A natural legacy Cold Spring

A green spacelegacy

Johnsons’ land preserved for future generations df ft ti

BY SARAH COLBURN STAFF WRITER

COLD SPRING –

On the outskirts of Cold Spring sits 30 acres of natural land, home to a large pond, a true oak savannah and wildlife galore. It touts native grasslands and a stream that runs 3 feet wide through the property. In the spring, the wildfl owers begin to pop up. The land holds Showy Orchids, Indian Paintbrush, Turks Cap Lilies, Jack-inthe-Pulpit, Trillium and Columbine. Wildlife roam,

“People, whether they realize it or not, need green space. Th is is one way of assuring there is green space for people.” - Cliff Johnson

including turkeys, deer, squirrels, chipmunks and the occasional black bear. One year, even a cougar made its way onto the land. Nearly 20 species of birds are regularly attracted to its feeders. Other birds in the area include four species of woodpeckers, Sandhill Cranes and Canada geese. Trumpeter Swans can often be seen fl ying overhead. It’s a piece of land of importance to Cliff and Betty Johnson. They purchased it in 1975 and have been welcoming others to hike, ski, toboggan and simply enjoy it ever since. To continue its legacy, the couple chose to place the land into several trusts to preserve it for perpetuity. “People, whether they realize it or not, need green Johnsons page 13

PHOTOS BY GRACE JEURISSEN Cliff Johnson is leaving the land he owns with his wife, Betty, on the outskirts of Cold Spring, as a lasting legacy for their children and the people of the community.

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space,” Cliff said. “This is one way of assuring there is green space for people.”

Cliff and Betty were from the cities, in particular, Minneapolis. They moved to Avon, knowing a little bit about farming and where ham and eggs came from, but learned quickly about the 365-days-a-year work years required of many farmers. Cliff was a junior high school special education teacher and Betty was a public health nurse. They liked their life in Avon but were looking for something different. Cliff jokingly – and not so jokingly – said the piece of property near Cold Spring was 10 miles closer to the Cold Spring Bakery, where he enjoys chocolate-covered macaroons and their Christmas fruit cakes.

Anyway, the land had everything they wanted. The Johnsons raised their kids there and taught them to enjoy and respect the land. It wasn’t so much a direct message; it came more in the form of the occasional family walk or sledding. For years, they threw toboggan parties on the property and invited family and friends. As a couple, they’ve enjoyed walking through the land and cross-country skiing it in winter.

“Nature just sort of surrounds us,” Cliff said.

He said humans everywhere spend time bringing the outdoors inside in an attempt to connect with nature, whether it be fresh fl owers, dried fl owers, plants or paintings of plants and landscapes.

“They’re satisfying their need for having some green space,” he said.

As Cliff and Betty prepared to put their land in a trust, they talked with their adult children because it’s land they’ll someday inherit. They strongly supported the trust idea. Even if the children eventually choose to sell it, Cliff said, the property will be protected as it sits today.

“We raised them right, so they don’t want to see some bad things happening out here,” Cliff said.

The Johnsons have adjacent properties, totaling 113 acres in all. A 30-acre section is part of the Minnesota Land Trust. The remaining acres are secured by the Reinvest In Minnesota (RIM) program and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).

Many of the Johnsons’ neighbors have similar aspirations for the land. To the east of the Johnsons, a neighbor has protected 80 acres of land. In nearby Rockville, John and Linda Peck practice conservation on their protected property.

Through the years, the Johnsons have welcomed area residents to use their land which is fairly fl at, with a valley where the pond collects. The 6-acre pond is half-fi lled with cattails and dense vegetation, while the other half is open water. The pond was formed when the Johnsons contracted to create a 350-foot dam on the land. It used to be more of a big marshland with beaver dams running throughout.

The state’s process for approving land trusts identifi ed the oak savannah.

Johnsons page 14

PHOTO SUBMITTED Cliff and Betty Johnson have lived just outside of Cold Spring since 1975. They placed their property into several trusts to preserve it for perpetuity.

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PHOTO BY GRACE JEURISSEN Cliff and Betty Johnson have created a system of trails through their Cold Spring property to make it easier to walk, and so they don’t disturb birds’ nests, rabbit holes or plants.

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A deer track is left in the soft ground, just one of many types of wildlife that make their home on the Johnson property.

Johnsons from page 13

“I wasn’t aware we were sitting on the oak savannah; it’s not very much, but when you don’t have very much it gets to be real important,” Cliff said. The couple has made a system of trails through the property to make it easier to walk, and so they don’t disturb birds’ nests, rabbit holes or plants. Originally, when the Johnsons purchased the land, nearly half of it was agricultural farm land that was being rented out. They, too, rented it out for a while and then turned it into a fi eld of native prairie grasses that are home to racoons, skunks and coyotes, among other things. The land is inspected every year to be sure it remains in the same state it was in when fi rst approved. The Johnsons are encouraged to control noxious weeds on the property including buckthorn and prickly ash. They also are encouraged to do prescribed burns

PHOTOS BY GRACE JEURISSEN This pond sits on Cliff and Betty Johnson’s property outside of Cold Spring. The pond is drained every 10 years or so to replicate nature and a drought.

An assortment of feeders keeps the many species of birds content on the Cliff and Betty Johnson property near Cold Spring. on the property to foster healthy growth on the land. The couple doesn’t allow hunting on their property and they don’t allow motorized vehicles. Oftentimes, people will call the Johnsons and ask if they can come out to the enjoy the surroundings. Cliff said it’s nice to get a heads-up, but not required. For the Johnsons, it’s a way to leave a lasting legacy for their children and the people of the community. “In our minds, we’d hate to see what we’ve loved and taken care of for all these years wind up being a housing development,” Cliff said.

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(Above) Birds and blooms are common sights on the Johnson property near Cold Spring.