Originally published by the Watertown Daily Times
March 13, 2016
PAMELIA — After farming it for nearly 50 years, a local couple, now in their 80s, wanted to make sure their sheep farm would remain undeveloped for decades to come.
So Harry E. and Sharon J. Potter reached out to the local land trust last year with just one wish: to preserve the grasslands and pastures that have been in their family for nearly 50 years.
The couple said it made sense to preserve the place that has brought them so much joy, rather than risk it to development.
“Time is going by and we decided to do something while we still can to keep the land from being developed,” said Mr. Potter, a retired soil conservationist who worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The 46-acre property has been put under the control of the Ontario Bays Initiative, Inc., a land trust based in Chaumont.
Last February, a conservation agreement was signed and unanimously approved by its 10-member board of directors. The easement was filed recently with Jefferson County.
It is one of several easement donations received by OBI since the nonprofit land conservation group was established in Chaumont in 1993.
The conservation arrangement with the Potters allows for a 6-acre building envelope surrounding the farmhouse and barns at 27256 Perch Lake Road. Conserving the land safeguards it from being subdivided or developed and its ecological features will be protected, including woodlands, a large pond and cattail marsh areas of nearly 10 acres.
“While to some, this may look like wasted space, this type of grassland is rapidly decreasing from our area, due to both development and crop practices,” said OBI Executive Director Julie K. Covey.
Less than two miles away from the Perch River Wildlife Management Area, the undeveloped Potter property provides an important “buffer” for wildlife by offering a corridor of protected land for feeding and nesting, OBI senior consultant and ornithologist Gerry Smith said.
The Potter property is in a portion of Jefferson County designated as an “Important Bird Area” by Audubon New York. Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark and the Savannah Sparrow are among the species of grassland birds that can thrive in the undisturbed grassland habitat, which stretches behind their home to nearby Interstate 81.
In proximity to Interstate 81 and under development pressure from nearby Fort Drum, the Potter property has been eyed as a prime site for housing.
The Potters have felt an increasing urgency to preserve the open space.
“We talked about it for a long time,” Mrs. Potter said. “It just seemed liked a good decision, a fitting legacy.”
The easement also protects grassland birds and their nests from row crops and intensive farming practices.
The Potters were partially drawn to the open space and rolling hills of the small farm in 1967. Though their sheep farm is now closed, the red barns and silo are quaint reminders of their farming years, when many memories were made.
Through the years, the Potters also raised cows, rabbits and pigs.
Pamelia is part of an eight-town service area for OBI in Jefferson County. OBI is a non-profit land trust, which means it is qualified to accept donations of land or easements of land.
The land trust specializes in preserving open scenic space and habitats, such as wetlands, grasslands and endangered plant or animal species.
Conservation easements keep the land on the tax rolls but protect land from future development. More than 700 acres of land have been protected by OBI in Jefferson County.
