2007
Jon and Elizabeth Ringelberg , 70 acres
Grant Township, Clare County

"It's one way to keep the country looking like the country," said Jon Ringelberg.

Mr. Ringelberg, an active member of the Clare County Planning Commission, and his wife Elizabeth, signed a conservation easement to protect 70 acres of their 80 acre farm.

A benefit of conservation easements for the Ringelbergs was the ability to tailor the agreeement to meet their individual conservation goals. The Ringelbergs excluded a portion of their property along Dover Road, Mr. Ringelberg said, "to keep things the way they are, but to allow some planned development."