Lawrencia Farms Conservation Easement

A historic red barn with a field stone foundation stands just off the highway north of Richland. It’s pretty as a painting and distinguished by a sign mounted high on its wall that reads “Lawrencia Farms.” Next to the barn, bur oaks and hickories drop hints about the savanna habitat that was here long before this area became known to settlers in the 1830’s for its rich soil, clear water, and oak openings.  Surrounded on three sides by the 478-acre Boudeman Family Conservation Easement, it only made sense to conserve these 20-acres, too. So Sherwood “Woody” Boudeman purchased it, then generously donated the development rights to SWMLC to make sure it will be looked after forever.

This fast-growing area near Gull Lake has seen rapid growth in recent years. New neighborhoods and an expanding business corridor have raised the demand for land and water resources, and plans for large-scale gravel mining and solar fields have been discussed. All these human endeavors put pressure on remaining wildlife habitat and increase potential threats to water quality from chemical and runoff pollution.