A 36-acre farm near Yellow Springs is now protected from development, formalizing a longstanding handshake agreement to keep a green space buffer around the village.
The Tecumseh Land Trust is now in partnership with Cammy and Jim Grote to protect the Dell Farm in Miami Township.
The 36 acre farm on the corner of Ohio 343 and Ohio 370 was part of the original Country Commons land preservation plan from the early 1960s.
This plan was created to protect any land buffering green space around the village of Yellow Springs such as Glen Helen, John Bryan State Park and Clifton Gorge. Community members who owned property within these spaces made handshake agreements at this time to keep their lands as open space.
Later on, this plan included the Jacoby Greenbelt which created the Yellow Springs Greenbelt.
Since its foundation, the land trust has partnered with 215 local families and organizations to protect land in these areas from development.
“We are thrilled to have protected a key Country Commons property that connects other preserved lands, furthering the greenbelt vision,”
Michele Burns, executive director of the Tecumseh Land Trust, stated in a press release.
The nonprofit conservation organization has worked with the village of Yellow Springs since its foundation in 1990 to help continue this vision and protect local farmland, water and natural areas.
These spaces include Glen Helen Nature Preserve, Tecumseh Council Scout Camp, the Knick Farm behind Great Council State Park, and Agraria Center for Regenerative Agriculture.
