Connemara Profiles of Land Easements
Transcription
Connemara Profiles of Land Easements
Customer Name Street Address City, ST ZIP Code Connemara Conservancy Foundation 1314 W. McDermott Suite 106-812 Allen, Texas 75013 www.connemaraconservancy.org Connemara Conservancy “Saving the land we love in North Texas” Profiles of Conservation Easement Activity Connemara Conservancy Foundation Table of Contents Connemara History Overview of Conserved Lands in North Texas Strain Family Farm Barnett Ranch Ark II Leo Ranch Flower Mound Conservation Subdivisions Mitigation Banks Acknowledgements 3 4 5 6 8 9 11 12 15 Page 3 In the late 1970s, Frances (Montgomery) Williams became concerned that the land that had been farmed by her family for generations was in jeopardy. The DFW Metroplex had spilled over the northern border of Dallas County and was encroaching on rural lands in southern Collin County. Highways, streets, housing developments, parking lots and shopping malls were replacing farms, country lanes and small towns. Faced with the inevitability of loss, Mrs. Williams sought a way to protect and preserve her family’s heritage. The Connemara Meadow Preserve located on the border of Allen and Plano in Collin County, Texas, was donated in 1981 by Mrs. Williams and thus began the Connemara Conservancy Foundation. In 1981, Mrs. Williams, working with a dedicated group of land conservation pioneers in North Texas, created The Connemara Conservancy Foundation, a.k.a. Connemara, with an initial gift of 72 acres of one of the farm’s most scenic landscapes. Mrs. Williams’ foresight and love of her family’s land has given residents of Collin County an exemplary showcase of nature right in the middle of some of the region’s most expansive urban sprawl. Land is a man’s soul. – Daniel McCarty Today, Connemara protects over 3,400 acres of land in North Texas in a service area that includes 33 counties and four different eco-regions: Blackland Prairie, Post-Oak Savannah, Cross Timbers and Rolling Plains. From family farms to conservation-minded residential developments, Connemara works with private landowners, municipalities and developers to save the land we love in North Texas. Connemara Conservancy Foundation Page 5 Strain Family Farm The connection to the land runs deep within the Strain family. For over 100 years, the family has farmed the 400 acres near Lancaster, Texas, which was originally purchased by W.A. Strain in 1892. Sisters Carol Strain-Burk and Dr. Mary Strain-Sykes, and their husbands, Ted Burk and Dr. Don Sykes, believe that preserving the open space on the farm and preserving the agricultural history, culture and character of Lancaster is important to future Lancaster residents. List of Conserved Lands in North Texas Fee Simple Land Meadow Preserve Collin County 72 1981 Conservation Easements Moseley Farm Hunt Ben Franklin Tract Delta Barnett Ranch 1 Denton Strain-Burk Farm Dallas Ark II Hood Barnett 2 Denton Leo Ranch Cooke 96 276 548 121 550 460 963 1998 2000 2003 2006 2007 2009 2009 Conservation Developments Chimney Rock Estates Denton The Sanctuary Denton Gardens of Connemara Collin Montalcino Estates Denton 49 45 145 140 2002 2003 2005 2012 79 120 2008 2010 Mitigation Projects Hearts Bluff Tenmile Creek Titus Dallas Pictured left to right: Ted Burk, Carol Strain-Burk and Dr. Mary Strain-Sykes. The property is characterized by a wide, limestone creek that winds throughout the property and connects to Dallas County Parks and Open Spaces land in the Ten Mile Creek Preserve. It has ample wooded riparian corridors for wildlife, protects compatible land uses (especially agricultural operations) and includes 121 acres surrounding a reconstructed 1896 Victorian-style family farmhouse. Connemara Conservancy Foundation Barnett Ranch The family’s reliance on native grasses for forage distinguishes the Barnett Ranch from other ranching operations in the area. While other operations depend on imported, non-native grasses, such as Bermuda, the Barnett family relies on the native grasses that have sustained herd animals in Texas for thousands of years. Since these grasses are adapted to the unique climate of North Texas, they do not require intensive artificial irrigation and fertilization. Skip Barnett on his ranch in Denton County. Skip Barnett says that he never intended to be the poster boy for land conservation. But, if protecting the ranching heritage in North Texas means becoming a public face for the conservation easement movement, then he is happy to oblige. For four generations, the Barnett Family has run a cattle ranching operation on 1200 acres in Denton County between Denton and Decatur, Texas. The first farmer was the first man, and all historic nobility rests on possession and use of land. - Ralph Waldo Emerson Landowners Choose Connemara for 3 Reasons: 1. They love their land and want to see it protected forever. 2. They want to partner with a land trust focused on their region of Texas. 3. They acknowledge, accept and appreciate that land conservation starts with them. Page 7 Connemara Conservancy Foundation Ark II Dr. Harold Granek wanted to create a natural oasis outside of the normal hustle and bustle of urban life. He spent several years purchasing and assembling the 650 acres of natural area which surrounds his personal residence in Hood County, north of Granbury. Page 9 Leo Ranch Leo Ranch is a 970-acre working cattle and sheep operation located in Cooke County, northwest of Sanger, Texas. It is owned by the Dixon Water Foundation which seeks to promote healthy watersheds though good landscape management. It is a unique agricultural property in North Texas in that it is a working organic ranch, and also serves as a learning center for education, outreach and research on water issues. At Leo Ranch, the Dixon Water Foundation demonstrates how to manage rangeland in an environmentally and economically viable way. The Dixon Water Foundation owns and operates four ranches totally over 15,000 acres including Leo Ranch. These working ranches provide grass-finished meat that is certified organic and sold at local markets. Dr. Granek says he chose Connemara in 2007 as his land conservation partner mostly because Connemara is focused on North Texas. If the name, “Ark II” invokes biblical memories, that’s not a coincidence. Dr. Granek gave the property that name to reflect his belief that the 650 acres serve a similar purpose to Noah’s Ark by preserving the woodlands and prairie environment on his property from the relentless onslaught of urban expansion. L to R: Clint Josey, Melissa Bookhout, Robert Potts and Janet Samford of the Dixon Water Foundation. Connemara Conservancy Foundation Sustainable Options for Development In North Texas, it isn’t a question of “if” development will happen, it is a question of “where”? Municipalities and developers1. in North Texas have begun working to save land in North Texas through the application of Conservation Development design. A conservation development combines protected open space and housing. Homes, roads and infrastructure are clustered; allowing a significant percentage of the land to be left undeveloped and protected in perpetuity. Ideally, the land conserved is linked to other open spaces, protecting wildlife corridors and complete ecosystems. More than 250 acres of permanently protected, private green space have been integrated into the pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods of the 500acre Montgomery Farm development, creating an oasis of meadows and natural preserves surrounded by neighborhoods, retail, and workplaces Page 11 Conservation Subdivisions Flower Mound, Texas The Town of Flower Mound adopted a Master Plan in 2001, stating the community's goals and objectives for itself today and in the future. This 20-year plan includes a section on land conservation goals which resulted in two distinct eco-system protection areas within the rural portion of Town: the Cross Timbers and Prairie Vista Conservation Districts. As a land trust focused on saving land in North Texas, Connemara has partnered with the Town of Flower Mound on three conservation developments that preserve the Cross Timbers ecosystem and other natural systems. By 2050, the population of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and North Texas could reach 12 million according to studies conducted by Vision North Texas. That is compared to 6.4 million in 2010. North Texas continues to lead the Nation in population growth. Conserved North Texas prairie remnant within Chimney Rock Estates Subdivision in Flower Mound, Texas Connemara Conservancy Foundation Mitigation Banks Page 13 Agencies like Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality have developed programs with land trusts to provide long term protection for these tracts of land that are set aside for environmental damages by the violators. Connemara currently has accepted or is working on two of these habitat mitigation projects which compensate for oil releases. Connemara Conservancy has also taken on land protection tracts designed to be compensation for wetland and stream impacts by construction projects; otherwise known as wetland or stream mitigation bank sites. Connemara Conservancy has been working with state agencies for several years to accept conservation easements over tracts of land that have been set aside to compensate for damages to the environment due to environmental violations, chemical spills, construction projects and other habitat impairments. According to the US Army Corps of Engineers, “mitigation banking is the restoration, enhancement, creation, and, in exceptional circumstances, preservation undertaken to compensate in advance for adverse impacts to the aquatic ecosystem.” The Corps of Engineers now requires that these mitigation banks be placed under long-term protection; i.e. under conservation easements with a third party holder. Connemara Conservancy Foundation Page 15 Acknowledgements Special thanks to our lifetime members who entrusted us with their land in perpetuity. What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” - Albert Pike Dixon Water Foundation Emerson Partners Skip Barnett Dr. Harold Granek Amy Williams Monier Carol Strain-Burk Austin Moseley Montgomery Farm/Philip Williams Frances Montgomery Williams* Profiles of Conservation Easement Activity created by the 2011/2012 Land Committee Summary Land Conservation through the donation of a conservation easement is a complex and personal land issue. It helps preserve our vital natural resources for uses now and in the future. As a landowner, YOU must decide if it will work for you and your family. Connemara serves the North Texas community by partnering with private landowners, municipalities and developers to create viable land conservation options for members of this region. Mark Yarbrough, Chair John Dugdale Chris Ebling Brett Johnson David Morgan Robert Potts Scott Norris Jan Zeiglar Primary Photographer Lead Writer Mark Yarbrough Chris Ebling Board President Executive Director Conservation Director Scott White Sandra Greenway RJ Taylor If you would like more information on land conservation, please contact us. [email protected] 214-319-0990 www.connemaraconservancy.org FOR MORE INFORMATION www.landtrustalliance.org www.texaslandtrustcouncil.org