When Dan Dale and Covenant Farm worked with Chikaming Open Lands (COL) several years ago to put a 29-acre conservation easement on part of their property, he was very excited. It was yet another step in the 30-year project to restore the farm and a part of a larger dream to improve water quality in the Galien River. A segment of the Galien River runs through this property and includes an oxbow (a bow shaped bend in the river), a heron rookery, and some rare and state threatened species of plants.

 

Then in 2010, the 25-acre property on the other side of the river and directly adjacent to his own came up for sale, he again worked with COL to acquire that property and put a conservation easement on it. Dale commented, “Working with COL has allowed us to be a part of something larger. When we look at the wonderful jigsaw that is being created through these easements and all for improving the Galien River, one can really see the potential of the watershed.”

 

If you were to pull out a map and look at the properties that have been conserved by COL to date, many of them span the Galien River and it is indeed a wonderful patchwork that creates a belt of greenery which ultimately improves water quality for all of us and improves habitat for countless species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals in the area. George Lucas, COL Secretary/Director commented, “This easement creates a nucleus for a potentially much larger greenway in this area. In addition, this easement brings us to a total of 995 acres under COL’s protection and very close to the 1000 acre milestone.  We have several opportunities in the pipeline, which will put us over that mark the very near future.

 

On a recent walk through this new Covenant Farm easement, many Red-Tailed hawks were spotted as they guarded their nests from intruders, and though it was early spring there were signs of life everywhere. Dan Dale commented, “For years we’ve been seeing signs of beaver on our property and in the area. We’ve never seen this elusive animal until this spring when on a walk, we saw a very large beaver sitting on a log near the Flynn Road bridge at Minnich Road. I saw my first live beaver! It was then that I realized that “peace” by piece, this area is making a comeback and it’s really wonderful to see. We hope that in the future our neighbors will decide to conserve their own properties in an effort to keep this going.”

 

This beautiful property contains bluffs and floodplain forest along the Galien River with approximately 1,500 feet of frontage. Growing there are diverse native plants, including the state-listed Prairie Trillium (Trillium recurvatum). It provides an important overflow area in the Galien, where the river is fully connected to its floodplain which allows the standing water to infiltrate the soils, reducing downstream flooding, erosion and water pollution. The buffer provided to the Galien is more than 100 feet on both banks, and is regularly inundated. The tree canopy is mature and relatively diverse, with trees of a variety of ages. Oaks, maples, sycamores, were all documented on the property, along with cherry, green ash, and American Elm. There is also a healthy under-story featuring such species as spicebush, young beech, bladdernut, and hawthorn.

 

Many of COL's protected properties are conservation easements on privately held lands. A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and land trust that permanently protects the natural features of the land. Easements are a practical way for landowners to protect the natural resources of their property while retaining ownership. A conservation easement protects land forever.

 

And with the completion of this project, Covenant Farm has preserved 54 acres for future generations to enjoy.