Carey family partners with PLT to permanently protect 125 acres along Farm to Market Road
David and Ruth Carey permanently conserved 125 acres of the original ranch land bordering Farm to Market Road and Jug Mountain Ranch through a conservation easement with the Payette Land Trust.
“We have been working on a plan to realize our overall vision for this property for many years,” says David Carey, co-owner of Jug Mountain Ranch, “and we knew working with the Payette Land Trust would be the best way to safeguard the rural character of this property now and into the future.”
Three parcels have been placed into easements with the Payette Land Trust; one of 55 acres, one of 42 acres, and one of 28 acres. While these parcels are technically outside of the formal boundaries of the Jug Mountain Ranch community, Carey says that the same conservation philosophy applies.
“The vision for Jug Mountain Ranch is to only develop 300 of the 1,400 acres and leave the vast majority to open space,” says Carey. Putting these additional 125 acres into a conservation easement will aid in building a continuous line of open space from Farm to Market Road all the way east through JMR and to the State land.”
“Open areas along Farm to Market Road are becoming highly sought-after for development as Valley County grows,” says Craig Utter, Executive Director at the Payette Land Trust. “Working with the Carey Family to conserve agricultural lands along this road, whose name reminds us of the heritage of the area, is incredibly important to PLT.”
The Carey family says that the pastures have always had a sentimental value to them and they hope that putting this into an easement can help preserve the scenic corridor along Farm to Market Road. “We really want to preserve this area to both maintain the agricultural use and to preserve the view that we know and love – that generations have seen and will continue to see as they travel along Farm to Market Road,” says Carey.
The Payette Land Trust’s mission is to find a balance between conservation and growth in Valley County. “The partnership between the Careys and Payette Land Trust is a great example of how a private landowner partnering with a non-profit organization benefits everyone in our mountain community from wildlife to people,” says Utter.
He says the benefits of conserving the 125 acres of agricultural meadows are threefold: (1) it conserves agricultural land, (2) it conserves wildlife habitat, especially migratory birds like Sandhill cranes and songbirds like the Mountain Bluebird, and (3) it conserves open space along Farm to Market Rd through a non-development conservation easement.
“It’s fantastic to see the Carey Family stepping up to voluntarily participate in finding a balance between conservation and growth in this corridor while there is still land to conserve,” says Utter.
