Your Leelanau Conservancy is still saving farmland under a high threat of conversion to development despite the ongoing pandemic. Two more iconic farms rooted in Leelanau County’s agricultural heritage have […]
Category Archives: Farmland Protection Stories
Bernie Rink’s Boskydel Vineyard Lands Protected
Story by Carolyn Faught, Senior Writer for the Conservancy. (Feature photo by Mark Smith.) Before moving to Leelanau full time in 1987, my husband and I owned a tiny cottage […]
Gallagher Family Protects Beloved Farmland
John Gallagher Jr. says that he and his family “have been blessed” to own more than 400 acres of breathtakingly gorgeous farmland in Leelanau’s Elmwood Township. Panoramic views from the […]
Two Farms Protected in 2018, 10 More Projects in the Works!
It won’t be long before Leelanau’s thousands of fruit trees burst into bloom, covering our rolling hillsides with their one-of-a-kind beauty.
Parker Family Protects Beloved Trout Stream
From our Fall 2018 Newsletter–At 87, Keith Parker shows no signs of slowing down. He’ll drive a combine for eight hours, harvesting corn that feeds his 120 head of beef […]
10 Years Later…What Happens After the Farm is Protected? A Q & A With Steve and Pam Bardenhagen
The back story: In 2008, Gary and Christi Bardenhagen preserved their 184-acre farm, which produces the much-celebrated local strawberries that are sold at area grocers and farmers markets. The farm […]
180-Acre Putnam Farm in Omena Forever Protected
Having moved to Omena over 30 years ago, the Putnam farm just up the road from where I live is a place I have long worried might turn into a […]
Iconic Putnam Farm in Omena Preserved
Putnam Farm in Omena: Forever Preserved An iconic farm in Omena has been preserved forever, thanks to the heirs of Rennie and Esther Putnam. Working with the Leelanau Conservancy, the […]
Michael Chetcuti and Kyle Evans Protect Farmland near Northport with Donated Conservation Easement
Big Picture People Michael Chetcuti’s first memory of Northport is boating into the harbor with some buddies on a 4th of July weekend in the late eighties. After wandering around […]
Eitzen Family Preserves Land and Legacy of Farming
Eitzen Family Preserves Land and Legacy of Farming When it comes to the history of Leelanau County, one family’s story—that of the Eitzens—is about as intertwined as it gets. The […]