1,000 acres of Washtenaw farmland preserved
The Legacy Land Conservancy announced last week that as a result of two Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) initiatives, the Huron River Initiative and the Ann Arbor Greenbelt: Saving Michigan Farms RCPP Project, $5.6 million over five years has been invested in preserving Washtenaw County farmland.
The Ann Arbor Greenbelt Program announced, “Today, the RCPP partners are announcing that nearly all the funds from both RCPP awards have been allocated to conservation projects in Washtenaw County. Initially, the partners aimed to preserve a total of 740 acres of land. However, it is now anticipated that more than 1,000 acres will be preserved by the time the two RCPP awards are fully utilized. This substantial increase represents the strategic coordination of the conservation partners, as well as increased interest in preservation by private landowners in the region.”
Neither of these RCPP initiatives extended into the Manchester area because the Greenbelt doesn’t extend into our section of the county and the Huron RCPP area doesn’t extend down to our portion of the Huron River watershed. But there are opportunities for farmers in the Manchester area to have their farmland preserved through the LLC.
Susan LaCroix of Legacy Land Conservancy explained, “There are farmland protection opportunities for farmers outside of the limits of this project. While this funding was specifically for those regions, the statewide pool is open every year for anyone in the state. We are currently working with a farm in Sharon Township that received the NRCS ACEP-ALE funding through the statewide pool, which we hope will close this year. We are also working on some projects involving properties for which protection will positively affect water quality and protection for the watershed in Sharon Township along the River Raisin. That project is through a federal Clean Water act funding that the state manages called 319. Washtenaw County also has funding available for protection through the Parks and Recreation department Natural Areas Preservation Program.”
What does farmland preservation mean?
When a farmer places a conservation easement (a legally binding conservation agreement) on their property, it becomes permanently restricted to limit development and other uses not compatible with agriculture. The landowner can still sell and bequeath their land, build ag structures on their property in certain places, farm the property, and conduct activities compatible with agriculture. The agreement may also require buffer strips along water bodies and request that large forests tracts get a forestry management plan for commercial harvests. Since the development rights are either sold or donated to the entity holding the easement, the market value of a property may decrease, which takes pressure to sell to a developer out of the equation and makes it affordable for the next owner to purchase. The land is still in private ownership and not typically publicly accessible. Once a year the entity working with the landowner on the agreement, like Legacy Land Conservancy or one of its project partners, will set up a visit to meet with the landowner to check in on how the agreement is going and if there were any challenges.
Legacy Land Conservancy (Legacy) is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects the forests, prairies, wetlands, farmland and rivers in southern Michigan, focusing on Washtenaw and Jackson counties. Legacy is Michigan’s oldest local nonprofit land conservancy, working with landowners, organizations and local government entities to permanently protect land. Since its founding in 1971, Legacy has helped to protect over 9,300 acres of land, including seven nature preserves that are open for all to enjoy. To date, Legacy has played a leading or facilitating role in more than 140 regional protection projects over its 48-year history. Legacy is accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission for adhering to a set of standards designed to ensure Legacy’s work will endure forever. For more information, visit www.legacylandconservancy.org.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login