Additional Stories from Land Owners

Jack McCoy’s property was purchased by his father in 1959. Jack's father was deer hunting that year, got lost and stumbled upon the old farm property. The property became a family retreat and Jack, his sister, and their friends used the property often. Jack said, "We loved the woods, loved the outdoors." To protect the land, Jack and his sister decided they wanted to conserve the property, placing the entire 64 acres under a conservation easement.

Jack and Nancy Kentzel found refuge in their Butler County farmland they inherited and the forested Venango County land they added to parcel by parcel. They intended to leave their land to their son Paul. However, Nancy died at a young age and Jack, who lived for many more years, failed to make an estate plan.

The Antonios, Sydney and Evon, own and manage more than 450 acres of woodland that has been in their family since 1959. While caring for an elderly parent, they realized their own mortality and the need to make estate and legacy plans.

George Evans grew up on part of the property that he and Gail, his wife, now own. They own 145 acres, 55 acres from his family and 90 acres from her family. George placed a conservation easement on the 145 acres in 1991. His primary motivation was to prevent the subdivision and development of the property. George watched the changes in the area and saw that fifty percent of the hunting lands and open space had been lost in his lifetime.