In 1978, the Dalton Planning Board proposed changes in the zoning bylaws
that would define the term "piggery". As pigs had been raised in town
without any problem for as long as anyone could remember, most residents
objected and proposed changes were voted down at a special town meeting.
The pigs were left wallowing peacefully in their in-town pens.
"Pigs tend to be a sore subject," said Frederick G. Crane III, a Dalton
resident and vice president of Crane & Co. "The zoning rules are somewhat
unclear on farm animals and no one wants a pigsty next to his house. But
pigs are an integral part of the rural way of life here."
As the largest landowner in Dalton and one of the largest in Berkshire
County, Crane is a strong force in efforts to protect and preserve that
rural heritage. All of his 2300 acres are restricted under one land use
program or another, which allows Crane and his family to enjoy the rights
and pleasures of ownership while also ensuring that the property will
remain forestland and farmland forever.
Too often today, the heavy burden of land taxes, plus sky-high prices prime
acreage can bring, tempt large landowners to sell their woodlands,
farmlands and open space for commercial development. As the Cranes have
demonstrated, however, the restricted land use programs offered by the
state can significantly ease the pressure to sell by substantially reducing
taxes and, in the case of farmland, by allowing the landowner to both
realize the commercial value of his land and maintain it for agricultural
use.
The Cranes are unique in that they've used all five programs available
through the state to restrict the usage of their land, making it possible
for each successive generation to continue to own and use it and also
providing immeasurable benefits for their neighbors and the town. Yet,
except for some outright gifts of land, and a few large parcels they've
sold, the Cranes still own every last acre they began with.
"We knew we wanted to see our land maintained as woods and farmland," Crane
said, "and so we decided we might as well make it permanent by putting it
under the various restrictions. In each case, there were set procedures to
follow but the Berkshire Natural Resources Council was always right there
to help out."
Crane's grandfather, Frederick G. Crane Sr., began buying farmland in
Dalton in 1895 and by about 1910 had acquired approximately 3600 acres.
The property, called Flintstone Farm, contained several barns, farmhouses,
a blacksmith shop, a granary and a dairy, as well as a smaller property
known as Holiday Farm.
Land conservation as we think of it today, when so much open spade has been
lost to commercial development, wasn't a large consideration at the turn of
the century but the Crane family has always believed in creative,
productive use of the land. Fred Crane Sr. used Flintstone Farm to
experiment with new crops, new methods and new breeds of poultry, sheep,
cattle and horses. He helped establish apple raising as a viable venture
in Berkshire County and his 1500 tree orchard is still well known for its
rich produce.
His sister, Mary Crane Johnson, established a Fresh Air Camp in the late
1800s at Holiday Cottage, the farmhouse at Holiday Farm. For the children,
many of whom had never been out of New York City, the summer was
unforgettable. "I have spent the happiest summer of my life at Holiday
Cottage," wrote one 12-year-Old visitor; "I love Holiday Cottage where I
got so fat and Jolly," wrote another.
From Fred Crane Sr., the property passed to his son, Frederick G. Crane
Jr., who carried on the family's concern with using the land in a
productive and protective manner. His long involvement with tree farming
began in 1925, when he took over an extensive planting program designed by
his father and started having approximately 10,000 trees planted every year
until 100 acres of open fields were covered with red pine, white pine and
white spruce. The younger Crane also practiced woodlot management on the
2400 acres of the property that were already forested and, through
judicious management and selective timberharvesting, was later able to
realize $200,000 in a six year period.
In recognition of Fred Crane Jr.'s dedication and innovative forestry
practices, he was named "Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year" in
Massachusetts in 1976. The results of his efforts can be seen today behind
Holiday Farm at the Dalton-Windsor line.
Crane used his property for innovative agriculture, too, raising "great
white cattle" or Charolais, a French breed dating back to the first century
B.C. and known as the best in the world for meat production.
It was in 1972, however, that the Cranes first began putting their land
under the programs that would preserve it perpetually in its undeveloped
state. That was the year that Fred Crane Jr. put 1900 acres under a
conservation restriction, thereby protecting the parcel forever from
development of any kind.
Under the terms of the restriction, no structures can be built nor
improvements of any kind made to the land; soil removal and dumping are
prohibited; and motorized vehicles are banned completely. The restriction
does allow free use of the land by the public under the rules of the
Appalachian Mountain Club and, as is always the case with a conservation
restriction, the Cranes retain ownership of the acreage.
"No one thought developing this land would be in Dalton's best interests,"
said Fred Crane III, "and we certainly didn't want to see it' happen. So
MY father suggested a conservation restriction and the rest of the family
agreed it was a great idea."
This is typical of the way conservation restrictions come about, with the
decision growing out of family-wide discussions rather than being made by
any one individual in the group. An important component of estate
planning, a conservation restriction ensures the continuity of the family's
land legacy and can be set up to serve the needs of successive generations.
In the Cranes' case, Fred Crane Jr. reserved the right in his restriction
to cultivate and harvest forest products on the property, thereby allowing
a fourth generation Crane, Fred III's son Dicken, to go into the logging
business.
"There's a generational continuity to it," said Fred Crane III, "which is
one of the most appealing aspects of a conservation restriction. There are
also tax benefits," he continued, "but no one gives a conservation
restriction just for the deductions."
The Cranes' conservation restriction stabilized indefinitely the tax
assessment on the 1900 acres and entitled Fred Crane Jr. to a charitable
deduction on his federal income tax returns over a five year period. The
restriction also substantially reduced the estate tax when the property
passed on to Fred Crane III.
By giving away the development rights to the property, however, a landowner
lessens the value of the land. As Fred Crane III pointed out, his family
can harvest the timber but the best trees have already been cut and it will
be years before the newer plantings are ready to harvest. Also, while the
family can hunt and fish on the property, so can everyone else without the
worries and taxes that come with ownership.
"There are many people who benefit from a conservation restriction," Crane
explained. "It's not just for the landholding family."
The Crane acreage is the largest parcel in Massachusetts to be protected by
a conservation restriction. Mostly woodlands, it is situated in northern
Dalton and includes Anthony and Egypt ponds. At the time of its
conveyance,
the parcel was assessed at $10,700. ($107,000)
The restriction is enforced by the Berkshire County Land Trust and
Conservation Fund, a tax-
exempt trust set up by the Berkshire Natural Resources Council in 1969 to
receive land and easements
from property owners for the purpose of preserving the land in its natural
state.
In addition to the 1900 acres under the conservation restriction, the Crane
holdings include another 150 acres of woodlands not under the restriction.
The family has all of it protected, however, under Chapter 61 of the
Massachusetts General Laws. This legislation deals with taxation of
forestlands and forest products and allows a landowner to classify his
wooded acreage as forestland. He then enjoys reduced taxes while
continuing to own the property and harvest its products.
For the protection of farmland, the Agricultural Preservation Restriction
Act was passed by the Massachusetts Legislature in 1977 to keep working
farms intact. Under the legislation, a landowner can sell the development
rights to his property to the state in return for putting a permanent deed
restriction on the land that allows only agricultural use and prohibits all
non-farm development. The value of the development rights is the
difference between the land's full market value and its agricultural value.
"Our farm is one of the last working farms in Dalton and it's an asset to
the town to keep it that way," said Fred Crane III in explanation of his
current application for an Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR).
"There's a lot of nice open land there and for aesthetic reasons as well
as for, wildlife it makes sense to maintain it."
Situated right at the entrance to the town of Dalton, the farm creates an
appealing transitional space from the ruralness of Windsor, It's also a
viable farm so someone, namely Crane's nephew Sam Smith, can make a living
off it.
Crane's application is on the major portion of his usable farmland
-approximately 250 acres, excluding parcels around the residential
dwellings on the property. The Resources Council is assisting him in its
preparation.
Since its start seven years ago, the APR Program has received some
$25 million in state funding and has proved to be highly effective in
saving the farmland that's left in Massachusetts. As there are less than
600,000 acres of land devoted to agriculture in the state today, down from
more than two million acres in 1945, preserving the working farms that
remain must continue to be a top priority.
Classification of lands devoted to agricultural and horticultural use is
another program the Cranes have used to protect their farmland. Under
Chapter 61A of the Massachusetts General Laws, approved in 1972, actively
farmed land can be-assessed and taxed based solely upon its agricultural
and horticultural value.
"All our farmland is under Chapter 61A," said Fred Crane III. "It keeps
the taxes down and the farm in production -- which is just as it should be,
since this has been farmland since the early 1800s."
Between the conservation restriction, the proposed APR, Chapters 61 and
61A, the Cranes have covered all of their currently owned 2300 acres. They
have also ensured the non-development of the lands they have donated
through the fifth program offered by the state to offset the pressures of
land ownership -- outright gifts of land. Their donations have resulted in
substantial charitable deductions for the family, while the acreage has
been designated for various restricted conservation and recreation uses.
Fred Crane Sr. donated 100 acres for a Dalton town forest, now surrounded
by conservation restriction land, and gave acreage to the state for, the
Wahconah Falls park. His son donated 500 acres for the Wahconah Golf
Course; he also sold the 65-acre Flintstone Farm orchard and the Flintstone
Farm, including 150 acres and the main farmhouse.
Fred Crane III, who re-bought Flintstone Farm, is continuing the tradition
of giving land gifts and in 1982 donated 42 acres containing a two-mile
section of the Appalachian Trail to the Berkshire County Land Trust and
Conservation Fund. The parcel, consisting of a 400-foot-wide corridor
along the Dalton Lanesboro town line, was given with the understanding that
it would be sold to the state Department of Environmental Management and
the money used for Appalachian Trail maintenance.
"There's plenty of money to acquire the Appalachian Trail," said AMC
President Tom Deans, "but money to maintain it and to support volunteer
efforts is very hard to come by. So we're particularly appreciative of the
way this gift was given."
Though it's obvious after all their efforts that the Cranes are highly
sophisticated in their land use knowledge, surprises still are possible, as
Fred Crane III found out last winter when he discovered that for 90 years
his family has been paying taxes on 231 acres of town property. The
acreage, consisting of Egypt Reservoir, was taken over by Dalton in
1894,but has mistakenly been included since then in the Cranes' property
tax assessment.
"You can be sure I was amazed!" Crane exclaimed.
As chairman of the board of the Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Fred
Crane III is carrying on the family tradition of close involvement with
land use issues in the county and strong support of conservation efforts
here. By protecting his own land, he hopes to show the way for other large
landowners and also guarantee the continuance of Berkshire County's rural
character. Closer to home, he is making sure future Cranes can continue to
use and enjoy the land.
"There's a very neat chronology to it all," Crane said, "because each land
use restriction makes it that much easier for the next generation to own
the land and be productive on it. My son Dicken practices forest
management, for example, and my nephew Sam Smith wants to farm the property
proposed for APR protection. We've used every land use program we could in
Massachusetts because thats the only way we could keep the land undeveloped
and still own and use it. "In fact," he added with a smile, "when you come
right down to it, these programs have let us have our cake -- or land --
and restrict it, eat off it and give it away, too."