Land Conservancy expands into Columbiana, Jefferson, Carroll counties

MORELAND HILLS, Ohio — Western Reserve Land Conservancy, which earlier this year merged with Little Beaver Creek Land Foundation, has now expanded into the rest of Columbiana County as well as into Carroll and Jefferson counties.

The expansion means the nonprofit Land Conservancy, Ohio’s largest land trust, now preserves farmland, natural areas and coastal land in 17 counties and does urban revitalization work statewide through its Thriving Communities Institute.

To date, the landconservancy has permanently preserved more than 500 properties and more than 35,000 acres and has helped establish county land banks across Ohio, including those in Mahoning, Stark, Muskingum, Trumbull, Summit, Ashtabula, Portage and Lake counties.

Assistant director

The conservancy has named Maggie Corder, formerly the Yellow Creek Watershed coordinator at the Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District, to head the land protection efforts in Columbiana, Carroll and Jefferson counties. Corder, who lives in Richmond, is the new associate field director for the region.

The conservancy’s primary tool is the conservation easement, a legal document in which a property owner voluntarily gives up development rights to his or her land but retains ownership.

The organization regularly works with farmers and other property owners to protect land; in addition, the land conservancy partners with county and regional park districts on the acquisition of additional parkland.

For more information on the conservancy’s programs, contact Corder at 740-317-0561 or email mcorder@wrlandconservancy.org

Background

Corder, who grew up in rural Jefferson County and ¬†earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Franciscan University of Steubenville and then landed the job at Jefferson County SWCD, where she worked for seven years. At the SWCD, Corder focused on the coal and oil and gas industries and their effects on watershed conservation. She also completed the Yellow Creek Watershed Action Plan and has been heavily involved with the Yellow Creek Watershed Restoration Coalition. Under her leadership, the group addressed key issues in that region such acid mine drainage from coal mining activities and oil and gas water withdrawal issues.

For more information on the conservancy and its work, call 440-528-4150 or visit www.wrlandconservancy.org.