April 15, 2004     Susan Tauck Donates 61 Acre Easement

Woodstock, IL - Susan Tauck and her husband, Gilbert, raised their two sons in a beautiful, secluded part of Seneca Township. A property with oak woodlands and vernal pools spread over 65 acres to hike through and explore for the last thirty years. The land has been their oasis, and has provided them with much peace over the years.

Over the years, Susan and her family have enjoyed observing, studying and interacting with the land around them. They have seen the fairy shrimp appear in the vernal pools each spring, and wondered where they go when the ponds inevitably dry up in the summer. The plant list is long, and growing, as continued exploration and study reveals more details about the land.

About 5 years ago, Susan decided to restore the natural areas on the property. Bruce Kessler, a restoration specialist from Harvard, has been working with Susan since 2001 to remove brush from the grassland and savanna areas. He will be helping to restore an adjacent hay field of about 10 acres that Susan's son Eric owns. The restoration will bring the total of contiguous acres of habitat up to about 70 acres.

But Susan wanted to do more than restore the land, she wanted to insure the land is forever undeveloped and maintained as natural habitat that supports a diversity of plant and animal species. She decided that a conservation easement would be the best way to accomplish her goals, and recently donated an easement on nearly 61 acres to the Land Conservancy of McHenry County.

The Taucks will continue to live on the property, and can pass the land on to their children, or sell it, but they have peace of mind knowing the land will never be developed, and will always remain a safe haven for plants and animals. A secondary benefit to the Taucks is that the easement donation will qualify for a charitable deduction on their income taxes.

There are more stories like Susan's waiting to be written in McHenry County. This area has an abundance of beautiful land and many landowners who love their land and would like to see it kept forever open. We look forward to telling their stories, too.