It’s official: The historic DeYoung farm on Cherry Bend Road in Elmwood Township is now owned by the Leelanau Conservancy. Closing papers were signed on May 30 on the 145-acre property that includes nearly a mile of shoreline on Cedar Lake.

“It’s a fantastic piece of property that the public will be able to use and enjoy for years to come,” said the Conservancy’s director, Brian Price. “We’re very excited and grateful to the DeYoung family for the opportunity to preserve this special part of Leelanau County.” The land is located just a few miles from downtown Traverse City and is bisected by the Leelanau Trail. The house has already been re-roofed and work to restore the barn has already begun. A volunteer crew will spend Friday afternoon (June 9) cleaning out the hay barn and beginning to restore the gardens around the old farmhouse.

The Conservancy expects project costs to ultimately exceed $2 million. Price said the Conservancy is actively fundraising, and things are going well. $230,554 has been raised since an option was signed at year end. In addition, a large bequest from someone “who lived near the property and was very excited about us preserving the land,” Price added, is expected to help the organization top the half million dollar mark it had hoped to meet by closing.

“It’s unusual for us to close on a property before we have what we need but we were given a tight time frame for an opportunity that we could not pass up,” said Price. “The fundraising for this project is not a sprint—it’s a marathon and we expect it will take a few years to complete. But we’re a strong organization and we can carry the loan while we work through all the available funding opportunities.”

“It will happen,” Price added. “People are beginning to make commitments to us and pledges and gifts have doubled in the last few weeks. We can see that we are on our way, but we still need many financial gifts—both large and small – to complete this project.”

Conservancy staff is currently at work on a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant application that will be submitted in April, 2007. “We believe it will score highly according to their criteria,” said Price.

Plans still in the process call for a Natural Area that features quiet recreation for families and individuals. Hiking and cross-country ski trails to be accessed off the TART trail are on tap as well as carrying on the property’s agricultural heritage through active farming on parts of the land. The Conservancy is working with other non-profits to create a vision for how partnerships for future nature education and historical preservation endeavors might work.

The 145 acres sits in the middle of a rapidly developing residential area. “The DeYoung family turned away many offers from developers and sacrificed financially by offering this property to the Conservancy because they care tremendously about seeing it remain as it is today,” said Matt Heiman, a land protection specialist with the Leelanau Conservancy who has worked with the family for the last 4 years. “Under some scenarios, the property could have supported as many as 100 homes.” From the property’s highest vantage points there are views of west and east Grand Traverse Bay.

The land became available when Louis DeYoung, Sr. passed away last year at the age of 104. His son, Ted, says it was his father’s dream to see the land forever preserved. They began exploring options with the Conservancy late in 2003. Ted DeYoung was in town for the closing and shared many details about the history of the property and his family. He said that his experience in working with the Leelanau Conservancy has been outstanding. “I think the Conservancy is a straight arrow,” said Ted DeYoung. “I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical at first, but not anymore.”

Hikes and tours of the property are available biweekly. The DeYoung Natural Area is also the site of the Leelanau Conservancy’s Annual Picnic and Silent Auction on Thursday, August 3. To obtain a schedule of guided hikes, learn about volunteer opportunities or receive information about the Picnic, call 256-9665. Information about the picnic and a schedule of hikes is also available on this website.

To make a donation to the DeYoung Natural Area Fund, click here.