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.
###
]]>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.
###
]]>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Peter D. Ter Louw
Executive Director
(269) 324-1600 | ConserveLand@SWMLC.org
SOUTH HAVEN/KALAMAZOO, MI -- Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC) has been awarded a $250,000 matching grant to purchase and restore 120 acres of forest and wetland along the banks of the Black River, 3.5 miles east of South Haven. The project, funded by a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Joint Venture grant, will become an SWMLC nature preserve dedicated to the protection of water quality and wildlife habitat.
The GLRI is a task force of 11 federal agencies and was developed to coordinate funding in the Great Lakes Basin to clean up toxins, combat invasive species, improve water quality, and restore wildlife habitat. This year, $930,000 has been dedicated for the Joint Venture grant program of which six projects in four states were awarded funding.
"SWMLC’s project received the highest overall ranking of all GLRI Joint Venture proposals," said Barbara Pardo, chief of the Division of Bird Habitat Conservation for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. "Reviewers especially noted the high diversity of flora and fauna that would benefit from the project as well as the strength of the local partnership. The Joint Venture is proud to support this project for the contributions it will make to our bird conservation objectives."
The 120-acre property is located along the west side of the South Branch of the Black River in Geneva Township and includes over one mile of winding riverbanks as well as small streams meandering through deep tributary ravines. Restoration efforts will focus on improving forest health through such methods as invasive species removal and reintroducing prescribed fire to encourage native plants.
Protecting and restoring the Garvey property was a good fit for the GLRI’s Joint Venture grant program, which focuses on birds and is made up of regional partnerships led by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The natural areas along the Black River protect water quality by reducing sedimentation and contain diverse habitats that provide valuable resources to many different kinds of migratory and nesting birds.
"We were able to identify breeding and foraging habitat for at least 70 different target bird species identified in both state and national plans," explained Nate Fuller, conservation and stewardship director for SWMLC. The species include those from four bird plans developed by Joint Venture: waterfowl (ducks and geese), water birds (herons and rails), shorebirds (sandpipers and woodcock), and land birds (songbirds and raptors).
The property was first identified as important for conservation through a watershed conservation plan developed in 2008 between SWMLC and the Van Buren Conservation District (VBCD). SWMLC worked with VBCD to prioritize lands for conservation that would best improve water quality and wildlife habitat within the Black River watershed. The results were included in the Black River Watershed Management Plan, developed by the VBCD with grant support from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"During the past three years, SWMLC has been working with landowner, Daniel Garvey, to help him find a solution to permanently protect his property," stated Nate Fuller. "Mr. Garvey was eager to see his land turned into a nature preserve and to share its natural beauty with the surrounding community. He is making this project possible by offering a bargain sale of the property, generously donating a significant amount of the property’s value as a match toward the grant."
SWMLC proposed the project to the GLRI Joint Venture grant program in partnership with the Conservation Research Institute (CRI), Van Buren Conservation District (VBCD), Two Rivers Coalition (TRC), and the Bangor to South Haven Heritage Water Trail Association (BSH/HWTA). SWMLC and its partners in this grant will provide their expertise in ecological restoration, management and public outreach efforts.
Conservation Research Institute was a natural partner for this grant as they had previously worked with Garvey, and SWMLC has an established track record of success in habitat restoration. CRI principals, Dr. Gerould Wilhelm and Jim Patchett, were able to identify over 300 species of native plants in an initial site visit and were excited at the opportunity to be lead partners in the restoration component of the project.
Local partners, such as the VBCD, BSH/HWTA and TRC, joined in support of the project and many more partners are expected to be welcomed as the project gains momentum.
"It is the Two Rivers Coalition’s mission to protect the health of the Black River and Paw Paw River Watersheds through conservation, education, and advocacy," said Sam Ewbank, TRC board member. "Protecting and restoring the Garvey property to improve water quality is exactly the kind of active conservation we would like to see all along our invaluable waterways and is the core mission of the project partners."
The official acquisition of the property is expected to be completed this fall and restoration work will begin shortly thereafter. Additional funding is being sought to expand restoration efforts and provide long-term funding for management. SWMLC and CRI have high expectations that this project will become one of the premiere ecological restoration sites in the Great Lakes region. Plans to integrate public use with the ecological restoration will begin after the acquisition is completed.
For more information about SWMLC, visit their web site at www.SWMLC.org or call 269-324-1600.
SWMLC is partnering with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on the Barry State Game Area conservation project and with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality on watershed management planning projects for the Rocky River, Paw Paw River, Black River, Gull Lake watershed and Augusta Creek. SWMLC is working on waterfowl conservation, endangered species habitat acquisition and stewardship projects in collaboration with other land conservancies and nonprofit conservation partners through funding from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. SWMLC is also working on watershed planning and management with the Two Rivers Coalition (Van Buren Conservation District) and Friends of the St. Joseph River. In addition, SWMLC works with county and municipal governments to protect natural areas and open space along Lake Michigan as well as land that provides significant public benefit.
###
]]>