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Conservation
Easement Protects 265 Acres |
 “We
enjoy the land and want to be sure that others in the future can
also enjoy the land and continue to improve it.” That, in a
nutshell, is why Dick and Micky Woodruff donated a conservation
easement on their 265-acre farm in Elizabeth which is adjacent to
the Foundation-owned Schurmeier Forest. They are also happy with the
tax benefits. By donating the easement, they can claim as a
charitable contribution the difference between the land value if it
were sold to be developed and the value if it remains
undeveloped.
According to Dick, “We bought this farm because of its unusual
qualities. It possesses almost every geographic and geological zone
of the region. It has about 150 acres of established second and
third growth forest which is the eastern part of a strip of woods
continuing from here to the Mississippi River. Beyond the woods lie
about 70 acres of cultivated fields, 15 acres of replanted woodland,
and about 15 acres of reconstructed prairie. The balance is
grasslands.
“We have a very nice farm,” said Dick, “a place that is worth
saving.
”The Woodruffs, lifetime members of the Jo Daviess Conservation
Foundation, had been interested in preserving their land for some
time and researched conservation easements. They came to the
Foundation, and with the help of board members Lester Johnson and
Nancy Winter, completed the easement in December of 2000. “It was
a learning process for both of us (the Woodruffs and the
Foundation)!” said Dick.
“You can decide what you want the easement to limit,” he
continued. “We specified that future owners would have the right
to hunt, fish, and ride horses, snowmobiles, and cross-country ski
on the many miles of trails we’ve established. We wanted to
maximize the freedom of subsequent owners yet at the same time
restrict them from destroying the place.”
The Woodruffs have specified that the woods can be used for
recreation but cannot be cut down for cropland. They would, however,
like to preserve the existing cropland. Although it is a small farm,
the income derived from crops is enough to significantly contribute
to its upkeep. It will be up to the Jo Daviess Conservation
Foundation to enforce the Woodruff’s wishes as stated in the
easement.
As part of the easement document, the Woodruffs detailed their
management plan for the land. “The agrarian nature of this land is
an essential element of its beauty and value...We plan to continue
the farming operations, but they are entirely consistent with the
conservation efforts being made in the other areas of the farm and
contribute greatly to the diversity of the immediate environment and
the wildlife capacity of the area.
”About farming and the rights of future owners, they stated, “While
we cannot predict the kinds of farming that will be common in the
area in the future, we are attempting to structure this easement in
such a manner that subsequent owners will have the freedom necessary
to adapt practices to new requirements by being able to construct
suitable farm buildings to meet their needs. A hypothetical example
is a cool storage building for apples if an orchard were established
here.
”Pleased that the conservation easement is now in place, Dick
said, “Who knows what things will be like in 50 or 100 years. I
think we have preserved our farm for at least a few more generations
to enjoy!” |
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