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32 The GUIDE to YELLOW SPRINGS 2019 – 20 YELLOW SPRINGS NEWS Eight local artists producing elegant, functional, contemporary pottery. Located in Kings Yard Yellow Springs, OH 937.767.1666 www.YellowSpringsPottery.com Hours: Mon–Fri 12–5:30 Sat 11–5:30 Sun 12–5:30 Serving bike enthusiasts in Yellow Springs & the Miami Valley since 1987 767-9330 110 Dayton St. www.vcbikes.com vilcyclery@woh.rr.com Tues.–Sat. 10 am–6 pm Sun. noon–5 pm | Closed Monday — Full line of Accessories — — Authorized TREK Dealer — — Sales & Service — By YS NEWS STAFF “Yellow Springs is not a mall, We will fight suburban sprawl!” “Developers, developers don’t even try it Whitehall Farm, we’re going to buy it!” T wo decades ago, such chants rang out as villagers rallied to save from devel- opment a 940-acre farm north of town. Whitehall Farm was permanently pre- served. A local land trust was put on the map. And a community victory still inspires. “Twenty years later, say ‘Whitehall’ to anyone who was around then, and they just smile,” reflected Evelyn LaMers in June 2019. “It was quite celebratory,” recalls Krista Magaw, now director of the Tecumseh Land Trust, whose efforts helped save the farm. “People like the idea that someone can take control of their own fate.” The story is now legendary. A vast area of farmland roughly the size of Yellow Springs was set to be auctioned off to the highest bidder in February 1999. Concerns that it might become tract housing swirled. “The worry was that Yellow Springs would become like every other suburb in the world,” Magaw said. “People were sure PRESERVING LAND— Whitehall to Agraria they would be engulfed by development.” So villagers came together, raised $1.2 million from private donors and local governments in six weeks and used those funds to purchase a conservation easement on the property, which Dave and Sharen Neuhardt were then able to buy in its entirety at auction for $3.275 million. The mood in town over the next few weeks was elation. A march went down Xenia Avenue, with banners proclaiming “We Saved the Farm.” TLT, meanwhile, has gone on to preserve 27,000 acres of farmland and natural land in two counties, from humble beginnings in which it preserved fewer than 500 acres from its founding in 1990 until Whitehall. “It’s also how a lot of people got involved in the land trust,” Magaw said. Added former TLT board member Bob Huston, “We raised consciousness about farmland preservation, which is now in everyone’s DNA.” TLT celebrated the 20th anniversary of Whitehall’s preservation at its annual meet - ing in June 2019. It also celebrated the second anniversary of another auction victory, that involving the Arnovitz farm west of the village in 2017. Local nonprofit Community Solutions bought half of the property — 128 acres — and is working with TLT and other partners to preserve and restore it. Agraria, as it is now known, is a place where soil and water conservation practices and regenerative agriculture methods are modeled. Although both auctions ended in pre - served farmland, their successful outcomes were anything but assured. The Whitehall story The alarm bell rang in December 1998, when the News reported that Whitehall Farm would be auctioned on Feb. 22, 1999. Whitehall had been a working farm since it was originally purchased by Martin Baum in the early 1800s. It had changed hands several times since, until it ended up as the property of the Kelly family, which it remained for 100 years. As its last owner, Martha Rankin, got older, efforts to keep the farm from being auctioned intensified. A Farmland Preserva - tion Task Force formed by TLT more than YS NEWS ARCHIVE PHOTO Local residents and students held large wooden letters spelling “No Sprawl” during a demonstration in front of the John Bryan Community Center about a month before the Whitehall Farm auction in 1999. free, quarterly event builds a stronger commu- nity and teaches neighbors how to repair their own goods while reducing the waste stream. YELLOW SPRINGS RESILIENCE NETWORK EMA I L : ysresilience@gmail.com WE B : facebook.com/ysresiliencenetwork The Yellow Springs Resilience Network is a collaborative network of individuals and organizations in the village who aim to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and create long-term resilience — not only to the effects of climate change, but also as an ecological community in the village. The network is committed to developing a highly inclusive and equitable local economy, increasing local renewable energy produc- tion, greatly increasing and distributing the amount of locally produced food, cut- ting transportation emissions, supporting the development of highly energy-efficient housing and buildings and eliminating waste entirely. All are welcome to participate. And necessary. YELLOW SPRINGS TIME EXCHANGE CONTAC T: Kat Walter, 937‑475‑9207 EMA I L : kat@volksmail.com WE B : www.ystimeexchange.org The Yellow Springs Time Exchange is building a stronger, self-sufficient commu- COMMUN I TY ORGAN I ZAT IONS nity by connecting individuals and organiza- tions in Yellow Springs and the surrounding region who trade talents and services to meet needs, hour for hour. The core belief is that everyone has talents and “gifts” — re- sources — that people need. All services are equal in value and can provide mutual benefit for the community. YELLOW SPRINGS TREE COMMITTEE CONTAC T: P.O. Box 122, 767‑2981, 767‑2162 The Yellow Springs Tree Committee was founded in 1982 with these goals: • To provide leadership in the planting and care of trees on the public lands of Yellow Springs; • To serve as an advisory group to the public on tree and shrub care, selection and removal; • To promote the improvement of private property through the wise selection and use of trees. The Tree Committee grew out of two com- munity tree-planting projects: a 1976 planting of trees on the Mills Lawn school grounds to honor Yellow Springs News editor Kieth Howard, and a continuing beautification pro- gram of tree plantings throughout the village. The committee offers a tribute and memo- rial tree-planting program to honor a life, a service or a significant event. New members and volunteers are always welcome to join the Tree Committee. YS PETNET CONTAC T: P.O. Box 21, 937‑372‑2044 WE B : www.facebook.com/YSPetNet PetNet of Yellow Springs is a collective of area animal lovers committed to standing between lost pets and the pound. We seek to provide excellent short-term foster care while we work with local authorities, animal shelters and the community to return each rescue home. PetNet collaborates with area resources to rehome unclaimed, or stray, animals when appropriate. PetNet is only as effective as our com- munity is strong. We are always seeking volunteer fosters, but even if you can’t open your home, there are plenty of other ways you can help. For more information, contact us on Facebook or call. Continued from page 31 There’s so much more at ysnews.com.