’s contract for 2011 to sixteen properties. One of these special farms would protect the largest Great Blue Heron Rookery in this part of Southwest Ohio. However, five of these properties also will receive Clean Ohio Agricultural Easement Purchase Program funding also just recently approved.
The catch? The Trust must partner with state, local and private parties to raise sufficient matching funds to access these federal dollars. TVCT has used this federal matching money to generate nearly $2 million in state and local land and drinking water protection funds. In one case, TVCT has reached out to the Miami Conservancy District, who will provide partial funding for an easement project along Little Twin Creek. The Trust is also partnering with Ohio EPA and the Fernald Trustees on a large pair of pilot easement projects to further underwrite these family lands to be protected. “Do we still need matching funds? “Yes- these help immensely with timing and priority setting. So, we are grateful to accept donations to match these grants”, noted Executive Director Larry Frimerman. In addition, landowners donate a portion of the value of their development rights. The donated value alone exceeds $3 million for these properties. These landowners, in turn, invest in their businesses and pump more funds back into the local economy.
TVCT must forever annually visit each site to assure that the terms of the agreement are followed, and must defend the easement contract with its core. These figures are astounding, and certainly significant achievement for a small nonprofit land conservation trust with two paid staff persons. “It would be nice if the Trust was permitted to retain a portion of these funds for administrative costs, but this is not permitted- instead, the Trust relies on donations from landowners and the general public alike.
The Three Valley Conservation Trust partners with people and communities to conserve the natural environment and cultural heritage of our service area for future generations. The organization works with willing landowners and governments to find ways to help these families and entities to forever conserve their green space, streams and working farms. Conservation easements also leave these farms on the tax rolls. Private ownership means that management costs are borne by farmers and other landowners. All approved farms must create and implement a federal Conservation Plan to use best management practices on their farms.
That formula has been a successful one for TVCT and southwestern Ohio- the organization has already protected 12,435 acres on 99 properties, with another eight properties totaling 1055 acres pending completion outside of the NRCS contract.
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]]>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Cheryl Fowler
Membership Director, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
828-253-0095 | cheryl@appalachian.org
ASHEVILLE, NC -- Just a few years ago, much of Little Yellow Mountain in Mitchell and Avery counties was slated for development. Today the summit of that 5,504-foot peak is totally protected thanks to the efforts of The Nature Conservancy and the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC). The two organizations recently closed on a 207-acre tract rising to the summit from the west side of the mountain, ensuring that the entire mountain top will remain free of development. Eventually, all of the property will become part of Yellow Mountain State Natural Area allowing future generations to enjoy this amazing place.
Little Yellow Mountain is an important piece of the nationally significant Roan Mountain Massif natural heritage area, one of the most biologically diverse areas in the Southern Appalachians. Seventy-six rare species of plants and animals are found there. The Roan contains an incredible mix of habitats – spruce-fir forest, grassy balds, high elevation rocky summits, and rich coves.
The Little Yellow Mountain summit conservation began in 2007 when SAHC purchased 430 acres. Since then both conservancies have bought tracts on the mountain top.
“We went from zero to more than 1,300 acres of protected land in just four years," says TNC Mountains Program Director David Ray.
“This just shows what you can accomplish when you work together," says SAHC Board member Jay Leutze, who helped negotiate the deal. “In tough economic times, we have to marshal our forces to make conservation happen.”
The land purchase required private fundraising, internal loans and a loan from The Conservation Fund. "No project is truly complete until the loans are paid off," adds Carl Silverstein, SAHC Executive Director, "but getting the top of the mountain secured for protection is worthy of a big celebration."
The mission of the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (a land trust) is to conserve the unique plant and animal habitat, clean water, local farmland and scenic beauty of the mountains of North Carolina and east Tennessee for the benefit of present and future generations.
We achieve this by forging and maintaining conservation relationships with landowners and public agencies, owning and managing land, and working with communities to accomplish their conservation objectives.
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]]>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Clutter
Executive Director
608-930-3252 | dave@driftlessconservancy.org
DODGEVILLE, WI -- This year the Driftless Area Land Conservancy celebrates our 10-year anniversary with a “bookend easement donation” that features a wonderful conservation partnership and the protection of one of Wisconsin’s most unique natural communities. In 2003, the Malcolm Stack Foundation donated a 54-acre conservation easement to Driftless Area Land Conservancy, representing one of our very first conservation easement projects.
Our most recent easement donation, signed just this month, protects the remaining 105-acres of the Malcolm Stack Foundation property and solidifies the foundation’s commitment to helping protect one of Wisconsin’s truly unique and rare natural communities.
Since the time of the Malcolm Stack Foundation’s first easement donation, the conservancy has protected roughly 2,500 acres and 12 properties. It is fitting that the foundation “bookend’s” our first 10 years with this second important easement donation.
In addition to protecting the pine relict forests and associated oak woodlands, the conservation easement will permit and encourage continued uses such as field trips, guided hikes, photography, artist clinics, nature study and aesthetic enjoyment. Furthermore, plant communities and associated wildlife will benefit from this significant block of permanently protected habitat.
The Malcolm Stack Foundation was established in 2001 to promote land conservation and education. The foundation is dedicated to conserving land in the Driftless Area; and, in particular, foundation directors feel that it is imperative to preserve the pine relicts forests found on the property for future generations. Driftless Area Land Conservancy appreciates and values our partnership with the Malcolm Stack Foundation and would like to sincerely thank the Foundation board members for their commitment to conservation in southwest Wisconsin.
These remnants (pictured above) from the glacial era are so sparse and hidden from noisy civilization that they are virtually unknown by most Wisconsin residents. Even if one chances upon a stand of these tall pines, perhaps during a walk or in pursuit of a deer or turkey, he or she may not consider the relationship of this forest community to our glacial past. Each relict, often less than 5 acres, typically contains over 75% of the 25 most common species in the northern pine forests. The resulting community, a unique blend of northern and southern species, deserves our veneration, care and protection.
Pine relicts are pine forest communities that have persisted in southern Wisconsin since the last glacier retreated some 10,000 years ago. These relicts were part of what was once an expansive pine dominated landscape in a cool southern Wisconsin climate. As time passed and the climate gradually warmed (6,500 - 3,000 years ago) prairie and oak savannas replaced nearly all of the pine forests throughout southern Wisconsin, except in very steep draws and among the rocky cliffs in the Driftless Area of Southwest Wisconsin. The Ridgeway pines are only one of two large pine relicts in Southern Wisconsin.
For more information on Wisconsin DNR-owned Ridgeway Pine Relict (No. 326), view the website.
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