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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: September 12, 2006 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. ~-~... <br />SUBJECT: Resolution of Approval and Acceptance of Grant -Agricultural Conservation <br />Easement with Vickie and David McKee <br />DEPARTMENT: Environment and Resource PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />Conservation <br />ATTACHMENT <br />Resolution of Approval <br />Location Map <br />Site Map <br />Draft Conservation Easement <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />David Stancil, 245-2590 <br />Rich Shaw, 245-2591 <br />PURPOSE: To consider a resolution to approve the acceptance by Orange County of an <br />agricultural conservation easement from Vickie and David McKee and the acceptance of a <br />grant from the federal Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program. <br />BACKGROUND: The acquisition of agricultural conservation easements to help preserve <br />prime farmland in Orange County is a longstanding goal of the Board of Commissioners, and <br />is a priority of the Lands Legacy Program. Since completing the County's first agricultural <br />conservation easement in 2001, Orange County has protected 865 acres of prime farmland <br />and riparian buffers with conservation easements, Another 800 acres of natural areas and <br />other resource lands have been protected by other means. <br />In July 2004, Orange County, in cooperation with the Orange NRCS/Soil and Water <br />Conservation District Office, applied far matching funds from the federal Farm and Ranch <br />Land Protection Program to purchase non-agricultural development rights for an <br />approximately 92-acre tract of farmland owned by Robert and Martha Kirk, Grant funds were <br />awarded to Orange County in June 2004, In early 2005, the land was sold by Robert Kirk, <br />Vickie McKee's father, to Vickie and David McKee, The McKees intend to restore the <br />property to active farm use. <br />The farm is located on the south side of Bradshaw Quarry Road (Bingham Township) and is <br />bordered on three sides by Cane Creek and a Cane Creek tributary stream, Both streams <br />flow south to the Cane Creek Reservoir located two miles downstream. <br />Since acquiring the property, the McKees have made several improvements to the land, <br />which had been out of active farm use for several years. The McKees intend to farm the land <br />with a combination of row crops, garden plots, pastureland, and related activities, including a <br />