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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: October 5, 2004 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. ~ - G <br />SUBJECT: Resolution of Approval -Agricultural and Watershed Protection Conservation <br />Easement for the William McPherson Farm <br />DEPARTMENT: Environment and Resource PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />Conservation <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Resolution of Approval <br />Location Map <br />Site Map <br />Offer to Purchase and Contract of Sale <br />Draft Conservation Easement <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />David Stancil, 245-2590 <br />Rich Shaw, 245-2591 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />PURPOSE: To consider a resolution to approve the purchase of and acceptance by Orange <br />County of an agricultural and watershed protection conservation easement from William <br />McPherson, .Jr. and his son William McPherson III, the conservation easement to be held <br />jointly by Orange County and the Orange Water and Sewer Authority. <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 446 acres of prime farmland <br />and stream corridors through conservation easements. Other farmland easements in the <br />County have been accomplished by the Triangle Land Conservancy and Orange Water & <br />Sewer Authority. <br />William McPherson contacted ERCD in 2003 about his interest in placing a conservation <br />easement on his 47-acre farm located on Mebane-Oaks Road in Bingham Township. <br />Because of its Iccation in the Cane Creek watershed, ERCD contacted the Orange Water <br />and Sewer Authority (OWASA) to see whether there was interest in collaborating in an <br />easement project that would protect both farmland and an important stream corridor. <br />The McPhersons raise beef cattle and row crops on farmland they have owned for over 70 <br />years. Toms Creek, a major tributary of Cane Creek, flows through the property and <br />eventually drains to Cane Creek Reservoir. The proposed easement would permanently <br />