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Local family donates land preservation agreement

Local family protects their land with Deschutes Land Trust.

In the final hours of 2006, one Central Oregon resident was able to grant a wish to her husband—to protect their land forever. Worried about increased development in the growing Cloverdale area, Bill and Ann Boyer decided last year to enlist the Deschutes Basin Land Trust’s help to permanently protect their land for wildlife.  Bill Boyer passed away in May 2006 after a long illness, but Ann along with the couple’s sons, Dave and Jeff, continued forward with the project and in late December signed an agreement that will permanently protect 80 acres of wildlife habitat, old growth juniper woodland, and scenic views in the Cloverdale area.

“My husband died last spring after a long illness. One of his final wishes was to see this land protected. We decided that creating a land preservation agreement with the Land Trust was the best way to make sure our land stayed undeveloped and home to wildlife even when we are gone” commented Ann Boyer.

Brad Nye, the Land Trust’s project manager, noted that “the Boyers have given a gift to the whole community by protecting significant wildlife habitat, the rural character and the scenic beauty of the local area. It’s very rewarding to work with people who make these types of commitments to the land and future generations of Oregonians.”

Land preservation agreements, also known as conservation easements, allow a private landowner to continue to own and use their land while restricting development and other uses of the land to protect wildlife habitat, scenic views, important farmland, ranchland, or timberland, and other natural resources.

The Deschutes Basin Land Trust has been preserving land for clean water and air, fish and wildlife habitat and local communities since 1995. By working cooperatively with private landowners and local communities, the Land Trust helps conserve and protect the Deschutes Basin’s natural heritage. The Land Trust has protected more than 6,700 acres in the Deschutes Basin.

The Deschutes Basin Land Trust - “Lands in Trust, Protected Forever”

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