Franklin surgeon works with TennGreen to place easement on rural land, envisions passive public park

TennGreen Land Conservancy recently announced the donation of a conservation easement on more than 100 acres of rural land in College Grove, near the intersection of Interstate 65 and I-840. 

Dr. Douglas C. York, a longtime surgeon in Franklin, placed the easement on the land to be perpetually protected from subdivision and development in Williamson County’s rural landscapes. 

York’s farm includes a 1/3-mile of a blue stream unnamed tributary of Nelson Creek, which flows to the Harpeth River. York’s vision for this space is to create a passive public park, including hiking trails, a small lake and a pavilion. Already, a small pond is located on the property, which is mostly farmland with some forests.

"My late friend Jean Bell and I decided long before her passing that the portion of the farm south of Tennessee Highway 96 should be protected from development and should ideally remain as a public park for the enjoyment of future generations," York said in a press release. "The property is one of the most pristine properties in Williamson County and, in fact, the state of Tennessee, with an abundance of open space and some forest.

“It will serve the community well as a 'forever natural green space' in a rapidly developing Williamson County. TennGreen Land Conservancy has been an outstanding organization to work with. Everyone I've met at TennGreen has been very courteous, professional and exceptionally committed to the organization's core goals. It's been a joy to get to know and work with the people at TennGreen, and I highly recommend them for any conservation project."

Conservation easements are voluntary, legal agreements designed to forever protect important natural resources from detrimental land practices. By conserving a property with a conservation easement, landowners can preserve their vision for the land and also create a lasting legacy, per a press release. 

With this easement in place, TennGreen says it will annually monitor the York-Bell land to ensure that the easement’s terms, which restrict subdivision and significant development, are held in perpetuity.

“We’re proud to have partnered with Dr. York on the permanent protection of his pastoral property, and we admire his vision of this land one day becoming a public park,” said Steve Law, executive director of TennGreen Land Conservancy. “As urbanization continues to overwhelm Williamson County’s rural landscape in the future, these 100 acres will become an even more important environmental oasis for people and wildlife.”

For more information on this project and TennGreen conservation easements, visit tenngreen.org.