(Memorial Weekend)   Wildflower Rescue Plant SaleThe 19^th Annual Plant Sale on the Village Green in Leland is on tap for Memorial Day Weekend! Now is your chance to purchase native ferns, trillium and more along with a selection of  native trees and shrubs provided by locally owned Four Season Nursery, who will be on hand to answer questions about going native. Sale begins Friday, May 25th and runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday; Sunday noon to 4 p.m. All proceeds help maintain the Village Green and assist with other Conservancy projects.

The Wildflower Rescue Committee continually seeks new sites on which to dig. If you are building a home, driveway, addition, or know of someone who is, please contact the WRC so they may have a chance to remove these precious wildflowers before the excavators arrive! Contact Patty Shea: 256-9249 or Joanie Woods: 256-7154.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to preserve this shoreline while also giving the citizens of Leelanau and everyone who visits the chance to experience one of the most beautiful places on our peninsula,” says Conservancy Director Brian Price. “We still have work to do to raise the $1.8 million needed for the required local match to the Trust Fund grant. But with the Trust Fund committed, and the Carls grant providing a dollar-for-dollar challenge to private donors, we know we can raise the funds necessary to protect this truly unique property and create an incredible natural area. We’re grateful to the Trust Fund Board and to the Carls Foundation for their help. We are also grateful to Rachel Crary, the property owner, for agreeing to donate 25% of the land’s value.”

The 104.5-acre property lies between Lake Michigan and North Lake Leelanau and features sweeping views of both lakes. “This property has it all, natural shoreline on both lakes, rare plant communities growing on the steep clay bluffs, old-growth forest, and spectacular scenery. It is hands-down one of the best places on the peninsula for birding or spring wildflowers,” adds Price.

The high ridges and open meadows afford breathtaking views of North Lake Leelanau. Looking toward Lake Michigan, the sheer clay bluffs that tower above the lake at the forest’s edge provide magnificent views of the Manitous and South Fox Island. Much of the 58-acre mature hardwood forest has not been logged in nearly a century, allowing the trees the rare opportunity to approach their maximum size.

“This is great for Leelanau County and for our township,” says Harry Larkin, Leland Township Supervisor. “Our economy is closely tied to the beauty and recreation this area offers. Having public access to Clay Cliffs for hiking, bird watching and other quiet recreation will add to the mix, offering a unique experience to all who visit it. The community whole-heartedly supports this acquisition, and our Parks and Recreation Committee is really looking forward to working with the Conservancy staff to develop a great management plan for the property.”

The partners applied for a Trust Fund grant in 2010, but the request was declined, in part because the opportunity to purchase the property came so late in the application cycle. They reapplied in April 2011 with the continued cooperation of seller, Rachel Crary. It will be at least a year before the purchase will be complete and the public can be welcomed onto to the land. Initial plans call for a small parking area, loop trails, and an observation platform overlooking the Manitou Passage. Leland Township will own the land; the Leelanau Conservancy will manage it.

The good news of the Trust Fund grant came on December 7th.. A few weeks earlier, the Carls Foundation awarded a challenge grant to support natural land protection in high-priority areas of the Leelanau Peninsula. The grant will support a variety of projects under development by the Conservancy, one of which is the acquisition of the Clay Cliffs property.

“If we can raise $250,000 toward the Carls Challenge in each of the next four years, we can claim an additional $250,000 each year in matching funds for critical land protection projects,” says Anne Shoup, the Conservancy’s Director of Charitable Giving. “In this first year, we hope the Carls Challenge will spur donations to the Clay Cliffs project. We are excited and grateful for this timely opportunity for donors to double the impact of their gifts.”

The Conservancy has been in contact with the Crary family since 1995 about protecting the land. Sixteen years ago, the late Doug Crary told Price that one of the things he loved most was to drive over to what was then known as “Cherry Pickers’ Park” on North Lake Leelanau. From there, with a clear view of his land across the lake, he would watch the sun go down. “He loved to see that big expanse of land and how after dark there would be no lights,” says Brian. “He talked about how good that made him feel, how much he enjoyed his land, and that he wanted to see it protected one day.”

To make a gift to the project, please contact Anne Shoup (231-256-9665) or visit the Conservancy’s secure website at www.theconservancy.com.

About the Carls Foundation

Established in 1961, the William and Marie Carls Foundation was utilized by Bill and Marie Carls to implement their charitable activities. Mr. Carls felt privileged and proud to be an American citizen, and considered his funding of the Foundation as a way to return benefits to his community and country, and as an expression of his appreciation for the great opportunities that America afforded him. The Carls Foundation has supported specific conservation projects throughout Michigan, including projects of the Leelanau Conservancy and Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy.

About the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund

The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) has been in place since 1976. It provides financial assistance to local governments and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to purchase land or rights in land for public recreation, or because of its environmental importance or scenic beauty. The Trust Fund also assists in the appropriate development of land for public outdoor recreation. The MNRTF is supported by annual revenues from the development of State-owned mineral resources, largely oil and gas. The Leelanau Conservancy has partnered with Elmwood, Bingham, and Leland Township to acquire locally important natural lands and parkland, and has assisted the state in expanding Leelanau State Park and state forest holdings in the Cedar River area.

Leelanau Enterprise Praises Clay Cliffs Project

These three farms include over 151 acres of the Jerry & Anna May Kelenske farm in Centerville Township, which features over a half mile of frontage along scenic French Road. The rich soils here currently produce row crops and hay as forage for the Kelenskes’ heifers. The 115-acre Larry & Jan Esch farm, located along Horn Road is located in Leland Township. It features sweeping views of Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan and is a prime fruit-growing site. The 116-acre Egeler Brothers Farm straddles the Leland and Suttons Bay Township line. This farm is contiguous to two other protected farms—45 North Winery  and the Gary, Christi and Steve Bardenhagen farm.  Also a prime fruit-growing site, the Egeler farm adds to a substantial block of protected farmland in the East Leland-Suttons Bay Fruit Belt area.
The Conservancy works with willing farmers and landowners who wish to permanently preserve their lands. For farm families, the program can be a great tool to help the older generation prepare for retirement and enable the next generation to take over the farm. One of the key barriers to young farmers is the cost of land. Too often, farmable acreage is too expensive to cash-flow a crop due to the desirability for second-home development. The FRPP program helps resolve this issue by paying the owner to remove the “development premium” on the land, making the acreage more affordable for beginning farmers.

Although the right to future residential development is extinguished, the family continues to own the land and to have the right to farm it. The property also remains on the tax rolls. At the community-level, it helps keep the agricultural economy and the business environment for farming strong by protecting larger blocks of intact farms.

This FRPP award of $1,152,000 will cover half the cost of protecting these three family farms. The Leelanau Conservancy will need to raise 25% of the needed funding—623,900. Each farm family will also donate 25% of the appraised value necessary to complete the projects.

Overall, this award brings the number of successful FRPP applications to 14 in the last 11 years, with 9 successful federal projects since 2010 alone. Donations to the Leelanau Conservancy’s Community Farmland Fund are reaping great rewards. When these projects are completed we will have protected 14 farms with a fair market value of $17.4 million and nearly 2,500 acres of family-owned farmland through the Federal Farm & Ranchland Protection Program alone. This is but a subset of the nearly 4,000 acres of family farms permanently protected since the late 1990s. But most important is the fact that these 14 farms spanning 6 townships demonstrate the crucial importance of Leelanau’s agricultural heritage and economy.

“We are extremely proud of these farm families,” said Tom Nelson, Director of Farm Programs for the Leelanau Conservancy. “They have been tremendous stewards of these lands for generations, and we’re thrilled to partner with them, as well as the Natural Resources Conservation Service which administers the federal program, and all of our donors and supporters. Together we are ensuring that these farms are available to future generations to produce food locally and continue a way of life that is uniquely Leelanau.”

2010 FRPP Farm Projects

Olsen  Farm – Cleveland Twp

228.3 acres

Sedlacek Farm – Leelanau Twp

79 acres

Spinniken Farm – Suttons Bay Twp

172 acres

2011 FRPP Farm Projects

Korson Farm – Leelanau/Leland Twps

152.3 Acres

Send & Emeott Farm – Bingham Twp

144.9 Acres

Stanton Farm – Centerville Twp

172.5 Acres

2011 FRPP Farm Projects

Kelenske Farm – Centerville Twp

151.5 acres

Egeler Farm – Leland & Suttons Bay Twps

116 acres

Esch Farm – Leland Twp

115 acres

The conservation community in Michigan, and elsewhere, is not exclusively motivated by the economic values that accrue to the community from the preservation of land.  We believe in preserving and managing land in such a way that we improve its beauty and its overall health.  And yet, the work that we do has been shown time and again to be essential to the economic well-being of the community.

The economic benefits of open space, farmland preservation, and recreational facilities have now been catalogued over several decades. Consider the following examples:

• A review of over 60 studies on the impact open spaces have on residential property values shows that home prices increase based its proximity to a park or recreational area, and to the size of that area. Most studies find a “premium” on home values when located near a park, and conclude that larger parks and natural areas are more valuable to nearby residents than small parks.  For instance, the authors of a study conducted near Portland,Oregon, which reviewed some 16,400 home sales, concluded that the optimal size of parks and natural areas to be similar to that of a golf course.
• Because access to parks and natural areas increases nearby property values, local governments often reap proportionately higher property tax revenues.  For instance, a study conducted in threeMarylandcounties calculated the economic benefits of preserved agricultural land to homeowners.  The study concluded that a 1% increase in preserved open space inCalvertCounty  increased housing values within a one-mile radius by an average of $251,674 – enough tax revenue to purchase an additional 88 acres of parkland in one year.
• Access to connected open space, such as greenways or trails, has a particularly high impact on property values.  For instance, a study of the Monon trail in Indianapolis found that average property price premiums for 1999 home sales conferred a net present recreational benefit of $7.6million.

Another way of looking at the value of open space has been pioneered by the American Farmland Trust in its widespread “Cost of Community Services” studies.  Such studies, conducted in far flung locations across the country have consistently shown that certain types of land uses actually not only pay for themselves but they subsidize residential uses.  Time and again, after a careful accounting of both tax revenues generated and the services required from different classifications of land, these studies have shown that farmland and forestlands generate much more in tax revenues than they require in services.  The old adage that “cows don’t go to school” and “cherry trees don’t call 911” is as true in Leelanau as elsewhere.

In fact, since we have a multiplicity of taxing jurisdictions in Leelanau (11 Townships), a review of local millage rates plotted against population density reveals that in fact the highest local tax rates are invariably levied to supply services to our most densely-developed townships. The two townships with the lowest overall population density, Cleveland and Centerville, also assess the lowest millage rates.

A third category of economic benefits that flow from preserving land falls under the heading of “ecosystem services.”  Scientists who work in the this field strive mightily to place a value on such things as the ability of wetlands to soak up heavy rains, therefore alleviating flooding; the ability of bees and other beneficial insects to pollinate important food crops; and the ability of forests to remove impurities from the air and store carbon.

While it may be difficult to parse out these numbers exactly, no one seriously doubts the validity of the claim:  these lands and the wildlife they support provide valuable services that we can’t replace with any amount of technology.

All of these types of studies do in fact give some sense of the economic benefits to the community of preserved open space, but the numbers they generate are  almost certainly grossly underestimated because they exclude “nonmarket values associated with passive uses, such as just knowing that open spaces exist.”   There is plenty of evidence for this.  Consider, what price can we assign to the overall health (think obesity reduction, for instance) that comes from a daily walk in a natural area.  What price can be assigned to the joy of watching bald eagles soaring overhead, and knowing that those eagles nest successfully near your home?  What of the chance to catch fish in a stream that you can walk to with your grandchildren?

Nearly 100 years ago Aldo Leopold crafted his Land Ethic:

A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community.  It is wrong when it tends otherwise.

It probably doesn’t even need to be pointed out that careful economic analysis didn’t give rise to the Leelanau Conservancy some 23 years ago.  The desire to preserve beauty did, pure and simple.  What motivates us today is the same as it was in 1988, and it would provide sufficient reason to band together to preserve our Clay Cliffs, our Sonny’s Farms, and our Kehl Lakes even if it didn’t seem to make economic sense to do so. Wild things and wild places exist for their own sakes, not just for our pleasure.   But isn’t it great to know that we are on the right side of the “metrics” as well?

-Brian Price, Executive Director, included in the 2012 Annual Report and Newsletter

When I first moved to Leelanau County 25 years ago, one of the names I kept seeing in the newspaper was Glen Noonan’s. At the time, he owned the county landfill, a gravel pit, and a whole lot of farmland. I got the impression that if Leelanau County had a patriarch, this guy would certainly be in the running. Forty-two years serving on the County Road Commission and his role as a founding member of the Cedar-Maple City Lions Club gives him an iconic status.

Here at the Conservancy, I often hear him referred to as “a farmer’s farmer.” I recall that at the public forum about the farmland millage in 2006, all heads turned and a hush came over the Suttons Bay Auditorium when Glen stood up to speak his mind.

And so as I drove out one day to hear his story about why he was protecting a significant portion of his land with a donated conservation easement, I didn’t know quite what to expect. I’d been told that he was a shrewd, successful businessman; that he could be blunt. Both of those things are certainly true. But what is even truer is that underneath that exterior is a fascinating, sweet guy who is passionate about keeping his family lands intact. “The good Lord has been awful good to me and my family,” he says. “I love this property—it’s very dear to my heart, and I’m very proud to have turned it over to the care of the Leelanau Conservancy to make sure it is always protected.

With the preserving of his 506 acres, Glen has become the single largest conservation easement donor in the history of the Leelanau Conservancy. No single landowner has protected more acreage to date. While the Conservancy does not own the land—the Noonan family does—the conservation easement ensures that Glen’s wishes for the property will be adhered to in perpetuity.

Two separate parcels have been protected. The first is 200 acres in Empire Township, known as the “kettle hole property.” It contains a unique geological feature, a 100-foot deep conical depression in the earth caused by the melting of a buried block of glacial ice. Many local geologists consider it to be one of the largest and best preserved geologic kettles in Michigan. Also present on the land is 700 feet of Hatlem Creek frontage and 132 acres of hardwood forest. A forest management plan will allow the Noonan family to sustainably harvest trees from the property and continue to farm the tillable acreage.

The second parcel on Polack Lake in Kasson Township is the one that Glen is most attached to. He grew up in a house near the property and although his family did not own the land, as a young man he vowed that someday he would. Glen is one of 11 children whose mother died when he was just seven. He recalls gathering firewood and gooseberries with his father, watering cattle at Polack Lake as a young man and later, hiking and fishing at Polack Lake with his own family. Today, the land is the site of huge family reunions and Glen also generously allows the Boy Scouts to camp here. The Lions Club, of which he is a founding member, holds a Christmas tree sale here annually, and the Noonan family donates the trees.

Glen’s first love has always been farming, a vocation he has doggedly pursued all his life. After graduating from high school, his one goal was to save enough money to buy a piece of land in Leelanau. He tried to enlist in the army but a childhood injury that left him without the use of two fingers on his right hand caused him to be rejected. He ended up joining the Merchant Marines, which took him to places like Russia, Turkey and the Black Sea.

After that he and a friend headed west, looking for work. An uncle in Nebraska had a potato farm, where they worked for a bit. Word of jobs harvesting wheat drew them to Kansas, then to Idaho to labor in sugar beet fields. His travels gave him the perspective that “Leelanau County is one of the most beautiful places in the world as far as I am concerned. I don’t think there is any place to compare to it. It’s the beauty that attracts people and I think that through zoning we can make sure things stay the way we want them to.”

While out west, he met Ella, his wife of 62 years, who worked at a bank. “I would always try to have an excuse to stop in at the bank,” he says. “But really, it was just so I could keep track of her.” He brought her home from a dance one night—and ultimately to Leelanau County once he had saved enough money to buy his first 80-acre parcel.

He found out, however, that he couldn’t make a living just on farming; thus his forays into the tavern and landfill business. He describes himself as a risk-taker who goes with his gut. “I’ve never taken two or three days to make a decision,” he says. “Never have, never will.”

Preserving his land through a conservation easement, he says, was one of those gut-level decisions that he knew was the right thing to do. “No matter who owns the land it will be kept intact,” he says. “It’s a beautiful piece of property and they aren’t making any more of it.”

Two of Glen’s seven children—twins Roger and David—are passionate about carrying on Glen’s farming legacy. Together they farm 1200 acres, including portions of the now preserved lands, and their operation includes field crops, cattle and cherry orchards. By preserving the land, Glen has assured that property taxes won’t be “uncapped” upon transfer and that the agricultural fields will always be available for farming.

Roger, who was the one who urged his father to contact the Conservancy, says “My dad always wanted to get this done. I would give praise to Tom and Matt*; they made the process a lot easier. They were very up front with no hidden agenda. They are the kind of people we like to work with. A lot of people think that the Conservancy has a hidden agenda. With us there was NOTHING on that order and we’re very happy with our experience.” (*Tom Nelson is the Leelanau Conservancy’s Director of Farm Programs; Matt Heiman is the Director of Land Protection.)

Throughout the months that the Noonan family and the Conservancy were working out the details of the easement, Ella’s health was in decline. She died in September. Glen recalls how hard she worked to take care of their large family, how she helped to milk the cows and kept the milk tanks “super clean.” “She always liked to have a good garden, canned a lot of fruit and tomatoes, and helped to write the history book about Kasson Township,” he adds. “She loved Polack Lake too.”

At her service, he told Farmland Programs Director Tom Nelson that in his mind, he was dedicating the preservation of the property to Ella’s memory. “It was an honor for us to work with the Noonan Family,” says Tom. ”It was clear from the start that they see this land as an extension of themselves. As such, it’s a big part of their identity as a family. And, just like their family, their love of this land runs deep.”

If you would like to learn more about protecting your land, click here.

Read more landowner stories here.

Photos: Glen Noonan stands in front of the barn where, at age 5, he milked the family cows; Glen’s beloved Polack Lake property in Kasson Township. Sloped hillsides are part of the Kettle Hole Property in Empire Township.

It was a first in the U.S.—a privately-funded program called FarmAbility that pays farm families annually to conserve their farms for ten years and provides cost-sharing for agricultural workshops, seminars and estate planning to help transition the farm into the hands of the next generation of growers.

“We had talked with quite a few folks out there beforehand and figured FarmAbility would be a ‘no-brainer’ for area growers,” Long said. “But we weren’t entirely sure just how people would respond that day, especially after the storm.”  It turned out there was no need for concern: the response was tremendous. Within 60 days, the 5,000-acre goal was reached with nearly 30 families signing up.

Now, they’re doing it again.

On April 2^nd, four partnering organizations, the Leelanau Conservancy, Leelanau Conservation District, MSU Extension and the NW Michigan Horticultural Research Center are offering a second application round for Leelanau’s FarmAbility Program.  Private dollars, including a grant from Rotary Charities of Traverse City, pays for 100% the necessary funding.

The program has certainly been popular. In just the first three years, enrollees owning nearly 1,000 acres have chosen to permanently conserve their farms through the Leelanau Conservancy. Not only that, the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, the Grand Traverse Conservation District and others are slated to offer FarmAbility in several strong agricultural townships in Grand Traverse and Antrim Counties later this year. “Based on how well folks took to the program three years ago, FarmAbility applications may fill up even faster this time around,” said Nelson.

“We couldn’t be more excited about a second round of applications for such a ground-breaking conservation program,” said Dr. Nikki Rothwell of the M.S.U. Horticultural Research Center. “We have seen tremendous benefit from participating growers, particularly with our young farmers through FarmAbility’s support of the New FARM Program.  We look forward to partnering again with the Leelanau Conservancy and Leelanau Conservation District and welcome the addition of the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy to continue to find creative ways to preserve the agricultural heritage of northwest Michigan.”

FarmAbility is a voluntary program. Its incentives include annual cash payments of $10 per-acre for active agricultural land, $5 per-acre for non-ag land, in addition to the cost-sharing benefits. The current application round features a new benefit which can help defray the cost of the USDA’s GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) Audits. The program will match up $500 per enrolled family for GAP.

Overall, FarmAbility is patterned after the State of Michigan’s P.A. 116 program, but is more farmer-friendly. Any eligible farm family may apply for a farm conservation agreement which maintains their farm in active agriculture for a 10-year period. Unlike Michigan’s P.A. 116 program, payments are not tied to household income or property tax rates, and there is no financial penalty levied if the family does not re-enroll at the end of the 10-year term. Eligible farm families already enrolled in the P.A. 116 program are welcome to enroll in the FarmAbility Program.

Eligible Leelanau County applicants will be considered on a “first-come-first-served” basis until 5,000 acres are enrolled. Those interested in applying can do so in person at the offices of the Leelanau Conservation District at 112 W. Philip Street in Lake Leelanau from 9am to 3pm beginning April 2nd. Thereafter, drop-in hours will be from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Conservation District Offices and from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the offices of the Leelanau Conservancy at 105 N. First Street in Leland. Drop-in hours will continue until 5,000 acres are enrolled in the program. Eligibility rules can be found by clicking on the link below, by calling Tom Nelson at 256-9665, or stopping at the Leelanau Conservation District or Leelanau Conservancy offices.

FarmAbility Information Packet

Employment Opportunity at the Leelanau Conservancy:

Early Detection/Rapid Response Crew Leaders and Members.

Project Description:  The Leelanau Conservancy is a member of the Eastern Lake Michigan Coastal Invasives project which continues and expands an effort begun in 2010 to survey for, apply treatment to, and follow-up monitor invasive terrestrial plant populations along 400 miles of dune, wetland, and coastal forest ecosystems.  The project targets a number of invasive species, ranging from well-established invaders like giant reed (Phragmites australis) to relative newcomers such as blue lyme grass (Leymus arenarius) and Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum).  These job descriptions are for positions offered by the Leelanau Conservancy for the 2012 field season running 20 weeks from earlyMay to early September.

Essential Functions:  Members of the early detection/rapid response teams will conduct survey activities for a variety of targeted species on public, private, and conserved lands along Eastern Lake Michigan inLeelanauCounty.  Individuals will then carry out treatment on documented populations using appropriate treatment methods.  Following treatment, crew members will assist in implementing monitoring of treatment success and potential species spread.  These “ED/RR” teams will be comprised of a two crew members and one crew leader.  In addition to the tasks listed above, crew leaders will be responsible for assisting in developing seasonal work plans with project managers, recording and communicating activities and outcomes, and managing the logistics of day-to-day crew operations over a large area and multiple work sites.

Basic Qualifications (Hiring 1 Crew Leader):

• B.S. in biological sciences or natural resources with successful biological management work experience in the field, or combination of successful biological management work experience in the field and college course work in biological sciences or natural resources.

Preferred Qualifications (Crew Leader):

• Leadership skills and experience supervising a crew in field situations
• Experience with ecosystem restoration, invasive species control, and herbicide application
• Experience or ability to safely use and maintain tools and equipment
• Familiarity withMichiganflora
• Experience with GPS usage and GIS software/mapping
• Good interpersonal skills – ability to work in a group setting
• Ability to work without direct supervision

Crew Leader Compensation: $13.50/hour

Application Due: March 7^th, 2012

Basic Qualifications (Hiring 2 Crew Members):

• High school diploma and 6 months related experience
• Experience operating various types of equipment
• Experience performing physical work

Preferred Qualifications (Crew Member):

• Familiarity withMichiganflora
• Experience with GPS usage and mapping
• Good interpersonal skills – ability to work in a group setting
• Ability to work without direct supervision

Crew Member Compensation: $12.00/hour

Application Due: March 16^th, 2012

Send Cover Letter and Resume to:

Jenee Rowe

Director of Conservancy Owned Lands

jrowe@leelanauconservancy.org

P.O. Box1007, Leland, MI. 49654

The Leelanau Conservancy owns and manages part of the DeYoung Natural Area as a working farm. Located roughly 5 miles north of Traverse City in Elmwood Township along Cherrybend Road, the farm has been in our ownership since 2005.

The Conservancy has multiple goals in protecting the DeYoung Farm. Among these goals are:

1. Protection of natural features and restoration of native ecosystems, including the stream corridor;
2. Provide public access for passive recreation on the property;
3. Restoring agricultural use to specific portions of the historic DeYoung Farm; and
4. Supporting educational uses of the property and buildings.

In achieving the third goal, the Conservancy recognizes that use by a committed farmer or non-profit is the best way to restore the historic farm to its former productivity.

This Request for Expressions of Interest (REI) asks interested individuals or organizations to submit a brief description of their ideas and specific proposal for farming the property in writing, and to provide further details as to how their proposed use will be compatible with the other ongoing Conservancy goals.

Proposals are encouraged to include offers to lease part of the property or memorandums of understanding with organizations or other agreements pertinent to the situation. The Conservancy has made no final decisions about any potential lease of the agricultural portions of the property. Accordingly, this Request for Expressions of Interest seeks to gauge interest from community members, especially the local farming community.

Please see this announcement for additional information, or contact Jenee Rowe, Director of Conservancy-owned Lands, at jrowe@leelanauconservancy.org.

November 2011–In a world where optimism seems to be in short supply these days, it was heartening to sit down with fruit farmers Jeff and Nita Send and their partners, Scott and Penny Emeott. The Suttons Bay farmers had taken a break from apple picking on a steel-grey October day to talk about the future of farming in Leelanau, as well as the reasons why they are preserving some of their best fruit growing acreage for future farming generations. “We’re more hopeful now,” says Nita Send, sitting at her butcher block table in a kitchen decorated with cherry motif touches. “The industry is on an upswing.”

Through a purchase of development rights (PDR)*, the partners will permanently protect 145 acres they own jointly along Center Highway. The land is in the heart of an agricultural corridor where approximately 800 acres of neighboring farms have already been protected by PDR and nearly 500 more acres are currently enrolled in our FarmAbility Program. Under PDR programs, farmers are paid a portion of the difference between what their land would be worth as a residential subdivision and its underlying value for farming. (see below)

The partners say protecting this particular 145 acres was “a no brainer.” “The height, the way it rolls,” explains Jeff, “Well, let’s just say if there aren’t cherries there, there are no cherries to be had. It always produces, no matter what. Besides that, there are enough damned subdivisions already.”

This sort of love for the land and respect for its global importance is part of what defines the Send-Emeott partnership. “There’s no other place in the U.S. that is so perfect for growing tart cherries,” says Nita. “If the country loses that, it’s gone forever. This is the perfect spot and that’s why we’re protecting it so that the land will always be available.” As Nita talks, Scott and Penny nod their heads in agreement.

All four were born and raised in either Suttons Bay or Lake Leelanau. The Emeotts are younger by about 15 years. They got to know each other when Scott took a job working for Jeff just out of high school. He drove a HiLo at the Send’s receiving station—a place where fruit is weighed and graded and then sent on to a processor. A year or so later, Scott purchased his grandfather’s farm.

He was just 19, and looked to Jeff for advice and respected his years of experience. Jeff, in turn, liked the way Scott came up with new ideas. “There was a lot of difference in age,” says Scott. “But that’s a good thing because we each bring something different to the table.”

As it turns out, the mutual support was especially needed that first year that Scott owned his farm. Cherry prices hit an all time low, yielding just 5 cents a pound. He recalls lying awake at night, “wondering what in the heck have I done,” he says. “Thank God I had another job.” His family owned Morey’s Grocery in Suttons Bay, where he did everything from run the cash register to stock shelves.

Those were some of the most challenging times for Leelanau fruit farmers. “There were years when you wondered how you would make it; years when you were awake for every storm, knowing that if the crop went bad there would be no way to pay the bills,” says Nita.

Within a few years, Scott and the Sends had formed a partnership and were buying and leasing property together. One day, they met with a farmer named Morio to talk about buying his farm—whose daughter happened to be Penny. She had just graduated with a degree in education, and would soon take a job at Suttons Bay Elementary. Scott and Penny were married soon after Jeff and Scott bought her father’s farm. “I guess I did that totally backwards,” says Scott. “You’re supposed to marry the farmer’s daughter, and then get the farm.”

Two decades of sharing equipment, work crews and know-how has helped the Sends & Emeotts weather the storms. Together they farm about 1,100 acres at 22 different locales. “It makes sense to spread the costs of equipment over many acres,” says Scott. “It’s foolish to buy a $15,000 piece of equipment and use it only on just a few acres.”

Both couples say that the funds they receive from the purchase of development rights will help them to pay down debt, invest in the farm, and make it possible for them to pass the land on to the next generation. “The passion for us is to preserve farming acreage—we don’t really want to see the land used for anything else,” says Nita. “It’s the right thing to do while also being a really smart business decision.” All four are optimistic about the future of farming in Leelanau.

“The marketing initiatives have created more awareness and a demand for the product,” says Penny. Dried cherries are continuing to gain in popularity, and cherry concentrate is even hotter because it is being touted for its “muscle recovery” benefits. “Supply and demand of cherries are close to being in balance which will help too,” adds Jeff. “We no longer have a big backlog of product, which will help future prices.”

The partners see conservation as just another tool in the toolbox—one that is becoming more and more appealing to the farm community as a whole. “The majority of farmers don’t want to see their land turned into housing,” says Scott. “But if nobody in the family wanted to take over, their options were limited. There was no way farmers’ kids could afford to buy the farm at development prices.” What a purchase of development rights does is to get the land down to a price where a family member or another farmer could afford to buy it.

“Any tool that you can find to help you sustain the farm we are going to look at,” says Nita. “But when it comes right down to it, farming has never been about the money for us. It’s not a job, it’s a way of life because your whole family life revolves around the farm. We love it because it’s directly connected to nature and to creation.”

“Preserving farmland is a pretty smart business decision, and experienced growers like the Sends and Emeotts prove the point,” says Tom Nelson, the Conservancy’s Director of Farm Programs. “In fact, we’ve been working with these folks to try to protect this farm ever since they supported the farmland preservation ballot effort in 2006. That initiative wasn’t successful, but this project with the Sends and Emeotts will be—and that speaks volumes about their commitment to the future of farming in Leelanau.”

*A federal program—the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP)– contributes up to 50% of this value, and the Conservancy must raise a 25% match. The farm family is also required to forego 25% or more of the acreage’s cash value—this is considered a charitable donation for which there are federal tax incentives as well. Thereafter, the legal right to develop the land is extinguished forever, keeping the land available for farming for future generations. The land stays in private hands, remains on the tax rolls and no public access is required.

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