Committee declines to advance Kara Lee Farms riverfront parcel for acquisition

The Conservation 2020 advisory committee voted against moving forward with nomination 311-3, a 28-acre parcel on the Orange River that staff said includes roughly 1,200 linear feet of natural river frontage and a house and pole barn on site. Staff presentation noted an apparent cattle lease and internal fencing and recommended, if pursued, the property be placed in tier two for further review, but committee members raised concerns about management costs and the parcel's small, noncontiguous footprint.

"The bulk of that score is because it is on the Orange River," Mr. Clements said in presenting the parcel, describing the site's river frontage and noting staff division on the recommendation. Public commenter Bill Burdette, who said he kayaked by the site, urged acquisition for its wildlife connectivity and floodway designation, calling the riverfront "the beauty of it" and highlighting nearby preserves as part of a corridor for otters, turtles and birds.

Committee debate weighed the conservation benefit of river frontage against ongoing maintenance burdens and the difficulty of integrating a small parcel into larger preserve holdings. A motion to place the nomination in tier two and explore acquisition was seconded but failed on a hand-count vote: four in favor, seven opposed. The committee did not identify a negotiated or asking price during the discussion; staff said no asking price was on record.