Pigeon River Protection Expanded Further

T hrough the generosity of a neighbor to the Conservancy’s Agnes S. Andreae preserve, another 2,000 feet of the Pigeon River has been forever protected.

Several years ago, John Beaty came across a 40-acre tract of land on which the Pigeon River meandered. He could not pass it up and, upon his retirement, began to build his home on the high west bank of the river. His log home is set back far enough to protect the riparian habitat along the river’s edge, and is not visible from the Pigeon. In fact, the entire east side of the river adjacent to the north border of the Andreae Preserve was never built upon, and Beaty knew he would want it to stay that way.

	The Pigeon River
		Surface watershed: 91,000 acres Length of mainstream: 48 miles Total length with tributaries: 142 miles Largest tributary: Little Pigeon Approximately one third of the stream mileage flows through public land. Because it receives a large amount of cool groundwater recharge, the Pigeon River is an excellent trout stream.

“I was concerned about protecting all of that undisturbed acreage, so wild and untouched,” Beaty said. “Consequently, I searched out the Conservancy with many questions in mind about protecting it.”

“When John contacted us about purchasing this specific portion of his land, we were interested from the start,” said land protection specialist Kieran Fleming. “The property is an ecological gem, and adds to the existing protection provided by the Andreae Preserve.”

The acquisition protects 21 acres of entirely natural habitat, which includes a mixed forest and associated forested wetlands providing habitat for cedar, hemlock, and yellow birch. With the addition, the shoreline now protected by the Andreae Preserve exceeds one mile. And when added to the recently protected Banwell property, nearly four miles of Pigeon River frontage will be permanently protected.

“I think it is wonderful that there is additional land added to the preserve,” said Sue Brown, daughter of Agnes Andreae. “What we loved as children can be protected and enjoyed by generations to come.”

Beaty is committed to conservation and desired to donate his land to the Conservancy, but was not financially able to do so. Alternatively, he made personal sacrifices to offer the property to the Conservancy at nearly half its appraised value. This is known as a “bargain sale,” which can be attractive to both the seller and the Conservancy. While the land becomes much more affordable to the Conservancy, the seller can realize tax benefits from the donation of a portion of the value of the land. “A bargain sale is an excellent land protection tool for landowners who are devoted to conservation but are not able to make an outright donation,” explained MaryKay O’Donnell, the Conservancy’s director of land protection.

For more information about this conservation tool, please contact our office at (231) 347-0991.