Scio Township Completes Land Preservation Project

The Scio Township Land Preservation Program recently closed on a conservation easement purchase from the Peter Heydon Trust. 

The property is just over 10 acres in size with frontage on the south side of Stein Rd. west of Maple Rd.  Most of the property is wooded and features a restored historic house.  The conservation easement ensures that the land will never be developed but it remains in private ownership and is not open to the public.

Peter and his late wife Henrietta (Rita) purchased this property and many others in the area 40 years ago to keep them from being developed.  The Heydons donated conservation easements to Legacy Land Conservancy on much of their holdings over the years, creating a large block of protected land mostly in Scio Township but including some in Ann Arbor Township and Webster Township.  This property borders those earlier conserved lands.

Conservation easements are permanent deed restrictions on the use of a property.  Purchasing easements costs less than buying the property and keeps the property on the tax rolls and contributing to the local economy.

Scio Township’s dedicated land preservation millage provided the entire purchase price for this conservation easement purchase.

Scio Township’s land preservation program is funded by a dedicated millage which voters passed initially in 2004 and renewed twice, all by large margins.  The Township has attracted over $12.5 million of matching funds from other sources, a rate of over $1.5 to $1 of its own.  With this project the Township program has been involved in protecting 1,719 acres, with more projects set to close in the coming months.