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15 <br /> 1 VAD - 162.28 acres— Caldwell Agricultural District— 1 parcel of land <br /> 2 Beef cattle, pasture, hay crops, corn, soybeans, small grains, and managed woodland <br /> 3 Made application for the Century Farm Program (100+ years in same family ownership) <br /> 4 <br /> 5 Orange County Voluntary and Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural Program <br /> 6 • The Agricultural Preservation Board has approved all of the farms as presented. <br /> 7 • Requesting approval from Commissioners to accept six (6) farms into the VAD program. <br /> 8 • 756 acres* in the Voluntary Agricultural District program <br /> 9 * = rounded acres <br /> 10 <br /> 11 A motion was made by Commissioner Greene, seconded by Commissioner Price for the <br /> 12 Board to approve this VAD for the McKee Farm. <br /> 13 <br /> 14 VOTE: 6-0 (with Commissioner McKee's recusal) <br /> 15 <br /> 16 THE NEXT THREE ITEMS WERE ALL DONE AS ONE WITH ONE MOTION AT THE END — D, <br /> 17 E, F <br /> 18 <br /> 19 d. Resolution of Approval — Conservation Easement on Cedar Grove Windt/ Hill Farm <br /> 20 and Approval of Budget Amendment#10-A <br /> 21 The Board considered voting on a resolution to approve the purchase of and acceptance <br /> 22 by Orange County of an agricultural conservation easement for Cedar Grove Windy Hill Farm, <br /> 23 and approve Budget Amendment#10-A and authorize the Chair to sign. <br /> 24 <br /> 25 BACKGROUND: The acquisition of conservation easements to protect highly important natural <br /> 26 and cultural resource lands in Orange County is a longstanding goal of the Board of <br /> 27 Commissioners, and is a priority of the Lands Legacy program. Since 2001, the County has <br /> 28 partnered with landowners and other entities to protect 2,647 acres of significant natural areas <br /> 29 and prime farmland with permanent conservation easements, leveraging over$3 million in <br /> 30 outside funding and grants toward these easements. <br /> 31 <br /> 32 Over the past several years, DEAPR has worked with Geoffrey (deceased) and Jane Gledhill <br /> 33 and the Eno River Association on a project to conserve the approximately 39-acre Cedar Grove <br /> 34 Windy Hill Farm located on Carr Store Road in Cedar Grove Township. The farm property is <br /> 35 located in the Upper Eno Protected Watershed, a priority watershed for acquiring agricultural <br /> 36 easements in a dual effort to protect prime farmland and drinking water quality. The farm has <br /> 37 over 500 feet of riparian buffer of a tributary of the East Fork Eno River and Lake Orange, which <br /> 38 supplies drinking water to the Town of Hillsborough. <br /> 39 <br /> 40 Ms. Gledhill intends to grant a permanent conservation easement that will restrict future <br /> 41 development to protect prime farmland and streams, as well as scenic views of the farmland <br /> 42 from Carr Store Road. All non-agricultural development rights will be extinguished through the <br /> 43 conservation easement. Future farm activities will be in accordance with a Conservation Plan <br /> 44 prepared for this farm by the Orange Soil & Water Conservation District. <br /> 45 <br /> 46 The planned agricultural conservation easement would be held jointly by Orange County and <br /> 47 the Eno River Association. The easement would complement the technical assistance from the <br /> 48 Orange Soil and Water Conservation District and protect a farm located just 1/3 mile from Cedar <br /> 49 Grove Rural Crossroads Historic District (listed on the National Register of Historic Places). <br /> 50 <br />