COLLEGE GROVE—TennGreen Land Conservancy today has announced the donation of a conservation easement on more than 100 acres of rural land in College Grove, Tennessee, near the intersection of I-840 and I-65. Dr. Douglas C. York, a long-time surgeon in Franklin, Tennessee, placed the easement on the land to be perpetually protected from subdivision and development in Williamson County’s rural landscapes.
Dr. York’s farm includes a 1/3 mile of a blue stream unnamed tributary of Nelson Creek, which flows to the Harpeth River. Dr. York’s vision for this space is to create a passive public park, including hiking trails, a small lake, and a pavilion. Already, a small pond is located on the property, which is mostly farmland with some forests.
“My late friend, Jean Bell, and I decided long before her passing that the portion of the farm south of Tennessee Highway 96 should be protected from development and should ideally remain as a public park for the enjoyment of future generations,” said Dr. York. “The property is one of the most pristine properties in Williamson County and, in fact, the State of Tennessee, with an abundance of open space and some forest. It will serve the community well as a ‘forever natural green space’ in a rapidly developing Williamson County. TennGreen Land Conservancy has been an outstanding organization to work with. Everyone I’ve met at TennGreen has been very courteous, professional, and exceptionally committed to the organization’s core goals. It’s been a joy to get to know and work with the people at TennGreen, and I highly recommend them for any conservation project.”
Conservation easements are voluntary, legal agreements designed to forever protect important natural resources from detrimental land practices. By conserving a property with a conservation easement, landowners can preserve their vision for the land and also create a lasting legacy. With this easement in place, TennGreen will annually monitor the York-Bell land to ensure that the easement’s terms, which restrict subdivision and significant development, are held in perpetuity.
“We’re proud to have partnered with Dr. York on the permanent protection of his pastoral property, and we admire his vision of this land one day becoming a public park,” said Steve Law, Executive Director of TennGreen Land Conservancy. “As urbanization continues to overwhelm Williamson County’s rural landscape in the future, these 100 acres will become an even more important environmental oasis for people and wildlife.”
For more information on this project and TennGreen conservation easements, visit tenngreen.org.
About TennGreen Land Conservancy
TennGreen Land Conservancy (formerly the Tennessee Parks & Greenways Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit and the oldest accredited statewide land conservancy in Tennessee. Through sound science and partnerships, TennGreen identifies and conserves land across Tennessee for wildlife corridors, critical habitat, and public benefit. TennGreen protects, cares for, and connects people with Tennessee’s natural world by providing meaningful outdoor experiences, establishing conservation easements, supporting restoration efforts, and acquiring (or assisting in the acquisition of) privately-held land.
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Many thanks to Dr. Douglas C. York for not selling out to a developer and instead preserving green space in our once beautiful county that has turned into a concrete jungle! Thank you, Dr. York, for placing an easement to perpetually prohibit development on this 100+ acres! I only wish more Williamson County residents would follow suit.