Mitchell Conservation Easement
- Status: Protected in 1985-1987
- Location: Polnell Point, Whidbey Island
- Acreage: 13 acres with 900 feet of shoreline
Public Benefits
Archaeological site, waterfront open space, wildlife habitat
Description
The Mitchell conservation easement permanently protects 13 acres of important wildlife habitat, a significant archaeological site, and open space along the Polnell Point waterfront near Oak Harbor. Worried about the future of the family’s land, the landowner — a fourth generation Whidbey family — worked with the Whidbey Camano Land Trust on a conservation easement that preserved their property while reducing future estate taxes and making it affordable for them to continue to own and live on their land.
Directions
Private land.
Project Story
The Mitchell Easement – how an easement saved the family farm
In the late 1920s, Bob and Norma Mitchell came to Whidbey Island in search of the perfect site for a turkey farm. They found their spot on north Whidbey just east of Crescent Harbor. The land chosen had well-drained soil, mild winters, sunny south-facing slopes, good water, and cooling breezes from Saratoga Passage and Crescent Harbor. For years, the Mitchells produced prize-winning, broad-breasted turkeys.
In the early 1980s, four decades and thousands of turkeys later, the Mitchell Farm was quiet. World War II naval air station expansion had reduced the farm’s size and subdivisions grew on the eastern boundary of the farm. Still, the core of the family farm, including the family home, remained. Norma Mitchell knew she must take action if her grandchildren were to enjoy the remaining 40 acres.
The biggest challenge to preserving the family farm was the increased land value. Forty acres of waterfront land – residentially zoned – would be heavily taxed when the owners died or when they transferred the land to their heirs. Another problem was how to provide real, long-term protection for the property – protection that would stand the test of time.
Mrs. Mitchell and her children worked with the Whidbey Camano Land Trust to draft a conservation easement that addressed all issues. The easement allowed limited development of housing sites on the northern part of the property. It kept the southern part of the property – the highest valued land – undeveloped and protected with a permanent conservation easement.
In addition, the Whidbey Camano Land Trust recognized the great public value in protecting the waterfront portion of the farm which contains a known archaeological site. Besides preventing destructive activities at the archaeological site, the conservation easement provides qualified researchers the opportunity to explore and excavate for artifacts.
The partnership between the Mitchell family and the Land Trust literally “saved the farm.” The property owners could afford continued family residence and ownership of their land. Thirteen acres of shoreline acreage remain permanently protected open-space. An archaeological site recognized for its significance by Washington State is protected forever and is available for research and interpretation. The property will transfer to the heirs with a minimum of estate taxes to be paid. And, a fourth generation of Mitchells can now live on the family farm.
