Ann Arbor Township Preserves 24 Acres of Prime Farmland with Moehrle Easement Purchase

By Barry Lonik

The Ann Arbor Township Farmland and Open Space Preservation Program recently closed on a conservation easement purchase from Carolyn Moehrle. 

The property is 24.123 acres in size with frontage on the north side of Pontiac Trail north of Warren Rd.  It is almost entirely prime agricultural soils with four acres of woods and one acre of wetlands and adds to a block of conserved land totaling 759 contiguous acres.  The conservation easement ensures that the land will never be developed but it remains in private ownership and is not open to the public.

The Moerhles began assembling their property in 1970 with the purchase of 20 acres.  They added 74 acres in 1973.  Carolyn’s husband Otto worked the ground until 1998; it has been leased to local operators since then.

Conservation easements are permanent deed restrictions on the use of property.  Purchasing easements costs less than buying the property and keeps the property on the tax rolls and contributing to the local economy.

In addition to Ann Arbor Township, funding support was provided by the Ann Arbor Greenbelt program.

Ann Arbor Township’s land preservation program is funded by a dedicated millage which voters passed in 2003 and renewed in 2022, both with 80% support.  The Township has attracted over $8.7 million of matching funds from other sources, a rate of $2 to $1 of its own.  With this project the Township program has been involved in protecting 1,308 acres, with more projects set to close in the coming months.