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A small part of Scio Church Woods - now a Washtenaw County Nature Preserve! See http://sciolandpreservation.blogspot.com/ and enter the discussion. This issue summarized by Irwin Martin, Ph.D, Secretary, Scio Land Preservation Commission, January 2010. New Photo Contest Winners! See Below. Background and Progress to Date Background and Progress to DateIn November 2004 the voters of Scio Township overwhelmingly approved “Proposal J” and taxed themselves .5 mills for preservation of land in our township. PROPOSAL J
The Scio Township Land Preservation Commission (LPC) was established in Township Ordinance 2005-02, adopted by the Board of Trustees in February, 2005. The ordinance in Section 4 defined the constitution of the Commission, the terms of its members and its powers and duties. The LPC was appointed by the Board, convened its inaugural meeting on May 9, 2005 and has held over 65 meetings to date. The membership and minutes of the LPC are available on the township web site. The LPC has been diligently pursuing its mission to conserve open lands in our township with funds from Proposal J. The table below summarizes the success through March 2010. The dollar amounts listed are those expended by Scio; they do not include amounts from grants, other agencies, or landowner contributions.
Gordon HallScio Township was one of many funding partners in the project to save Gordon Hall. The Dexter Area Historical Society (DAHS) purchased the property from the University of Michigan for $1.5 million in 2006. The Scio Board of Trustees (BOT) pledged $200,000 over ten years, half from its Land Fund and half from the Proposal J millage. Other partners include Webster Township and the Village of Dexter. The project was a complex one. Thirty acres are located in Scio Township, and 40 acres are in Webster. Approximately 16 acres in Webster—the woods on the west side along Island Lake Rd.—were purchased by the United Methodist Retirement Communities (UMRC) for the construction of a senior housing complex. The townships collaborated on a conservation easement that will ensure the protection of the remaining acreage including the land around the historic mansion and the views to it from Dexter-Pinckney Rd. Recording of the easement with the Washtenaw County Register of Deeds was one of the conditions specified by the Scio BOT in pledging funds for the project. The BOT also required that the land in Scio remain in the township. The property was designated an historic district by the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners in 2001. Such designation provides a level of protection by requiring review of and permit for work proposed for the mansion or the land. A permit was provided by the county Historic District Commission for the UMRC project. BotsfordFrom Barry Lonik, land preservation consultant, January 2009: The coldest day of the year was warm for land protection as Scio Township completed a conservation easement purchase with public access from Don Botsford on January 16. Many people have visited “Grandpa Don’s” property over the years, including hundreds of school-aged children. It’s a hidden gem just outside the City of Ann Arbor, near the intersection of M-14 and Miller Rd. Don had operated the Ann Arbor Gymkhana, which produced several national champions on trampoline and offered other opportunities for physical conditioning and camaraderie. In 1975 Don purchased his 20 acres of woods with the dream of establishing a recreational facility that would provide patrons indoor and outdoor exercise experiences. He always wanted to ensure the land was protected, and that desire has finally been accomplished. The Township negotiated a “conservation easement” on the western 10.42 acres in which the foot trails on the property may be used by the public for quiet, non-vehicular outdoor activities like hiking and birdwatching while development is prohibited. The City of Ann Arbor—which contributed half of the $312,000 to purchase the easement—will manage the property to maintain its outstanding botanical diversity. Access to the easement property was granted from Miller Rd. and the City will be installing a parking area and signage. The City also negotiated a right of first refusal to purchase the property at a future time. For now the public can enter the property at 3015 Miller Rd. (look for the Botsford Recreational Preserve sign) and walk the trails through mature woods and cross a branch of Honey Creek. Don welcomes stopping in to the building to say hello. Visitors can also inquire about becoming members to use the exercise equipment and rent the treehouses for overnight accommodations. Don’s phone number is (734) 662-9200. FoxFrom Barry Lonik, land preservation consultant, January 2008: The Washtenaw County Natural Areas Preservation Program (NAPP) purchased the Fox property located in Scio Township on Peters Road at the site of a former gravel pit. The new Fox Science Preserve consists of the remains of a gravel pit, dug to contribute material to the construction of Interstate 94, and the adjacent some 25 acres of undisturbed land. During excavations to create the gravel pit, machinery was used to remove the soil built up since glacial retreat and reach and extract the sand and gravel deposited there by the glacier thousands of years ago. The net result of the excavations is that we have a glimpse of what the land surface looked like just after the glacier retreated, a window into the past, one might say. Purchase of this site was a collaborative effort involving the former owners Betty and Mel Fox, the City of Ann Arbor Greenbelt program, the Scio Township Land Preservation Commission and Washtenaw County Parks who now holds title to the land. Mr. and Mrs. Fox have been allowing students to access this property for more than 35 years. Betty Fox, a former science teacher, brought her own students for real “hands-on” learning of this special place. Over 40,000 students, including some taking university classes, have used the site as an outdoor classroom. Glacial scratches on boulders allow students to see evidence of moving glaciers and to imagine what it would be like for a mile of ice to sit above where they are standing. Although glacial geology is the primary focus of these educational forays, the site is also used for studying fossils, plant communities and succession. The limestone present contains 300 million year old fossils and primitive plants like fungi, mosses and lichens can be found growing on the ground surface. Native prairie grasses and wildflowers are becoming more abundant over time, due to the natural process called succession. In addition, approximately half of the 49 acres of the site was not mined and has a cover of native woods of significant habitat value this close to Ann Arbor. Public access to the preserve will soon be available after a parking lot is built. Plans for construction of a six-space parking area are in preparation. DavenportFrom Barry Lonik, land preservation consultant, October 2008: It was no trick last Hallowe’en when Scio Township’s biggest land protection project to date was completed. On that day local landowner John Davenport and his cousin Charlotte Lattof signed a conservation easement to protect 173 acres of their farm property on the Township’s west side. The property is bounded by Parker Rd. (the Township boundary) on the west and Marshall Rd. on the south. It features over 150 acres of tillable land, along with a mature woodlot, farm buildings and two stretches of Mill Creek, which is a State of Michigan natural river. The project was made possible through an $851,300 grant from the Farm and Ranchlands Protection Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Scio Township’s Proposal J millage contributed $1,332,166. Mr. Davenport and Ms. Latoff also made a substantial donation of the appraised value of the development rights, with all parties forming a true partnership in the process. This property is another addition to the scenic Parker Rd. corridor. There are now six sizable properties in three townships in a six-mile stretch of road that are permanently protected with conservation easements or public ownership, and more in the works. The magnificent open spaces and farmland along Parker are guaranteed to be there for future generations. In addition to the scenic qualities, the Davenport-Lattof property is also integral to the Breuninger family dairy farm, located immediately to the south. The Breuningers depend on the newly protected land to grow crops to feed to their herd. The buildings and grounds are also used to house animals not currently being milked. Mr. Davenport has stated that the Breuningers will be able to lease his land as long as they wish. As is usually the case with agricultural conservation easements, there is no public access on the Davenport-Lattof property. Nevertheless, protecting its scenic, natural and agricultural resources are of tremendous benefit to the Scio Township community. The Scio Township Board of Trustees and Land Preservation Commission are enormously grateful to John and Charlotte for their commitment to keeping their land open and productive forever. Scio Church WoodsFrom Barry Lonik, land preservation consultant, March 2009: County purchases Scio Church Woods. On December 29th, the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission (WCPRC) completed the purchase of several parcels totaling 91 acres. The Township’s newest nature preserve, Scio Church Woods, is located on the north side of Scio Church Road, west of Wagner Road. It is entirely wooded with many large trees, first-order streams and riparian wetlands. The blooms of native spring wildflowers are among the most diverse and impressive in the Ann Arbor area. There are precious few large contiguous woods around, and protecting this one has long been a high priority. The Township contributed $225,000 and the City of Ann Arbor Greenbelt program contributed $350,000 toward the purchase. Trails to be developed – public welcome. County Parks will develop a small parking area and a trail network on the property in the coming year, similar to those established on the County’s DeVine, Fox and Stokes-Burns preserves in Scio. The Township Land Preservation Commission is thrilled to have the Scio Church Woods added to the growing list of publicly accessible protected lands in the Township. Special Recognition. Special recognition is due to Township resident Lew Kidder. He and his associates first purchased a 20-acre parcel to prevent its development and then applied to the Township’s preservation program. This was the nucleus around which the 91 acre Scio Church Woods was assembled. He motivated the neighboring owners to apply and steered the group through the process. Lew’s perseverance was essential to completing this project. . ParkerA conservation easement protecting the 23 acres of woods on the Parker farm in Section 30 was donated to the Washtenaw Land Trust (WLT) in October 2007. The Parkers sold conservation easements to the State of Michigan on most of their Scio property and in adjoining Lima Township in 1999, one of the first farms protected by the State farmland preservation program. Those easements include extensive frontage on both sides of Parker Rd. and along Jerusalem Rd. in Lima. This easement covers the remaining area of the Parkers’ property in Scio, a part of the woods on the east side of the farm. The Parkers wanted to ensure the entire farm—which has been in Stan’s family since 1836—was protected. WLT approached the Scio Land Preservation Commission (LPC) with a request to have the costs of appraisal, baseline documentation and closing covered by Township millage funds. The LPC made the recommendation to the Board of Trustees, which supported it. The Parker farm, along with the adjacent farm owned by LPC chair Bruce Manny, constitutes a block of protected land now totaling over 250 acres. From Barry Lonik, land preservation consultant, July 2009: Scio Township has closed on a second major agricultural land preservation project. On June 22, Paul Scherdt signed a conservation easement to protect 100 acres of his farm property on the eastern outskirts of the Village of Dexter. The property is bounded by Dexter-Ann Arbor Rd. and features land in hayfields along with mature woodlots, wetlands and headwater areas for Mill Creek and Honey Creek. The project was made possible through a $500,000 grant from the Farm and Ranchlands Protection Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Scio Township’s land preservation millage contributed $732,000. This property is another addition to the maintenance of a green corridor around Dexter. The Scherdt farm along with other conservation easements and public lands will permanently provide open space, water quality protection and wildlife habitat. As is usually the case with agricultural conservation easements, there is no public access on the Scherdt property. Nevertheless, protecting its scenic, natural and agricultural resources are of tremendous benefit to the Scio Township community. The Scio Township Board of Trustees and Land Preservation Commission are enormously grateful to Paul for his commitment to keeping his land open and productive forever. GreenFrom Barry Lonik, land preservation consultant, January, 2010: Scio Township purchased a conservation easement on 38 acres owned by Dan and
Norma Green in Section 16 off Marshall Rd. west of Zeeb Rd. The Greens have long
wanted their land to be a Township park and have welcomed hundreds of school
children and others to visit over the years. The property has an extensive trail
network through mature woods and old fields that the Greens have planted in
conifers and native deciduous trees. It is also bisected by different branch of
Honey Creek. HathawayFrom Barry Lonik, land preservation consultant, January, 2010: The Township contributed supporting funds and produced the baseline documentation report for a conservation easement donation made by Mary Hathaway to the Legacy Land Conservancy in Section 24 off Rose Drive east of Wagner Rd. Mrs. Hathaway and her late husband John bought the property many years ago to fend off its development. While relatively small at 4.7 acres, the entire property is covered by mature woods with spectacular Spring wildflower blooms, and a branch of Honey Creek flows through it. It is also adjacent to the Botsford property on which the Township purchased a conservation easement earlier in 2009 to protect similar quality habitat. While the Hathaway property does not have public access, the Township did negotiate a “right of first refusal” to purchase it if there is ever an offer for it to be sold outside the Hathaway family. Future ConsiderationsAs noted above in the Proposal, the FARMLAND AND OPEN SPACE LAND PRESERVATION MILLAGE is due in expire in 2014. With total revenues estimated to be approximately $5 million over the 10 year period, more than 50% of this amount has already been spent or committed in the 5th year of the program. The LPC is currently evaluating other attractive properties in the township. All these attractive properties will not be protected unless a the Township takes action. Given that:
It is proposed that the Township take the following actions:
Now that the LPC and Parks and Recreation Board are fully functioning, it is important to take advantage of the current market conditions. Investment now will mean protected land and recreational opportunities for township residents guaranteed for future generations. Waiting for revenue for the duration of "Proposal J" or not renewing this millage will mean the Township will be unable to compete with developers once the economy heats up. Proposal J, coupled with intelligent partnering and grantsmanship, has proven proven successful in protecting the quality of life in our Township. We need to continue to act to assure even more successes for future generations. Protected Land MapThis map shows the properties (parks, open spaces, conservation easements and community facilities) protected in the township as of March 1, 2010. Photo ContestThe Land Preservation Commission of the Township of Scio announced on June 22, 2009 a photography contest concerning preserved properties within the township. We now have the results. Prizes were awarded for first, second and third place and three honorable mentions were recognized. Watch this space for the announcement of the award ceremony. Thanks to all the photographers who submitted such wonderful photos of our beautiful township! Also thanks to Scio residents Rich Lawton and Howard Bond who served as the contest judges. First Place WinnerPhotographer: Ed Wegren
Title: Up High Location: Fox Science Preserve
Second Place WinnerPhotographer: Thomas Myers
Title: Contest 4 Location: Fox Science Preserve
Third Place Winner
Photographer: Sherry
Parks
Title: 5707 Location: Gordon Hall looking into Scio
Honorable Mention
Photographer: Ed Wegren
Title: Moon at Sundown Location: Fox Science Preserve
Photographer: Thomas Myers
Title: Contest 13 Location: Scio Church Woods
Photographer: Maurice
Snyder
Title: Fall Sunset Location: Scio Church Woods
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