• Why I donated my land: Campbell and Fran Laird
• Why I donated a conservation easement: Wade and Carol Peacock
• Why I preserved my land through PDR: Stan and Helen Parker

She and her siblings helped plant trees, kept and rode horses and played in Portage Creek, which crosses the property. Fran's father Sidney was the town doctor for the small village of Stockbridge, and her mother Harriet (Hattie) was known by everyone as an historian and activist. Both were long-time fixtures in the community.

When her parents passed away, Fran thought of a fitting tribute to their memory, and that of her eldest sister Irene: to preserve the land they cherished as a natural area for all to enjoy. She approached WLT about making a donation of 30.5 acres and laid out the terms of the property's conveyance, including its name, its use and the formation of a stewardship group to be called the Friends of the Beckwith Conservancy. WLT was in agreement with all terms and the transfer was completed.

Through the Laird's commitment and generosity, the Beckwith Conservancy is now open for quiet recreational activities such as hiking, birdwatching, nature study and cross-country skiing.
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Over the last 30 years trees have been planted, and brush and shrubs have been permitted to grow in the hedgerows and at the edges of the woods. The farm now has an abundance and variety of songbirds. Chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys and a goat have called the place home. Currently it is devoted to the care and feeding of three registered Percheron draft horses named Bonnie, Chelsea and Lady, as well as four cats.

In 2000, the Peacocks decided it was time to ensure their 40 acres would remain forever as they have enjoyed it. They approached WLT about donating a conservation easement limiting development to that already on site. Once an agreement on terms was reached, the easement was signed by both parties and recorded to the deed so that all current and future landowners must abide by its terms.

As with all conservation easement properties, the Peacock's property remains in private ownership and is not open to the public. Those who drive past it along US-12—which bisects the property—are able to enjoy seeing the deer and the restored wetland on north side and horses on the south side. Thanks to the Peacocks, those views, the wildlife habitat and the working hayfields of their property will always be there.

Stan & Helen Parker
Stan Parker's family didn't move to Parker Road in Scio and Lima Townships because their name matched that of the road; the road was named after them.

The Parker farm has been in the same family since the 1830s, and a variety of crops are still raised there today. Stan and his wife Helen felt strongly that protecting their land respected their long heritage and applied, with WLT's no cost help, to the State of Michigan Farmland Preservation Program in April, 1997, as one of nearly 800 farms nominated statewide that year.

In January, 2000, the Parkers signed a conservation easement with the State to restrict 188 acres of their land to agricultural use forever. In exchange for agreeing to permanently protect their land, the Parkers received a cash payment from the State for the value of the rights to build houses on the property. The land's prime agricultural soils, long history of family ownership and prominent visibility made it a very attractive property to protect.

The Parkers are now assured that their family land will always remain open and available for agricultural use. Their commitment serves as a perfect example of why purchase of development rights (PDR) programs have worked so well in other states: landowners get access to the equity they have in the land without selling for development, the land remains open for agricultural use and everyone wins.

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Photos by Barry Lonik