A 141-acre easement obtained by the Greenbelt Land Trust expands the conservation footprint of Jackson-Frazier Wetland and increases the amount of dedicated open space on the north end of Corvallis.
Kyle and Holly Dunning donated the conservation easement, which covers a mix of farm and forest land between Highway 99W and Highway 20 to the south and east of Elliott Circle.
The property sits on the northern boundary of Jackson-Frazier Wetland, a county-owned natural area at 3600 N.E. Lancaster St., and just across 99W from Owens Farm, which includes city-owned property managed as agricultural open space and a Greenbelt-owned swath of wetland and oak savanna.
The gift brings the total amount of protected lands in the vicinity to roughly 500 acres.
“The real benefit of this project is its contribution to the larger open space area,” said Claire Fiegener, the land trust’s conservation director.
For the most part, the property will continue to be managed the way it is now, Fiegener said.
A heavily wooded 26-acre segment abutting the Jackson-Frazier Wetland, including the point where the combined waters of Jackson and Frazier creeks flow into the natural area, will be managed as wildlife habitat. Ash trees dominate the riparian forest landscape, which also includes willows, ferns and a variety of other native plants, along with invasives such as blackberry and reed canary grass.
The rest of the property is in agricultural use, with wine grapes covering a small hill and perennial grasses carpeting the bottomland. Farming will continue for the foreseeable future, Fiegener said, although Greenbelt reserves the right to restore a 9-acre quadrant of low-lying farm ground as riparian forest.
While the Dunnings will retain ownership of the land, the easement is a type of permanent deed restriction that ensures the land will never be developed, even if the ownership changes. The property will remain on the tax rolls at its current rate, although the Dunnings may be able to claim a charitable deduction.
Greenbelt will work with the current and future owners to develop a flexible management plan for the property that maximizes conservation benefits while allowing farm activities to continue. It’s a template the land trust has followed repeatedly in working with private landowners in Linn, Benton and Polk counties, where it now owns or manages more than 2,800 acres.
“In our region here, it’s really hard to separate ag from habitat,” Fiegener said. “Agriculture and conservation are so intertwined with each other. We really try to respect that and have seen that they work well together.”
Unlike the neighboring Jackson-Frazier Wetland or some other Greenbelt properties such as Bald Hill Farm, the new easement will not include any hiking trails or other publicly accessible areas. But Fiegener said it will provide a number of public benefits, from expanding Jackson-Frazier’s ability to soak up storm runoff and creating corridors for migrating wildlife to ensuring that the northern gateway into Corvallis retains its eye-pleasing rural character.
“We look at the scenic value, we look at the open space value,” Fiegener said. “The agricultural use, the ability to keep it in ag, benefits conservation because it’s open, it’s not paved.”
Jeff Powers, director of the Benton County Natural Areas and Parks Department, said the easement would provide a protective buffer for Jackson-Frazier Wetland and fits with the county’s strategy of preserving as much of the scenic watershed as possible.
“It’s a step in the direction of incorporating that whole watershed into conservation (status),” Powers said. “Our sense is that it will enhance and protect the wetland, both from a water quality and a habitat perspective.”
The Dunnings did not want to be interviewed. But Fiegener said the couple saw the easement as a way to ensure their land would remain undeveloped while leaving a lasting legacy to the community.
“They love their land, they’re appreciative of this conservation area that the city and county worked on and they wanted to add to that,” she said. “And they had the unique ability to do that as neighboring landowners.”
Resource: http://www.gazettetimes.com
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