The Webster Township Farmland and Open Space Preservation Program recently closed on a conservation easement purchase from the Heller family.
The property is just over 71 acres in size with frontage on the north side of Gregory Rd. east of Vaughn Rd. It features prime and locally important agricultural soils along with 28 acres of woods and 11 acres of wetlands including two headwater creeks that are in the Arms Creek watershed. The property is adjacent to two other conservation easements and near to many others. The Heller easement allows for one house to be built in a defined area near Gregory Rd. but otherwise ensures that the land will never be developed. It remains in private ownership and is not open to the public.
The land known as “The Pasture” was purchased by John and Anna Heller on April 15, 1939 from John and Elias Filkins. The land was used for Summer sheep pasture, with the flock driven from the main Heller Farm three miles away, led by the boys on bikes. It was passed down to Neil Heller and Ann Merkel, son and daughter of John and Anna, and ultimately to their children. In recent years it has been used for crops and cutting wood. The Hellers want the land to remain in the family for many more years.
Conservation easements are permanent deed restrictions on the use of a property. Purchasing easements costs less than buying the property, and keeps the property on the tax rolls and contributing to the local economy.
In addition to Webster Township’s dedicated land preservation millage, funding support was supplied by the federal Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, the Ann Arbor Greenbelt program and the Washtenaw County Natural Area Preservation Program. Webster’s share for the project was 12% of appraised value.
Webster Township’s land preservation program is funded by a dedicated millage which voters passed initially in 2005 and renewed thrice, all by large margins, most recently in August, 2024. The Township has attracted over $16 million of matching funds from other sources, a rate of over $5 to $1 of its own. With this project the Township program has been involved in protecting 2,886 acres, with more projects set to close in the coming months.
