Sean Sexton on Treasure Hammock Ranch
Ralph and Sean Sexton, the son and grandson of Waldo Sexton, who created much of the now-protected McKee Botanical Garden in the 1930s, originally sought IRLT’s assistance. Sean explains, “Both protection projects would not have happened without the Land Trust’s expertise and guidance. As for the ranch, this is the first project of this type in our county, and no one else here knew much about agricultural easements when we began.”
As for the Sexton family: they have agreed to sell their development rights and forgo future real estate profits to see their ranch remain a part of our agricultural heritage. At the same time, they will be protecting our ever dwindling natural resources for generations to come. The Land Trust Board and staff thank the entire Sexton family for making that commitment to the people of this county and to agriculture. Thanks also to the County Commissioners who took the bold step to purchase of this soon-to-be historic easement.
IRLT on the Move!
Yes. The Land Trust moved its offices to a new location in downtown Vero Beach. In anticipation of an increase in staffing at IRLT, we moved in February 2007 to a refurbished 1920s “cracker” house south of Route 60 near the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In December 2006, the Land Trust obtained the first part of a three-year, $75,000 grant from the Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation. This grant was provided to bolster IRLT’s Land Protection Fund program by hiring a full-time Land Protection Manager this spring. The new office space provides the room needed for new staff.
New IRLT Office
After IRLT successfully purchased, restored and transferred the botanical garden to McKee Botanical Garden, Inc. in 2003, we continued to have our offices in its administration building. But space has always been limited to two full-time staff. The new office is more central to professional services and the county offices which the Land Trust staff frequent for their everyday business.
We are at an exciting juncture in the Land Trust’s history. The new office will keep us on a growing path to better serve our mission and vision for the future of Indian River County.
Land Trusts in our Communities
As communities across America each grapple with how to deal with development sprawl that is eating up 2 million acres a year, thousands of quiet success stories lie behind the 1,500 land trusts that are successfully conserving farmland, forests, coastal land and scenic vistas. These nonprofit groups have doubled the acreage protected just 5 years ago and are now protecting more than 800,000 new acres each year. As part of this national trend, the Indian River Land Trust was formed to preserve and protect natural areas, agricultural lands and special places in our county for future generations.
The Indian River Land Trust, a member of the Land Trust Alliance, a national association representing land trusts since 1982, is one of the hundreds of local land trusts that make our life better by protecting special places in our community before they are gone forever. The mission of land trusts, which have conserved nearly 10 million acres in the U.S., is not just to save land, but to protect the traditional lifestyles of a community, a way of life that remains connected to that land. This can mean saving the family farm, establishing a community park, protecting the water quality of an area, or providing access to a well known bay or river.
The success of land trusts is found in their grassroots nature and their entrepreneurial spirit. These groups represent the best of community spirit in America, bringing people together to protect some unique piece of land that, for them, helps define what makes their community unique. Of course, land trusts work solely through voluntary private transactions, often fulfilling a landowner’s wish to keep their land as it is for their children and future generations.
A land trust may sometimes purchase lands outright or to enter into private land protection agreements. These land protection agreements, also called Conservation Easements, enable a landowner to continue to live on his land and operate a property for agriculture or some other business that protects the overall integrity of the property’s land and water resources. Most importantly, landowners, who can still sell or lease their property, will be assured their land will be protected from development well into the future. The Indian River Land Trust understands the complex nature of these types of transactions and is ready to be a resource for landowners as they consider their options for protecting their land.
Even with such progress, there is cause for alarm. The current rate of development essentially means that we have twenty years or less to protect our most cherished landscapes before they are lost forever. Private land trusts are one of our last best hopes, particularly now that deficits will severely limit the ability of the federal government to conserve new lands. Having hired two professional staff in 2004 to run the programs and operations of the organization, the Indian River Land Trust is fully prepared to work with farmers and other landowners of Indian River County to help them meet their goals for conservation.
