For immediate release: December 23, 2011

Whitingham -- Neighbors and friends who purchase their Christmas trees at Don and Betsy McKinley's will find a present under the tree: the gift of conserved land. The Vermont Land Trust announced that the McKinleys donated a conservation easement on 105 acres of forest and open land.

In 1981, Don and Betsy purchased their land, located near Jacksonville Pond, with the intention of starting a Christmas tree farm. They moved permanently to the area a few years later.

The couple now grows Christmas trees that are sold wholesale and retail, with some customers purchasing directly on the farm. They also tap about 250 maple trees and raise a small number of sheep for meat, which they sell to local customers.

"It means a lot to us to keep this land the same," said Betsy "and the conservation easement allows us to meet our goals in this way."

The conservation easement is a legal tool that limits development on the land. Landowners continue to own, manage and pay taxes on the land and can sell their land; however, the conservation easement permanently remains on the property.

"The generosity of the McKinleys ensures that future generations will be able to use and enjoy this land," said Joan Weir of the Vermont Land Trust. "So much of the land we've protected has been through the donation of conservation easements."

The majority of the property is wooded, with nine acres of wooded wetland and several intermittent streams that serve as tributaries to the East Branch of the North River. A VAST trail crosses a portion of the property as well.

The conservation of the McKinley property is in line with the Whitingham Town Plan which includes a specific policy to "maintain and encourage agriculture, forestry, open space and recreational uses."