Scio Township Preserves 16-Acre Fletcher Farm Through Conservation Easement

By Barry Lonik

Photos by Barry Lonik

The Scio Township Land Preservation Program recently closed on a conservation easement purchase from Carol Fletcher.  The property is nearly 16 acres in size with frontage on the east side of Zeeb Rd. north of Scio Church Rd.  Most of the property is agricultural and it includes an historic house and barn.  The conservation easement ensures that the land will never be developed but it remains in private ownership and is not open to the public.

Carol and Robert Fletcher (aka “Fletch”) purchased their farm in 1978.  Their primary motivation was that their children had been taking riding lessons and wanted a place to have their own horses.  Carol and Fletch had spent time on farms as children and had good memories of those times.

The Fletchers are only the second owners of the farm.  It had been started by the Aprill family in the 1800s, so was a centennial farm when the Fletchers purchased it.  Unfortunately, it had once been much larger, but the last Aprill to own it had gradually sold off pieces of land so this was what remained.  Fortunately, it contained the house plus all of the barns and outbuildings, so it still functions well as a farm.

It greatly troubled both of them to see so much farmland disappearing.  In addition, their children all have an enduring fondness and closeness to the farm.  Therefore, Carol views the conservation easement as the best way to maintain the “jewel” with which they were blessed. 

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 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 1,735 acres, with more projects set to close in the coming months.