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PRESS RELEASE Information Contact: Mary Bradford-White Barrington Area Conservation Trust July 20, 2005 – Mary Bradford-White, president of Barrington Area Conservation Trust (BACTrust), has just announced that BACTrust has received a substantial grant from the Northbrook, Illinois–based McGraw Foundation for the purpose of establishing a land protection/acquisition program for Barrington Hills and nearby communities. The grant-funded program will allow BACTrust to purchase properties that could be at risk for commercial or residential development. Under the program, BACTrust could purchase a listed property that is at risk of being bought by developers. The organization would then hold the property until a conservation buyer could be found or develop it in accordance with the open, rural landscape of the area. “We are thrilled and grateful that the McGraw Foundation has shown an interest in our work at BACTrust,” said Bradford-White. “Given the intense development pressure in this area, our window of opportunity to protect and preserve our exceptional natural landscape small. For that reason, this grant from the McGraw Foundation couldn’t be more timely — it will enable us to take a very important ‘next step’ in creating our land protection/acquisition program to preserve more open spaces.” Bradford-White anticipates that it will take approximately four months to establish the land protection/acquisition program, which is a new undertaking for BACTrust and will continue to be an important aspect of the organization’s conservation efforts. Barrington Area Conservation Trust was formed in 2001 to serve the four Illinois counties of Cook, Lake, McHenry, and Kane. Since that time, the organization was instrumental in establishing and holding a 421-acre conservation easement on Horizon Farms in Barrington Hills, one of the largest private conservation easements in the history of the state. In addition, BACTrust has also received several other grants and awards, including the prestigious “Garfield Farm Award” for its accomplishments in preserving agricultural lands. BACTrust’s recent success in securing funding from the McGraw Foundation for
its new land protection/acquisition program will enable the organization to
continue pushing forward in its important mission to protect valuable land and
resources in the Barrington Hills area and nearby communities. The Barrington Area Conservation Trust is a 501(c)3 charitable organization formed in 2001 to preserve the open land, our rural character, and the scenic, historic, recreational, and ecologically significant resources of Barrington Hills and nearby communities. |
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