Midway area leads the way in preserving land via conservation easements to Bluegrass Conservancy

The Midway area has the most concentrated set of tracts dedicated to conservation through the Bluegrass Conservancy, according to a map published with a story in Saturday's Lexington Herald-Leader. The map appears below; a chart with the story showed that Woodford County has accounted for more than half of the acreage on which the private, non-profit group holds conservation easements, which permanently bar development of the properties.

Reporter Andy Mead's story was datelined Midway because it focused on Suzi Shoemaker, left, and her Lantern Hill Farm east of town on US 421-62. "It is among the best in the world in what it can produce," she told Mead. "I would like to see future generations have the opportunity to raise horses here. Whether they want to or not, they will have that opportunity." (Herald-Leader photo by David Perry)

Mead explains that the easements "are voluntary agreements, tailored to the needs of each owner and property, that keep the land as open space as a defense against suburban sprawl. The land remains in private hands, and the owners can qualify for tax benefits, including income tax, estate tax and property tax reductions." (Read more)