Ben and Kate Etherington The barn at Rooster Run Farm. Two of the Etherington children and the vegetable garden at Rooster Run Farm. Just a few of the farm animals at Rooster Run Farm.

The Trust added 10 more acres to our growing collection of permanently conserved lands when Kate and Ben Etherington granted a conservation easement to the Trust in mid-October.  The conservation of their idyllic ten-acre Rooster Run Farm, located within the 316-acre “Leopard Tract” on Grubbs Mill Road, is a true gift to the community.

“I grew up on this farm, and I am truly fortunate to be able to raise my own family here. This conservation easement ensures that Rooster Run will remain intact forever, and continue to be home to creatures and wildlife for future generations,” said Kate Etherington. “And to be able to share it, by protecting the view of the landscape, and with an equestrian trail easement, is especially important to us.”

The conservation easement protects the scenic views of the landscape on the property and prevents future subdivision or construction of additional primary residences. The protection also includes an equestrian trail easement that will link to a future trail network envisioned for the area.

Kate and Ben live on the farm with their three young daughters. Rooster Run is also home to a menagerie of animals, including chickens, turkeys, ponies, goats and a pig named Daisy. Ben and Kate are keen vegetable gardeners, tending a large cultivated plot on the farm.

The Etheringtons have worked with the Trust to create an easement that can both protect their land and be used as a model by other Leopard Tract landowners, simplifying the process for those who wish to similarly conserve their land. It is our hope that they will be inspired by the Etherington’s generosity and vision and follow suit, granting their own easements to further protect the ecological resources and rural character of the area.

As with all conservation easements, the protection granted in the easement will remain in perpetuity, even if the land is sold. As part Willistown Conservation Trust’s mission, the land will be visited annually to monitor the condition of the property and ensure that the terms of the easement are upheld.

As shown by a recent census, land trusts like Willistown Conservation Trust have conserved a staggering 56 million acres across the nation, an area of protected land that is double the size of all the land in national parks across the lower 48 states. Learn more about how we protect land here.

The last 30 acres of the beautiful 55-acre Hi Bid Farm were permanently protected from development today, when conservation buyer Caroline Moran signed a conservation easement at the Trust’s office. The land will remain privately owned by Ms. Moran, and the easement limits the number of primary residences permitted on the land to just two, instead of the seven which would have been permitted without the conservation easement. The easement specifies the locations of any future buildings and ensures that the existing woodlands and sensitive streamside areas near the property’s headwaters to the Ridley Creek remain undisturbed in perpetuity. Two new trails are also outlined in the easement, which make important permanent connections to the wider trail network to the north and to the east.

“Caroline is a true hero of the countryside”, stated Trust Executive Director Bonnie Van Alen. “She loves this land and has made a remarkably generous commitment to protect and care for it so that future generations of people and wildlife can enjoy it forever. “

The entire 55-acre Hi Bid farm was purchased by a partnership of private individuals organized by the Trust and Delchester Group, Inc. in January of 2015 to hold the land until conservation buyers like Ms. Moran could be located. The Hi Bid project represents the 15^th Community Conservation Partnership, resulting in nearly 2,000 acres of the Trust’s focal area protected in this way. These partnerships are a testament to the extraordinary commitment of the Willistown community to come together to preserve critical properties that might otherwise have been developed.

As is true of all conservation easements, the protection afforded by Hi Bid’s conservation easements remain with the land perpetually, even if the land is sold in the future. And as one of the most important parts of its mission, Willistown Conservation Trust stewardship staff will visit the land annually to monitor the condition of the property and provide management suggestions as requested.