FARMLAND PRESERVATION

Did you know that more than 6,500 acres in Elizabeth Township - more than one-third of the land in the township - are protected from development by conservation easements? The township is the only one in Miami County with its own active farmland preservation program; more than 50 farms to date have been protected. Farmland preservation is a VOLUNTARY step; no landowner in the township is obligated to protect their land from development.

However, an additional 6,500 acres in the township could potentially be subdivided for residential development in the future.

At their October 16, 2024 meeting, township trustees again authorized the township to participate in state and federal farmland preservation programs. Trustees would like to see the township continue to gradually protect more land over time, and would especially like to form a barrier against encroachment by nearby municipalities such as Huber Heights or New Carlisle decades in the future. No township dollars are spent for farmland preservation, aside from a few thousand dollars each year to monitor farms that are already protected and to place easements on additional farms whose owners are interested in selling their development rights.

If you are a landowner interested in preserving your farm, please reach out to Ben Sutherly, the township's farmland preservation point person, prior to December 31, 2024 at bsutherly@yahoo.com or (937) 524-3264.