Farmland Conservation Easement Donated

Farm scene from Everly Sanford farm located in Center Township, Noble County.  

(Captina Conservancy photo)

At the very end of 2024, Captina Conservancy, closed on its largest agricultural easement to date, protecting 579 acres in Noble County. The Sanford family donated the easement to protect their legacy, a farm assembled and cared for by both the Everly and Sanford families going back more than 200 years. The conservation easement protects prime soils, sweeping hilltop vistas, and headwater streams to Buffalo Creek and Duck Creek in Center Township east of Caldwell.

Captina Conservancy’s mission “is to promote, preserve and protect the biodiversity, the natural beauty, and the environmental health of the Captina Creek and regional watersheds”.

Noble County easement farmland. (Captina Conservancy photo)

Ellie Ewing, executive director of the conservancy, said “Captina Conservancy’s preservation mission isn’t limited to natural areas? We also value conservation of local farmland, a central driver of our economy and the culture of our community. Farmland preservation ensures that well-stewarded land improves water quality, provides scenic views, and hosts native plants and animals in untillable niches.”

In addition to Ewing, the other fulltime employee of Captina Conservancy is Marhsall Dyer, Dysart Woods land protection manager.

The Captina Board of Trustees is made up of 14 and one honorary trustee. They are profiled on the group’s website.

In addition to natural and farmland easements, Captina Conservancy manages Dysart’s Woods, the largest stand of virgin timber in the unglaciated part of Ohio, located southeast of Belmont and Rock River Refuge, a 200 acre property near Temperanceville that was donated to the conservancy in 2015, that now sports a 2.5-mile nature hiking trail.

In addition, Captina’s office located at 998 Shamrock Drive, Barnesville, serves as the home for “Marvin”, an endangered hellbender salamander, the oldest hellbender on record.  

Donated to Captina by the Columbus Zoo along with a 200-gallon aquarium, Marvin has been the star of several Captina Conservancy events since her arrival in March 2021, teaching children and adults alike about hellbenders, their habitats, and activities. She also features prominently in Captina’s social media feeds, Facebook and Instagram – FriendsofCaptinaCreek, and can be found on her own TikTok channel: @MarvinDoingNothing. She is cared for by a team of volunteer students from Olney Friends School as well as Captina Conservancy staff.