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34 The Wilburn/Williams Farm, Cabarrus and Union Counties conservation easement purchased by the LandTrust for Central North Carolina The Wilburn and Williams Farm represents the working farming culture of the Midlands area of Cabarrus and Union Counties, on the rapidly urbanizing margin of the greater Charlotte metropolitan area. This conservation easement restricts future development of a 92 acre tract consisting of gently sloping hills, fields, a scenic creek, views of dramatic river bluffs, farming structures and the historic Marion Hamilton house. Clear Creek flows through this farm just above its confluence with the Rocky River. This is a productive working farm in a traditional farming community that provides agricultural produce,-scenic beauty and water quality protection. The pace of suburban and commercial development on the outer fringe of metropolitan Charlotte is evidenced by the recent construction of a major residential development on what was another functional farm adjacent to this tract, and the nearby construction of a huge new fiber optic manufacturing plant. The Williams family has resisted offers to sell their farm for development and willingly accept the sale of non -farm development rights at an amount less than one -fourth the actual appraised value. It is the intent of the family to devote their lives to farming and they have been acquiring additional crop lands. The purchase of this conservation easement helps enable the family to continue to farm and resist converting the land to urban development uses. The easement permits only future construction of a single new house on the road frontage and continued use and restoration of the historic 19th century house. All but a few acres of the land is used for row crop production of corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, and barley in rotation. The wooded buffer along Clear Creek harbors diverse wildlife. The 317 -acre John Green Farm, protected by a conservation easement financed in part by a NC Farmland Preservation Trust Fund grant in 2000, is located only about a mile away.