Conservancy protection
for lake parcel
Development on 76-acre
forested parcel on Otsego Lake will be restricted
By Michael Jones
Staff Writer, Gaylord Herald Times
BAGLEY TOWNSHIP
-- A 76-acre parcel of land on the west side of Otsego Lake - almost
all of which is in a state of nondevelopment and owned by the family
of Steve Qua since 1920 - will continue to maintain the integrity of
its natural state for years to come.
Qua recently announced
his family's intentions to enter the tract of land into a conservancy
easement agreement with Gaylord's HeadWaters Land Conservancy
Board. HeadWaters Conservancy works to conserve land in an
11-county region of northern Lower Michigan by protecting open space
by limiting future development of land through the acquisition of
conservation easements.
When Qua, on behalf of
his sister, Sarah Qua Watkins and his brother, George, made the
announcement of their preservation decision recently, he reportedly
stated, "The three most important words in real estate are
location, location, location. The three most important words for
this property are, we love it, we love it, we love it."
Qua said his family
made the decision to protect the wooded acreage because, as he
commented, "Our basic lot in this is we love this place and we
don't want to see it changed. This will provide a balance
between progress and what is natural, to keep it that way so that it
will remain this way into perpetuity."
According to Kirt
Manecke, director of the development for HeadWaters Land Conservancy,
a conservation easement such as the Quas will enter into is a
voluntary legal agreement which allows a landowner to permanently
protect land and limit future development in order to protect the
conservation values of the land, while retaining ownership and the
ability to sell.
"This is the
largest parcel of land on Otsego Lake to be preserved by our
group," commented Manecke. "It is our hope other
landowners in Otsego County will hear about this and be encouraged to
look into the benefits of a conservation easement."
Granting a conservation
easement on a parcel of property takes some of the rights belonging to
the property owner and puts them into a trust which will protect the
land from potential future use which may change the natural character
of the land. "It's like this," said Qua, "when
you have land you have a bundle of rights with that land which allows
for development, or making use of timber or mineral rights, which will
change the land forever. What an easement does is take some of
those rights out of the bundle, protecting it for the owner and
generations to come."
According to Qua
granting these rights to the conservancy extinguishes those rights
forever. "HeadWaters assumes the liability to see that
those rights are maintained and the wishes of the landowner in their
conservation easement enforced."
The Quas felt a
conservation easement would be their gift to future generations and
family members. "Keeping this land in the family
undeveloped is the legacy we leave to them," noted Qua.
"Although our family is spread from Vermont to California, all of
them have fond memories of family vacations here."
Conservation easements
can be built into existing parcels of land to suit the desires and
needs of the landowner who is considering the preservation of that
land. "Building envelopes for future home sites can be
built into the agreement as long as they do not disrupt the
conservation values of the property." said Manecke.
Manecke went on to add
that easements which meet the requirements of the tax code could also
be eligible for an income tax deduction and are beneficial in lowering
estate taxes.
"The ecological
value of our property to Otsego Lake was recognized in 1994 when it
was designated for an Open Space Development Rights Easement to
provide a path for wildlife to the water from state lands," said
Qua. "The agreement with HeadWaters will guarantee the
character of the area will be maintained."
Qua, vice chairman of
the Gaylord HeadWaters Land Conservancy Board, said the group hope to
make more inroads in Otsego County in securing conservation easements
here. "We are looking to the future to some of those large
pieces of land in the county."