Citizens for Conservation Receives 22-Acre Land Donation

Citizens for Conservation (CFC), one of the oldest and most successful volunteer conservation groups in Illinois, today announced that it has received a donation of approximately 22 acres in honor of Art and Carol Rice from their children Art Rice III, Carol Bowditch, and Emily Douglass. The new property, located southeast of Cuba Road and N. Hart Road in Cuba Township, will be named Craftsbury Preserve in memory of the original 32-acre Craftsbury Farm Arthur L. Rice Jr. and his wife Carol purchased in 1955. 

Craftsbury Preserve is surrounded by large-lot developments and bordered on the north by the 8-acre Walk On Farm. The property has approximately twelve acres of uplands with remnants of sedge meadows and grasses and about ten acres of wetlands that extend across N. Hart Road to the west. The land donation provides CFC with an opportunity to protect wetlands that drain into an important recharge area and provide water storage and flood protection to neighboring areas, as identified by the Barrington Area Council of Governments and the 2007 Flint Creek Watershed Plan. 

CFC’s Land Preservation Chairman Alberto Moriondo stated, “We are very grateful to the Rice family for this extremely generous donation. The Rice family has supported CFC since its incorporation in 1971; Art Rice Jr. was one of CFC’s first members, and Art Rice III is a Life Member and former CFC Board Member. The Rice Family and their Foundation have been major benefactors over the years. Art and Carol Rice passed away in 2002 and 2010 respectively, but thanks to this donation, their legacy will continue for many years to come.” 

Art Rice III said, “Carol and Emily and I are very pleased to make this donation to CFC, an organization that is the recognized land steward in the Barrington area. It is a way for us to recognize our parents, who loved this land and would have wanted it protected in perpetuity. We are convinced that through CFC’s restoration efforts, the land will evolve into a marsh surrounded by sedge meadows, prairies and savannas, a protected oasis amidst our area’s vanishing heritage.” 

Since 2005, CFC has been successful in securing over 97 acres of open space in the Barrington area, both directly and by working with private entities and local governments. With this new addition, CFC now owns 403 acres and over the past 42 years has helped protect almost 3,100 acres in the Barrington area. CFC’s Land Preservation Committee believes that current market conditions are very favorable for land preservation and is committed to continuing its programs in the months and years ahead.