| Borton Family: Timeline |
1700sLand cleared for subsistence farming. 1789Farmhouse built. 1930sProperty supports dairy farm, apple orchard, and vegetable farm. 1964Ann and Tony Borton purchase the 114-acre parcel. They raise horses, grow hay, and harvest firewood. ~1977The Bortons enroll their property in Chapter 61A (Agricultural Use Assessment). ~1987The Bortons work with a licensed forester to develop a forest management plan. ~1990The Bortons first become interested in placing permanent restrictions on their land. They attend meetings put on by the Deerfield Land Trust where they learn about the benefits from Steven Small, a lawyer and author on the tax benefits of conservation. ~1995The Bortons contact the director of the Franklin Land Trust to discuss placing an Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) on the land 2001The Bortons donate an Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) on 70 acres of their land to the Franklin Land Trust. 2006The Bortons begin the process of donating a Conservation Restriction on 106 acres of forest and open fields (70 acres converted from APR to CR plus 36 additional acres) to the Franklin Land Trust and the Town of Conway. 2006-2007The Bortons work closely with the Franklin Land Trust to determine acceptable uses and restrictions on the land, delineate excluded areas, and to develop the language of the Conservation Restriction. March 2007Franklin Land Trust submits the Draft CR proposal to Division of Conservation Services (DCS) at EOEEA. The State sends the Draft CR to their legal department for review. April 2007Residents of Town of Conway vote to allow the Town Conservation Commission to hold the Conservation Restriction in conjunction with the Franklin Land Trust. June 2007The Franklin Land Trust and the Bortons meet with the town Conservation Commission to get approval for the CR. July 2007DCS returns its comments on the Draft CR. The Franklin Land Trust and the Bortons revise the CR to address the State’s comments and concerns. Early October 2007The Franklin Land Trust and the Bortons meet with the Town of Conway Select Board to obtain their signatures on the CR. The Bortons and the Franklin Land Trust sign the CR. Mid-October 2007The Franklin Land Trust returns the final, signed copy of the CR to the State for the Secretary of Environmental Affairs to sign. October 2007The Bortons hire an appraiser to determine the value of the CR. November 7, 2007Deal finished! The Conservation Restriction is formally recorded with the Franklin County Registry of Deeds. April 2008The Franklin Land Trust conducts a Baseline Documentation site visit to document the current condition of the property, including photographs and GPS points. The Future…The Franklin Land Trust will continue to monitor the property once a year, in perpetuity. Members of the Town of Conway Conservation Commission will be invited to participate in annual monitoring. |
