RVLT Accepts Its Eighth Easement

ast year Virginia Murray donated a conservation easement on her 85 acre farm to the RVLT. The farmstead is surrounded by land that has been farmed for better than a century. The fence rows and a small wetland and pond on the western edge provide some wildlife habitat. A former railroad bed rises above the level fields to create a distinct northern border as it angles northeast toward some past destination in Tecumseh. It will be farmland as long as there is someone who wants or needs to farm it.

We are very pleased to accept this particular easement because our protection of the property will work in concert with a larger community effort. The northern border of the Murray property is shaped by the Kiwanis Trail, of which this nearly half-mile stretch was just paved. The paved rail-trail is now seven miles long and connects downtown Adrian to the rural area south of Tecumseh, at the intersection of Ives and Green Roads. The City of Adrian, the City of Tecumseh and Raisin Township each have plans to expand the trail to accommodate and encourage non-motorized travel between parks, schools and other key locations.

The Kiwanis Trail plays a primary role in the River Raisin Greenway Study Master Plan (see page 2). The study envisions trails that link existing parks and preserved areas, but it does not address future uses of the remaining land through which the trails pass. Much of the land adjacent to the Kiwanis trail is farmland like Virginia Murray’s. It may not be “greenspace” exactly, but it helps establish the rural quality of the trail. Most of it also has high development potential. While some of the property along the trail will certainly be developed, we hope some will join Virginia Murray’s under protection.

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