Countryside Conservancy RFP

National Park ServiceU.S. Department of the Interior

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

2009Countryside InitiativeRequest for Proposals

2009Countryside InitiativeRequest for Proposals

Summary of theLeasing Opportunity

About This Request for ProposalsThis Request for Proposals (RFP) is the fifth issued for the Countryside Initiative. Likeprevious requests it continues the process of introducing and defining Cuyahoga ValleyNational Park’s innovative program for managing rural landscapes.

The Countryside Initiative challenges strongly entrenched paradigms – assumptions, beliefs,and conventional ways of thinking about how thingswork. It challenges the common (American)assumption that people don’t live in parks (let alone farm in parks). It denies the assertionthat agriculture can’t be environmentally friendly, simply because it often isn’t. It debunksconventional notions that small farms can’t be profitable, that farmers must “get big or get out.”And it adopts an innovative threefold approach to public-private partnerships to implementits key features. Hence, this RFP explores philosophical and conceptual issues more carefullythanmight be necessary for a more conventional National Park Service leasing opportunity.

This RFP is addressed first to persons who already know (or suspect) they would like to leasethe farm property available. For potential proposers, the RFP provides guidelinesnecessary to prepare a strong proposal. More importantly, it gives them sufficient detail andperspective to understand that taking responsibility for an Initiative farm could significantlychange their lives. And for others – interested parties who hope to support and promote theCountryside Initiative in various ways, or who hope to apply its concepts elsewhere – thisRFP offers a thorough description of how the program actually works.

The Countryside InitiativeCuyahoga ValleyNational Park (CVNP) is responsible “for preserving and protecting for publicuse and enjoyment, the historic, scenic, natural, and recreational values of theCuyahoga Riverand adjacent lands of theCuyahogaValley…”Since thepark’s establishment in 1974, parkmanagershave understood the above statement, taken from the park’s enabling legislation, to include therural countryside – the Valley’s working agricultural landscape. Yet despite various attempts tostem the decline of agriculture within park boundaries, most farms continued a century-longslide into disuse and disrepair, until the Countryside Initiative was established.

The Countryside Initiative is an ambitious effort, begun in 1999, to rehabilitate and revitalize 20or so of the picturesque old farms that operated in the Valley from themid-nineteenth centuryto themid-twentieth. These reestablished farmswill pursuemodern, sustainable farmingpractices in harmonywith the specific purposes for which CVNPwas created, and in harmonywith long-established cultural and environmental values of the National Park Service (NPS).

2009 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

To: lease a farm property in Cuyahoga Valley

National Park;

To: conduct sustainable agriculture enterprises

thereon;

To: help reestablish a working agricultural

landscape in CVNP;

To: help preserve and protect for public use

and enjoyment, the historic, scenic, natural,

and recreational values of the Cuyahoga River,

and adjacent lands of the Cuyahoga Valley.

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Table of ContentsREQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

1 Summary of the Leasing OpportunityAbout This Request for ProposalsThe Countryside InitiativeAppropriate Types of FarmingLong-term LeasesAn Innovative & Significant ProjectPursuit of Enlightened Self-InterestThreefold PartnershipsCompetitive Proposal Process

4 Historical Context & Future VisionThe National Park IdeaParks to the PeopleCuyahoga Valley National Park

Purpose of the ParkLoss of Rural Landscapes

The Countryside InitiativeThe Countryside ImageParks as Lived-in PlacesThe Concept of Sustainable AgricultureSelf-Interest: Personal, Shared, AltruisticRetail Farming and Niche MarketsFarm Sizes and EnterprisesLandscape AestheticsRecapturing a Sense of Place

8 Cultivating the VisionEarly Harvest – The First FarmsConnecting to Larger WorldsTo Market, To MarketHome Again, Home Again

14 Leasing Authority & ConditionsLegislative AuthorizationDuration & Transferability of LeasesResponsibility for Continuous Active FarmingFair Market Value Rent

Dual Components of RentResidential ComponentProductive Component

16 Leasing Opportunity for 2009

17 Description of Initiative Farming UnitOverview of 2009 OfferingsEdgar Farm – Farming Unit No. 1

20 Proposal Development & ContentProposal Development

Invitation to CompeteFormat & AccuracyPurpose of the Information RequestedInquiries & Explanations

Proposal ContentsProposer IdentificationFarm of ChoiceFarming EnterpriseCompatibilityResourcesBusiness Plan

Submission of ProposalsItems to IncludeNumber of Copies, Method of TransmittalLate Proposals, Modifications & Withdrawls

Acceptance and Evaluation of Proposals &Issuance of leases

Proposal AcceptanceProposal Evaluation

23 Supplemental Information Available

23 AppendicesA. Model Transmittal LetterB. Preferred Production Practices for

Sustainable AgricultureC. Typical Budget Categories, Details, and Format

26 Photo Credits Key

27 Rural Landscape Management Map

28 Back to the Future

Countryside Initiative Farm SitesThis map depicts the distribution of old farms in Cuyahoga ValleyNational Park which stillsurvive in sufficiently good condition for possible use in the Countryside Initiative.

MAP KEY:

Potential future Initiative farms

Farm in 2009 Request for Proposals

Farms operational by 2009

For addresses and additional information on the farmin this lease offering see the map on page 16.For a sense of how these Countryside Initiative farmsrelate to other types of landuse in the park seethe map on the inside back cover of this document.

DISTRIBUTION OF CURRENT AND FUTURE SITES


CVNP Countryside Initiative 3

Appropriate Types of FarmingThis RFP offers one farm for leasing, beginning late 2009. The farm includes 35 cultivatableacres suitable for culturally intensive fruit and vegetable production, small intensive grazingoperations, or small integrated crop-livestock enterprises. The farm is also well suited as a sitefor a farmers’ market or a local food co-op store. Certified organic production systems areencouraged, though not required; non-certified organic production systems are expected tooperate in the same general part of the sustainability spectrum.Marketing methods may takeforms such as: pick your own, community supported agriculture, roadside stands, local farmers’markets, and direct sales to individuals and restaurants. The farming enterprise will reflect thecharacteristics and capabilities of this particular farm site and the particular knowledge, skills,and preferences of the farm lessee.

Long-term LeasesCountryside Initiative farm properties may be leased for periods of up to 60 years. Hence, alessee maymake a significant capital investment to establish a particular farming enterprise,and fully amortize the investment over the period of the lease. Long-term leases also allowlessees to pursue land stewardship practices, whichmay require years to implement – and yearsto recover one’s costs. Once competitively earned, a leasehold interest is transferable (by gift,sale, or othermeans) should the lessee need or desire to discontinue active farming before thelease expires – subject to approval by CVNP. By law, all leases must be re-offered competitivelyat the termination of the lease. And all leases must be made at fair market value rent.

An Innovative & Significant ProjectThe Countryside Initiative offers lessees the opportunity to be part of a truly innovative andsignificant project. Nothing quite like this has previously happened in North America. In otherparts of the world, especially in Europe, an appreciation of farming’s potential to create andmaintain beauty and ecological health in the countryside is well understood. Farming is oftenused for such purposes in large regional and national parks, and used to carefully managenon-park landscapes around urban centers.TheCountryside Initiative brings such concepts andpractices toAmerica. First, andmost specifically, it allowsCVNP to better fulfill its preservationand protection functions, while greatly enhancing the Park’s educational and recreationalofferings. Secondly, the Initiative serves as a useful model for certain othermulti-use parkswithinNPS and elsewhere. And third, it showcases alternative types of farming which canbecome important components of smart growth development in urban fringe communitiesacross America.

Pursuit of Enlightened Self-InterestThe Countryside Initiative offers lessees unusual opportunities to define and pursue satisfyingand successful lives, based on enlightened self-interest. The Initiative makes small farmswith excellent production andmarket potential very accessible and affordable – and explicitlyencourages the pursuit of personal financial profit. That profit provides the financial basisfor supporting quality-of-life goals – such as being able to work closelywith family and friendswhile contributing to the natural beauty and environmental health of one’s locale (in this caseCVNP). The Countryside Initiative seeks farm lessees who see themselves as simultaneouslycultivating profit, community, and ecological health.

Threefold PartnershipsCVNP has frequently relied on close working relationships with other governmental agenciesand private organizations (both for profit and non-profit) to achieve common goals. In 1999, anew non-profit organization, the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy (CVCC), wasestablished to help develop andmanage the Countryside Initiative. CVCC provides technicalinformation and guidance on sustainable agriculture, helps prioritize rehabilitation of farmproperties, helps recruit and evaluate prospective farm lessees, and helps evaluate andmonitoreach farm’s annual operating plan. CVCCworks closelywith each farm lessee to align theirprivate goals and operating plans with the public objectives of the Initiative. This represents anintentional threefold partnership, drawing on the distinctive strengths and resources of thegovernment sector (CVNP), the business sector (lessees), and the cultural sector (CVCC).

Competitive Proposal ProcessThis RFP is open to all interested parties on a competitive basis.Whoever submits the proposaljudgedmost likely to achieve a particular farm’s best use within the context and purposesof the Countryside Initiative – and demonstrates the capacity to successfully implement theproposal – will be awarded the opportunity to negotiate a lease agreeable to both the proposerand CVNP.The Countryside Initiative needs a few good farmers – farmers committed tothe concepts of sustainable agriculture and a vision for sharing those concepts with some ofthe 2,800,000 annual visitors to CVNP.

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The National Park IdeaThe world’s first national park – Yellowstone – was established by the United States Congressin 1872 as “a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.”Since then, the idea of creating nationally significant parks has spread to over 100 countries,and resulted in more than 1,200 parks. The care andmanagement of Yellowstone was placed inthe hands of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. And in 1916, Congress created within theDepartment of the Interior, aNational Park Service to “promote and regulate the use of federalareas known as national parks, monuments, and reservations.” Today, NPS manages some390 units variously designated as national parks, monuments, preserves, lakeshores, seashores,wild and scenic rivers, national trails, historic sites, military parks, battlefields, historical parks,recreation areas, memorials, and parkways. All protect and oversee public use of somenationally significant aspect of America’s natural or cultural heritage.

Parks to the PeopleAlthough several units of the National Park System existed near urban centers prior to the1960s, fewNPS employees regarded the provision of recreation for nearby urban populationsto be a function of their agency. However, the social and political turmoil of the 60s causeda profound rethinking of the roles played bymany governmental and non-governmentalorganizations, includingNPS.The Park Servicewas regarded by some as remote, and neglectfulof urban citizens. Responding to such criticism, and to other needs, NPS developed a highprofile and highly successful Summer in the Parks program in 1967, for federal parks in theWashington, D.C. area. And by 1972, GatewayNational RecreationArea (inNewYorkHarbor)and Golden Gate National Recreation Area (in San Francisco) were formally established.These so-called gateways were intended to serve as models for large, multi-use parks nearurban centers. As Interior Secretary Rogers Morton said at the time, “We can no longeraccept the premise that parks are where you find them; wemust identify – and create – parkswhere people need them.”Thus was formed a new initiative popularly known as Parks to thePeople. Five national urban parks have been created since 1970, including Cuyahoga ValleyNational Recreation Area (CVNRA) – since renamed Cuyahoga ValleyNational Park.

Cuyahoga Valley National ParkPURPOSE OF THE PARK

In 1974, Congress established CVNRA (renamed a National Park in 2000), “for the purposeof preserving and protecting for public use and enjoyment, the historic, scenic, natural, andrecreational values of the Cuyahoga River and the adjacent lands of the Cuyahoga Valley, andfor the purpose of providing for the maintenance of needed recreational open space necessaryto the urban environment…”Most local park proponents believed that CVNP’s creationoccurred just in the nick of time. Although the Cuyahoga Valley, situated between AkronandCleveland,Ohio, escaped the sort of industrial and commercial growth experienced bythese two urban centers, developmentwas creeping into theValley itself by the 1960s and 70s.Subsequently during the 80s and 90s, suburban sprawl piled up against the eastern andwesternboundaries of the new park.

By its 25th birthday in 1999, CVNP had an impressive array of achievements to its credit. Anextensive infrastructure of improved roads, trails, shelters, and visitor centers were in place.Three major recreational/educational features envisioned for the park have been established:the 20-mile TowpathTrail, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, and the Cuyahoga ValleyEnvironmental Education Center. In short, most of the park’s original management andprogram goals have been successfully accomplished – with one major, nagging exception.Preserving and protecting the park’s rural countryside for public use and enjoyment hadturned out to be an extremely complex and elusive goal.

Looking back, by the 1870s, many Clevelanders and Akronites were already venturinginto theCuyahogaValley to escape the pressures of urban industrial life.They came for carriagerides down country lanes, boat rides on the canal, and by the 1880s scenic excursions onthe Valley Railway. They came for picnicking, hiking, and nature study. They came to enjoythe beauty of the open countryside and to buy fresh produce fromValley farmers. By thebeginning of the 20th century, the Cuyahoga Valley was, in effect, an urban recreation area – acountry retreat for city folks. CVNP’s Statement forManagement (1993) notes that “theValley’s real magic andmagnetismwill always be rural charm set in relief against an urbanbackground…”And the official NPS index of national parks says matter-of-factly that CVNP“preserves rural landscapes along the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland andAkron, Ohio.”

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LOSS OF RURAL LANDSCAPES

In fact, rural landscapes would become one of CVNP’s most “endangered species” – mainlybecause the activitymost responsible for creating andmaintaining them had all but disappearedfrom the Valley by the 1990s.Without a viable community of working farms, the countryside –that appealing patchwork of pastures, cropland, and woodlots – quickly disappears. Althoughthe old farms within the boundaries of CVNP have been protected from the concrete andasphalt blanket now covering their counterparts in surrounding suburbs, most park farmscontinued their long slide into disuse and disrepair even after the park was established – andquickly become overgrownwithweeds and brush. Prior to the establishment of theCountrysideInitiative, the distinctive look and feel of a working agricultural landscape was largely gone,scenic vistas increasingly obscured, and the park as a whole felt more andmore closed in.

The Countryside Initiative is an ambitious program to revitalize 20 or so of the old farms inCVNP – and thereby restore for public use and enjoymentmanyof the distinctive historical,scenic, natural, and recreational values for which the park was originally established.

The Countryside InitiativeTHE COUNTRYSIDE IMAGE“You know this image: a mix of crops weaves a varied field pattern, livestock grazeon the land, woodlands and streams make sensuous borders along the fields, tidyfarmsteads dot the landscape. There are fish in the pond, birds in the sky, and wildlifein the woods. The air is clean. There is a small town nearby with a school, stores,and churches. You might not live in this landscape, but you would like to visit it, andwhen you did, you could stop and enjoy a friendly talk with the farmer and buyfresh produce you couldn’t buy in the city.”

–Joan Iverson Nassaur, “Agricultural Landscapes in Harmony with Nature,” Visions ofAmerican Agriculture, ed. by William Lockeretz. Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1997.

Visitors venturing into the Cuyahoga Valley in the 1870s no doubt carried a similar image intheir minds. And, no doubt, found it reinforced by their experiences there (though the fish, wemay be sure, would have been in the canal rather than farm ponds!) Such realities lingered in theValley throughmid 20th century. And so, the image remained strong in theminds of thousandsof volunteers who worked to establish a major park.

That image still lingers in theminds of many, though the reality has largely slipped away. Indeed,today the image doesn’t fit well with much of rural America, where industrial agriculturepredominates. Some would say it is now just generic nostalgia. But it is a strong popularimage, widely shared inWestern society for hundreds of years. It is whatmanyof uswant thecountryside to look like, to be like – andmost would support efforts tomake reality fit the image.

The Countryside Initiative finds its inspiration and its name in that popular image of thecountryside so deeply embedded inWestern minds. Recent English writers occasionally speakof themiddle landscape – a place poisedmidwaybetween the city and thewild, between civilizationand wilderness. Middle landscape is an evocative and appealing term – but for most of us theolder term countryside, is the more familiar, and comfortable. It evokes an image of humansworking in harmonywith one another andwith nature. It conjures up a sense of tended, caredfor, valued nature. It offers a powerful and appealing vision of what farming could and shouldbe like in the Valley again – especially since it will now be part of a national park!

PARKS AS LIVED IN PLACES

Farming in a national park (or any other park) is a most unconventional idea in America.Americans tend to perceive parks as places to visit, not live in – regardless of whether it is aYellowstone-likewilderness, or amanicuredmetropark.That is not the case inmanyother partsof the world. In Great Britain, for example, over 10% of the English landscape is locatedwithin the boundaries of a national park – over 90%of that is privately owned, andmost of it isin farms.Not only is it considered natural and normal to live in parks there, farming is consideredthe only practical way to maintain the openness, beauty, and diversity of the countryside.

CVNP has much in commonwith English and other European parks, and to a degree candraw on their experiences. Yet many of the cultural assumptions about parks are quitedifferent in North America, and there are few parkmanagement traditions to guide a project,such as theCountryside Initiative.Hence, the Initiative is breaking new ground conceptually,philosophically, and legally – in addition to cultivating old farmlands physically.

THE CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

The countryside, themiddle landscape, encompassesmuchmore than farming and agriculture.Yet, those are themain forces or processes honing the general look and feel of most countrysides.And the kind of agriculture pursued – the values and assumptions on which it is based, themeans it uses, and the ends it seeks, determine the character of the countryside. So, it is criticalto ask what kinds of farming would be appropriate for CVNP, what kinds would be compatiblewith the values, purposes, and traditions of NPS.

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There are three points of viewworth noting here. First, some environmentalists see agriculture asgenerally destructive of nature, and therefore better limited to zoneswhich can be isolated andsacrificed for food production. But that is an extreme view evenwithin the environmentalmovement, and it is not widely held in our society. It is certainly not responsive to thepurposes for which CVNPwas established.The opposite extreme (which provides considerablejustification and fuel for the prior view) is what is often labeled modern, mainstream,conventional, or industrial agriculture. And a third option is generally referred to as alternative, orsustainable, agriculture – a middle way for the middle landscape.

Sustainable agriculture is the generic termnowmost commonly used to identify those diversekinds of farming which may be regarded as appropriate for the Initiative. Included underthis conceptual umbrella are several discreet schools of thought and practice bearing nameslike organic, biointensive, biodynamic, permaculture, holistic, civic, integrated, and low-input.The term sustainable came into wide use following the 1988 establishment of a small programwithin theUnited StatesDepartment of Agriculture, namedLow Input SustainableAgriculture(LISA). After several years, that programwas renamed the Sustainable Agriculture Researchand Education Program (SARE) – as it becamemore apparent that sustainability was far morecomplex than limiting expensive production inputs and avoiding ecologically harmful practices.

Even in its early years, sustainable agriculture explicitly rejected most of the assumptions andpractices of industrial agriculture. It advocates more and smaller farms; limited capitalizationand limited use of credit; selective appropriatemechanization; replacement of most agriculturalchemicals with biological, cultural, and mechanical alternatives; and grass-based, free-rangelivestock systems. Equally important, sustainable agriculture rejects the assumption thatmaximizing short-term economic profit is the overriding endwhich drives all decision-making.

In recent years, as sustainable farming has emerged as a viable alternative in certain contexts toindustrialized foodproductionmethods, a broad consensus is forming regarding its fundamentalnature.Tobe truly sustainable, practitioners nowargue, agriculturemust be economicallyprofitable,socially responsible, and ecologically healthy. A box which lacks length, breadth, or depth isnot a box. Agriculture which lacks any of these three dimensions is not sustainable over time.

SELF- INTEREST: PERSONAL, SHARED, ALTRUISTIC

Agricultural economist John Ikerd describes the concept of sustainability as being focused onintergenerational equity – meeting the needs of the present while leaving equal or betteropportunities for the future. Sustainable farmers, he says, pursue an enlightened self-interest,comprised of personal, shared, and altruistic interests. Personal self-interest is primarily aboutindividual monetary gain andmaterial possessions. Shared interests focus on relationships,community, and social values. Altruistic interests focus on ethics, morality and stewardship –doing what is right with little expectation of direct personal gain.

“These new farmers are a diverse lot, but they share a common pursuit of a higherself-interest. They are not trying to maximize profit, but instead are seeking sufficientprofit for a desirable quality of life. They recognize the importance of relationships,of family and community, as well as income, in determining their overall well being.They accept the responsibilities of ethics and stewardship, not as constrains to theirselfishness, but instead, as opportunities to lead successful lives.”

–John Ikerd, “New Farmers for a New Century”, Youth in Agriculture Conference. Ulvik,Norway (February 14 – 15, 2000).

RETAIL FARMING AND NICHE MARKETS

Many find Ikerd’s words profound and inspiring. Certain economic skeptics suggest they arenice, but naive – and assert that they cannot be made to work in the real world. In fact, Ikerd isdescribing what already is working for thousands of individual farmers across America andaround the globe. He has identified critical factors that allow such farmers to confound theconventional wisdom of conventional agriculture. Many of the contrasting assumptions andpractices that distinguish these farmers from their conventional brethren were noted earlier.But Ikerd emphasizes an additional, little understood distinction between conventional andsustainable agriculture. Conventional agriculture is usually a wholesale enterprise, whilesustainable farming is typically a retail enterprise. And therein lies the key to economic successfor small scale farming – and the answer to economic skeptics.

Industrial agriculture produces generic commodities formassmarkets and global trade. Producerand consumer never see one another, know and care little about one another. Sustainablefarming usually focuses on high quality specialty products for direct, local, retail sale – to regularcustomer/friends. Conventional farmers receive approximately 20 cents from each dollar spentbyAmerican consumers for food, half of which covers production costs such as equipment,supplies, and labor. The remaining 80 cents goes to middlemen for transportation, storage,processing, distribution, advertising, and retailing. The economic success of farmers usingsustainable methods rests in part on eliminating most of these middlemen.More importantly,it rests on nichemarketing –marketing directly to peoplewho care about (value), and arewillingto pay a premium price for, food that is of higher quality, grown to their specifications, andgrown without the social and ecological harm resulting from industrial farming practices.

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FARM SIZES AND ENTERPRISES

Initiative farms will range in size from 5 acres or less, to 50 acres or more. The 11 farmscurrently operational are comprised of approximately 2, 11, 12, 12, 17, 18, 25, 26, 30, 30, and 35usable acres.Most Initiative farms will grow and sell the kind of food and fiber crops whichwere grown and sold in the Valley from the early 19th Century through themid 20th Century –even though their methods will be decidedly post-modern (sustainable). Of the currentInitiative farms, three focus on vegetables, four on livestock (meat goats, sheep, chickens,turkeys), one is a vineyard and winery, one a pick-your-own berry operation, one grows culi-nary andmedicinal herbs, and one is a vegetable CSA (see below).

All Initiative farmsmust utilize production practices which are described in Appendix B asmore sustainable. Many Initiative farmers will choose to become certified organic growers,although that is not a requirement of the Initiative.Thosewhodonotmust still followproductionmethods which strictly limit the use of conventional agricultural chemicals. Livestock grazierswill usemanagement intensive grazing systems, moving their animals from paddock to paddockevery few days, to enhance rather than degrade pasture health. And all livestock handlingsystemsmust respect the animals’ basic physical nature and welfare; close confinement systemsare not appropriate. The Initiative has no rigid categorical prohibitions or exclusions for specificcrop or livestock species. In general, however, exotic or newly popular livestock enterprises,such as bison, deer, elk, ostriches, emues, rheas, llamas, alpacas, miniatures, and equine boardingare of limited interest to the Initiative.

Initiative farmswill use the full range of marketingmethods now common in sustainable farming.Some farmers will develop PYO (Pick Your Own) operations for blueberries, raspberries,strawberries, apples, pumpkins, and so on. Some will establish CSA (Community SupportedAgriculture) programs in which shares of each season’s production are sold in advance to, say,50 to 150 families. RSA (Restaurant SupportedAgriculture) arrangementswill provide dependableoutlets for others. Livestock raisers will build strong ties to area ethnic communities providingfresh, high quality, specialty meats for cultural and religious celebrations and traditions. Somefarmerswillmaintain a roadside stand, attendweekly farmers’markets, deliver direct to customers,or have customers pick up produce at the farm. Andmost Initiative farmers will probablymaintain close communication with their customers via the Internet.

Some 2,800,000 visitors use CVNP facilities annually. And, perhaps two to three times as manyresidents of nearby communities traverse the park each year. Visitors and local communitymembers offer enormous market potential for Initiative farmers. And farmers have enormouspotential to offer them newways to use and enjoy the park.Marketing success – marketingsecurity – for Initiative farmers will be based on the personal relationships that develop betweenfarmers and their customers.

LANDSCAPE AESTHETICS

Conservationist Aldo Leopold observed in 1939 that “every farmer’s land is a portrait of him-self” – a poetic way to describe an understanding common among farmers and homeownersalike. A simple drive throughmost middle class American suburbs on a summer weekendreveals an army of turf warriors doing battle with long grass and dandelions. They hold thistruth to be self-evident: The way your place looks is a reflection on you. And Initiative farmersmay expect that many of the turf warriors living near CVNPwill be driving into the Valley toview the farms.What those farms look like will be a reflection on the farm operator, theInitiative, CVCC, CVNP, andNPS. And so, Initiative farmers will need to pay very carefulattention to the aesthetics and appearance of their farms – in a sense, they will always be farm-ing in a fishbowl. Initiative farms should be expressive of valued natural beauty in the country-side – tended, cared for.

RECAPTURING A SENSE OF PLACE

Over the next decade, the Countryside Initiative will continue rehabilitating and revitalizingthe old farms in CVNP. It is expected that 15 – 20 farms, encompassing nearly 1,350 acres, willeventually be included in the program.Typically, one or two farms will be leased every year orso to private individuals. Collectively, this group of farms will recapture some of the look andfeel of the rural countryside, admired by Valley visitors from themid-nineteenthcentury to the mid-twentieth. Of course, these farms represent only a small fraction of thelandscape devoted to farming a century ago. Agricultural census reports from the 1870sand 80s describe the landscape of Valley townships as ranging from 60% to over 90%improved (cleared) for agriculture.

Today, CVNP encompasses some 33,000 acres, 19,000 owned byNPS. Of that, some 425 acres(about 2%) were devoted to agricultural purposes in year 2008, and an even smaller fraction ofnon-federal land is now in any form of agriculture. It would be optimistic to think that theInitiative could eventually restore even 7% of federal lands to farming. To use a playful analogy,the face of the park will never again sport a full farming tan, but it can, perhaps, regain a specialset of green freckles called farms. And, like the bits and pieces of the canal and railroadpreviously rehabilitated, this smattering of small farms will make the Valley’s recent historyand beautymuchmore imaginable and accessible.

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This map depicts the locations and distribution of Countryside Initiative farms rehabilitatedandmade operational 199-2008, as well as the new (2009) site of the park’s CountrysideFarmers’ Market.

MAP KEY:

Potential future Initiative farms

Farm in 2009 Request for Proposals

Farms and Markets operational by 2009

EARLY HARVEST – THE FIRST FARMS

Spring Hill Farm & Market

Greenfield Berry Farm

Goatfeathers Point Farm

Countryside Farmers’ Market

Kossuth Farm

Grazeland

Spicy Lamb Farm

Basket of Life Farm

Sarah’s Vineyard

Neitenbach FarmBrunty Farms

Canal Corners Farm & Market

Four RFPs to lease Countryside Initiative farms have been issued prior to this2009 offering: In 2001, 2005, and 2006, and 2008.Three farm leases resulted fromeach of the first and second offerings, two from the third, and three from thefourth. One farmwas assigned to CVCC for Initiative support in 1999.Thus, atotal of eleven farmswere in various stages of renewal and development by 2008.A brief description of each farm follows.

Note: Farm families typically moveonto their farms sometime duringthe year following the issuance ofan RFP (that is, 2001 offeringsactually resulted in 2002 start-ups).

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Grazeland (Schmidt-Foster Farm, 1999)

Grazeland, a small farm located near the center of CVNP, in BostonHeights, was assigned toCVCC at the beginning of the Countryside Initiative. It is cared for andmanaged by CVCC’sDirector, Darwin Kelsey, and his wife Chris. Grazeland is used for small projects andexperiments which demonstrate opportunities (or solve problems) for other Initiative farms:Such as raising meat goats for local ethnic markets, appropriate design andmaterials forlivestock fencing and shelters, or implementing proper wetland and riparian buffers.

Location: 458W. Hines Hill Road, BostonHeightsContact: 330-657-2532

Sarah’s Vineyard (Parry Farm, 2001 RFP)

Mike andMargaret Lytz have established a vineyard, winery, and art gallery at their Initiativefarmsite located in Cuyahoga Falls. They now raise nine grape varieties, andmake nine typesof wine (including one estate wine). Margaret conducts art classes at the winery during thewinter. The Vineyard holds an annual Summer SolsticeWine, Art & Blues Festival featuringnine regional wineries, now attended by 3,500+ people. Indoor and outdoor dining is availableat the winery as well.

Location: 1274W. Steels Corners Road, Cuyahoga FallsContact:www.SarahsVineyardWinery.com

Spring Hill Farm &Market (Vaughn Farm, 2001 RFP)

Spring Hill is a diversified vegetable, cut flower, and poultry farm located in Brecksville,operated byAlan and SusanHalko. TheHalkos raise over a dozen types of vegetables (including20+ varieties of tomatoes), and 50+ types of flowers. Their poultry operation (eggs and broilers)is pasture based.They sell at the farm, and in theCountryside Farmers’Market atHoweMeadow.

Location: 9570 Riverview Road, BrecksvilleContact: 440-546-0652

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Basket of Life Farm (Duffy Farm, 2005 RFP)

Basket of Life is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm located in BostonTownship,established by Eric andHeatherWalters. Their CSAmembers pay an annual membership feefor the opportunity to pick-up a big bag of veggies each week throughout the growing season.Basket of Life expects to grow from 25members in 2007, to around 200members in three orfour years.

Location: 4965 Quick Road, BostonTownshipContact:www.BasketofLifeFarm.com

Greenfield Berry Farm (Welton Farm, 2005 RFP)

Daniel andMichele Greenfield are developing a PYO (pick-your-own) berry farm in BostonTownship. The farmwill establish several acres of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries – aswell as other fruit and vegetables. The Greenfields produce hickory bark syrup, and “oatbites”, a snack foodmade from locally produced oats, walnuts, and honey. Daniel is also anenvironmental educator, and will use the farm to host classes from the nearby CuyahogaValley Environmental Education Center.

Location: 2485Major Road, BostonTownshipContact:www.GreenfieldBerryFarm.com

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Goatfeathers Point Farm (Point Farm, 2005 RFP)

Goatfeathers Point is a small livestock operation operated byTerry and Cindy Smith in BostonTownship. The farm produces meat goats for Northeast Ohio’s numerous ethnic communities,and “heritage” turkeys for theThanksgivingmarket. In 2007, their goats numbered 70+ breedinganimals and will grow to around 200 in the next few years. Annual turkey production willincrease to about 200 birds as well. The Smiths sell directly from the farm, and occasionally inCountryside Farmers’ Markets.

Location: 4570 Akron-Peninsula Road, BostonTownshipContact: 330-657-2726



Neitenbach Farm (Grether Farm, 2006 RFP)

AJ and Pamela Neitenbachmoved onto their small Initiative farm (of 2 acres) in late 2007.Located near the southern end of CVNP, in Cuyahoga Falls, their farm business will combinevegetable crops with culinary andmedicinal herbs. Theywill sell their products through anon-farm stand, and at the Countryside Farmers’ Markets.

Location: 3077 Akron-Peninsula Road, Cuyahoga FallsContact: 330-926-1176

Spicy Lamb Farm (Garvey Farm, 2006 RFP)

Spicy Lamb Farm is being developed byDavidWright & Laura DeYoung in Peninsula. As thename suggests, the farm focuses on sheep – primarily gourmet lambmeat. Spice and herb gar-dens and an orchard will supply a variety of products to compliment lamb. Laura andDavidalso hope to develop the farm as a center for agritourism and environmental education.

Location: 6560Akron-Peninsula Road, PeninsulaContact:www.TheSpicyLamb.com

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Kossuth Farm (Leyser Farm, 2008 RFP)

Kossuth Farmwill become a diversified fruit, vegetables, and small livestock operation inBrecksville Township managed byKaroly and Erin Bozan – and his parents, Karoly and Irene,who owned and operated a similar farm inHungary where Karoly grew up. The Bozans planto market their produce at the farm, on the internet, and at Countryside Farmers’ Markets.

Location: 9640 Riverview Road, BrecksvilleContact:[email protected]

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Brunty Farms (Martin Farm, 2008 RFP)

Jeff Brunty andMelanie Shenk are establishing a pastured poultry business near the southwestcorner of CVNP in BathTownship. Future diversification will also include fruit, vegetables andcut flowers. Fresh eggs are available for sale at the farm, and at both Countryside Farmers’Markets. Broilers andThanksgiving turkeys can be preordered and picked up at the farm orthe markets as well.

Location: 2470martin Road, BathTownshipContact:www.BruntyFarms.com

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Connecting to Larger Worlds“Countryside Initiative Farms do not exist in a vacuum. During the 19th Century, farmsspread up and down the Cuyahoga Valley as a result of myriad influences and forcesoriginating regionally, nationally, even globally. Then, during the 20th Century,those farms began disappearing from the Valley – as a result of influences originatingregionally, nationally, and globally. Not surprisingly, the farms now being revivedthrough the Countryside Initiative will also prosper or fail in part because of influencesemanating beyond CVNP and the Valley.

“Where and how American food is grown has changed radically. At the beginning ofthe 20th Century most food was grown “nearby”. At the beginning of the 21stCentury it is grown far away – in places like California, or Chile, or China. Most longdistance food is grown on a grand scale – and therefore necessarily grown usingindustrial production methods. Some say our modern industrial food system providesa food supply that is abundant, cheap, and convenient. Unfortunately, it also comeswith an inherent pattern of undesirable side effects: Food of inferior taste andnutrition, environmental pollution, intensive consumption of energy, exacerbation ofclimate change, depleted aquifers, farm worker abuse, and narrow corporate controlof our national food supply. Over 98% of all food consumed in America is nowproduced by a long distance industrial system – and there are consequences.

“What we do not know about we can not care about. And today in America, few ofus – less than 2% – have any direct connection to the land and people that feed us.Countryside Initiative farms and educational programs offer an unusual array ofopportunities to reacquaint modern urbanites with the connections between land,farmers, food, and themselves – so that they can understand, care, and act to helpbuild socially and ecologically responsible local food systems.

“CVCC plays a critical role helping the Countryside Initiative appropriately navigate suchcomplex realities. The Conservancy is a small “think-and-do tank” working to rebuild localfarming and food systems across Northeast Ohio. Its four interrelated program centersfocus on farmland preservation and farm viability, growing a new generation of sustainablefarmers, rebuilding local food systems, and developing citizen/community support forsocially and environmentally responsible food economies. Working with and through CVCC’svarious programs enables CVNP to greatly enhance its cultural and economic impact onNortheast Ohio.”

– Darwin Kelsey, Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy, March, 2008.

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Canal Corners Farm&Market (Gleeson Farm, 2008 RFP)

DavidWingenfeld and his three adult children (David, Noah, andMegan) are establishing adiversified farming andmarketing operation near the northern end of CVNP, in Valley View.TheWingenfelds produce vegetables for sale at their on-site farmmarket and supply localrestaurants as well. Theywill also operate a bike rental for CVNP visitors, and will developeducational programs with several local schools.

Location: 7243 Canal Road, Valley ViewContact: 216-624-3916



ToMarket, To MarketIt’s 9:00 a.m., Saturdaymorning: The cowbell rings, the ribbon drops – and the stampede is on(see photo at the left). By 9:02 lines are forming for juicy peaches, freshly dug fingerlingpotatoes, grass-fed beef, heritage pork, artisan cheeses, and flaky croissants. There is music inthe air. A local chef is getting a cooking demo ready. And, there is a tomato tasting (30 varieties)at 10:00. It’s a community happening.

The Countryside Farmers’ Market in CVNP is the first in a National Park. Originally located atHeritage Farms in Peninsula (2004-2008) it moved to HoweMeadow, the park’s main festivalfield, in 2009 to allow continuing growth in both scale and length of season. CVCCmanagesthe market to balance the needs of participating farmers and food vendors, the Park itself, andthe community at large. In addition to this weekend “country”market, CVC operates a weekday“city” market in nearbyAkron, at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens.

While both markets serve as important sales venues for Countryside Initiative farms, theycould not exist without participation (for product diversity and volume) of 30-40 other nearbyfarmers and food producers. Farmers in the Countryside Initiative are linked to anddependent upon peers beyond the park. And, both are utterly dependent upon an informedand supportive community.

Home Again, Home AgainUltimately, the success of Countryside Initiative farmers (and their peers outside the park) dependupon rebuilding a broad, deep public enthusiasm for cooking – and the knowhow.Althoughsuperior taste andnutrition begin in the soil, and are greatly affected byhow food is harvested andhandled, cooking is the final critical gateway tomaking food truly enjoyable andhealthy.

Countryside Farmers’ Markets are launching sites for youth and adult cooking classes taughtby local food professionals and enthusiasts. “Junior Chefs” or adults join experienced chefsand cooks for a guided trek through the market to buy food from local farmers – and thenhead for a nearby kitchen for hands-on cooking instruction.

The accompanying photos offer a glimpse of a Summer 2009 Junior Chefs class taught byDante Boccuzzi, chef-owner of Restaurant Dante. Class began with shopping at theCountryside Farmers’ Market at CVNP’s HoweMeadow, and finished up in the kitchen anddining hall of nearbyOldTrail School. These Junior Chefs went home with a new recipe, newskills, new confidence – and, just maybe, some possibilities for a future career.

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Leasing Authority &ConditionsLegislative AuthorizationLong-term leasing of federally owned or administered property, for purposes such as theCountryside Initiative, is authorized by Congressional Acts 16 U.S.C. 1a-2(k) and U.S.C. 470 h-3.Associated regulations allow leases of up to 60 years, at fair market value rent. Prior to theseauthorizations, use of NPS lands for agricultural purposes was limited to Special Use Permits(SUPs) covering periods of one to five years. Although short-term SUPs are intended toprevent or limit serious damage to park lands, ironically, they act as a negative incentive to basicland stewardship. It is economically irrational for farmers to undertake costly long-term landcare programs, which can take years or decades to implement, since they have little assuranceof a reasonable return on their investment. The leasing authority now available for theCountryside Initiative resolves this inherent dilemma.

Duration & Transferability of LeasesThemaximum term or duration of any lease will be 60 years, at which point a new opencompetitive process is once again required by law. Some lesseesmay prefer a shorter-term lease.However, a competitively earned leasehold interest is transferable (by gift, sale, or other device)to the lessees’ children, or to other persons, subject to approval by CVNP. Any transfer ofthe right to occupy and operate a Countryside Initiative farm is contingent upon the lessee andtransferee satisfactorily demonstrating that such a change will result in equal or superiormanagement of the farm.

Responsibility for ContinuousActive FarmingAchieving the purpose and objectives of the Countryside Initiative depends upon all leased farmsbeing actively and continuously operated – as described in lessees’ winning proposals, in theirsubsequently negotiated leases, and in annually approved operating plans. If a lessee becomesunable to fulfill the obligations of his or her lease, for whatever reason (illness, injury, insolvency,divorce, death, and so on), the lessee (or lessee’s agent) must transfer the remaining leaseholdinterest as described above, or relinquish the remaining interest directly to CVNP. Either optionmust be completed within twelve months of the date on which the lessee notifies CVNP of aninability to continue, or of the date that CVNP notifies the lessee that the lessee is in default ofagreed upon lease requirements.

Fair Market Value RentDUAL COMPONENTS OF RENT

All Countryside Initiative farmsmust be leased at fair market value rent. In the marketplace,farm leases are commonly based on two distinct financial factors: the rental value of a residence,and the rental value of agricultural buildings and land (or the productive income from usingthe buildings and land.) This practice is followed in establishing fair market value rent forInitiative farms.

RESIDENTIAL COMPONENT

The residential component of fairmarket value rent is determined by first obtaining an appraisal,prepared by an independent certified appraiser, which compares Initiative farm residenceswith similar properties in surrounding communities. This raw number is then adjusted toreflect several limitations, restrictions, and requirements. First, only personswith the knowledge,resources, and willingness to affirmatively farm according to Initiative guidelines are eligible tolease and live in these residences. Lessees must affirmatively comply with all applicable federalregulations andNPS requirements related to archaeological, historical, and natural resources(e.g., National Environmental PolicyAct, NationalHistoric PreservationAct, Endangered SpeciesAct).Moreover, lessees will experience a significant loss of privacy due to the residence’s locationon a park farmwhere limited but regular public access is encouraged. For these and otherreasons, the raw appraisal will be reduced 50% for all residences, and an additional 10% for allresidences listed in, or eligible for listing in, the National Register of Historic Places.

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PRODUCTIVE COMPONENT

The productive component of fair market value rent will be computed as a percentage of grossfarm revenue derived from farming and all other sources related to the use of the Initiativeproperty. Other sources of lessee revenue, unrelated to use of the farm site, shall have no bearingon this rental component. This method of determining farm rent is one of several methodscommonly referred to in themarket place as a flexible cash rent. This particular form of flexiblecash rent allows lessors and lessees to share in both the risks of production and in opportunitiesfor profit.

The precise percentage paid byMidwestern farmers for rental of land varieswidely by agriculturalenterprise: 30% to 40% of gross revenue in conventional corn and soybean operations and10% to 20%of gross revenue in chemically intensive fruit/vegetable enterprises.WhileCountrysideInitiative farm enterpriseswillmore closely resemble the latter, they carry an additional affirmativeresponsibility to use only approved sustainable production practices. Hence, the productivecomponent of Initiative farm rent will be benchmarked at 10% of gross farm income. Thatbenchmark will be reduced by 1% of gross income for certified organic producers sinceverification of sustainable production practices will be largely assumed by the certifying agency.

Initiative farmers are expected to be active land stewards, enhancing soil health and productivitythrough ecologically natural and beneficial practices which are relatively slow. Such practicesoften require five to ten years to reach (and stabilize at) optimum levels of production. Similarly,Initiative farmers are expected to create new retail markets where none currently exist – aprocess which also typically follows a slow growth curve, requiring five to ten years to achievea high optimum level. Hence, a lessee’s productive component of rent will be discounted duringthe first ten years of operation: beginning at 5%of gross farm income in year one (4% for certifiedorganic enterprises), and increasing thereafter .5% annually until reaching 10% in year ten(9% for certified organic).

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This map depicts the location of the single leasing opportunity available for 2009.

Leasing Opportunity for 2009

6885 Canal Road

Village of Valley View, Cuyahoga Co.

1LOCATION OF FARMING UNITS

MAP KEY:

Farms Reestablished1999 – 2008



Overview of 2009 OfferingThe 2009 leasing opportunity for theCountryside Initiative involves a single farming unit.That unitconsists of a rehabilitated residence, an unrehabilitated tenant house, and various parcels of nearbyland.Like farmselsewhere,mostValleyfarmshavepassedthroughaseriesof ownerships, subdivisions,andmodifications. Over time, buildingswere added and removed, and field usage changed ascircumstances evolved.The farming unit offered for lease here attempts to salvage surviving remnantsof multiple older farms to create one practical unit suited formodern, small-scale, retail farming.

As in prior offerings, CVNPhas undertaken substantial rehabilitation of the surviving farmhouse, andlimited clearing of old fields not yet into advanced natural succession. CVNP’s building rehabilitationestablishes aminimumbenchmark for lessee’smaintenance of farm buildings during the term oftheir lease. CVNP will retain limited responsibility for the repair and replacement of majorstructural components and systems. Butminor repairs, routinemaintenance, and cosmetic changeswill be the lessee’s responsibility (see the supplementalCountryside InitiativeModel Lease for specificdetails). CVNP’s removal of weeds and brush from old fields, while eliminating an inconvenienceand start-up cost for lessees, does not establish a similar benchmark for land stewardship.The “as is”conditions of farmfields aremerely a starting point for the lessee’s long-term improvement of soilhealth. (See Preferred Production Practices for SustainableAgriculture, inAppendix B).

Compared to conventional agriculture,mostCountryside Initiative farmingwill require relativelymodest capital investment. Still, Initiative enterpriseswill requiremost lessees tomake some capitalinvestment for additional buildings, fences, ponds, or other needs. Such investmentswill be entirely theresponsibility of the lessee and should be amortized over the duration of the lease – since, by law,ownership of such additions and improvementsmust revert toNPSupon terminationof the lease.

Proposers should be aware that significant changes to existing buildings or landscape featuresmayormaynot be possible. Countryside Initiative farms exist in aNational Park context –which isto say a special place, with special preservation and protection needs. Some farms are located onarcheologically sensitive sites which have been occupied by humans for thousands of years. Severalare in theNational Register of Historic Places. Others have fragile environmental features. And allfarms have strongwildlife pressure.The Initiative is not apt to be a good fit for personswhoperceivethese realities as irksome impediments – rather than cultural andnatural featureswhich couldmaketheir livesmore interesting and enjoyable, and their stewardshipmore significant. CVCC andCVNPstaff are prepared towork closelywith proposers/ lessees to findworkable solutions for legitimateenterprise needs. Inmost instances, the real issuewill bewhat a building, fence, or pond should looklike, or where to locate it, not whether it can happen.

The farm offered in this RFP, as in prior offerings, is identified by thenamemost commonlyusedbyparkmanagers.NationalRegister properties are usually referred toby thenameof the originalowner or builder of the residence.Non-Register properties are referred toby thenameof the occupantat the time the sitewas acquiredbyNPS. Suchnameswill, nodoubt, continue to beused as amatter ofcustombypark resourcemanagers. But it is expected that once these farmingunits are leased forCountryside Initiative use, theywill becomeknown to lessees, and to the general public, by appropriateanddistinctive names selectedby lessees to help establish clear identities for their new farming enter-prises.This has alreadyoccurred for currentlyoperational initiative farms.

Farmingunits offered for lease typically include several fields.These fieldswere assigned arbitrarynumbers in the course of inventoryingCVNP’s surviving agricultural resources, and these numbersnow appear in the following description of the Edgar Farm.Theyhave no significance, other thanserving as a simple, convenient means for identifying a particular field. The approximate acreage,soil type, and recent usage of each field is listed.

While themost important general features of the farming unit offered are described in this RFPdocument, other significant and useful supplemental information is available regarding the farmbuildings and fields.These supplemental information sheets will be available on theCVCC andCVNPwebsites (www.cvcountryside.org and www.nps.gov/cvnp), and at the CVCCoffice foranyone not having convenient internet access. A formal, group tour of this farmsite will be conduct-ed during the 60 dayperiod between the public release of this document and the due date for thecompleted proposal. It is recommended that everyone preparing a proposal attend one of the sched-uled pre-proposal tour/discussions. See the RFP’s cover letter (accompanyingmailed RFPs, and onthe abovewebsites) for specific times and locations of each tour.

From time to time changes in federal regulations can affect park policies and regulations (such asthose associatedwith this RFP). Any such changes, should they occur, will be communicated toproposers in a timely fashion, prior to the signing of any lease documents.

Description of Initiative Farming UnitEd

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FARM FIELDS MAP


Edgar FarmThe Edgar Farm is located at the northern edge of CVNP, in the Village of Valley View,Cuyahoga County. Its mailing address is 6885 Canal Road, Valley View, Ohio 44125. Thetwo story farmhouse sits on the northeast corner of Canal and Hathaway Roads. Northof the farmhouse is a small tenant house; there are no other remaining outbuildings.Four nearby fields, now associated with the farm, total 35 acres.

HISTORICAL SKETCH

The farmhouse, built in 1909, is a two story gabled ell frame structure – with a one and a halfstory rear ell, and a one story front porch. The farmhouse has been extensively rehabilitated byCVNP. The small tenant house was remodeled from an earlier building in 1934 – and is now aone story, side-gabled, saltbox roof structure of irregular plan. It is believed the earlier buildingmay have been a chicken coop.*

The Edgar Farm is considered historically significant to the heritage of the Cuyahoga Valley,and to contribute to the rural landscape of the park. The Edgar farmhouse itself is included onthe List of Classified Structures andmust be treated as a historically significant building.

The 1880 US Census of Agriculture, as well as period tax records, indicate that JohnW. Edgarwas owner of a 96 acre farm at this location – described as typical of nearby farms at the time.Edgar grew corn, oats, wheat, potatoes, and had a one acre apple orchard. Livestock includedhorses, milk cows, other cattle, swine, and poultry.

In 1892, John’s brother Harley and his sisterMary acquired a one fifth interest in the property.The existing farmhouse was built in 1909, most likely for Harley and his wifeMargaret. Theproperty was occupied by the Edgar family until 1944, when it began to be rented out.

William and Clara Kukoleck purchased a portion of the Edgar property in 1976 – 5.6 acresincluding the two houses, and an old garage no longer extant. While CVNP purchased thisproperty in 1978, the Kukoleck family continued to live there under a lease agreement untillate 2007.

* Note: The tenant house may be leased as is – since CVNPwill not be fullyrehabilitating the structure. If the selected lessee chooses to retain the tenant house,CVNPwill install a new roof – but further renovationwould become the responsibilityof the lessee (with plans being reviewed and approved byCVNPprior to the start ofwork). If the selected lessee chooses not to retain the structure, CVNPwill demolish it.

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FARMHOUSE AND TENANT HOUSE LOCATION MAP

Field System Description – Field Data

Field # Approx. Acreage Soil Types Current UsageCurtilage 1.0 Silt Loam Lawn6 12.6 Silt Loam Corn, Pumpkins, Hay9 9.4 Silt Loam Hay, Oat11 9.3 Silt Loam Corn12 3.8 Silt Loam Pumpkins, Hay

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Farmhouse Description

Residence DataStories 2Rooms 10

Bedrooms 3Baths 2

Area (Sq. Ft.)Basement 500Crawlspace 2601st Floor 8002nd Floor 800Porch 70

Total 2430Heat

Type FWA*Fuel Natural Gas

Cooling CentralSanitary MunicipalWater MunicipalFMV Rent $550/mo

Tennant House Description

Area (Sq. Ft.)Basement 3001st Floor 750

Total 1050* FWA – Forced Warm Air

EDGAR FARMHOUSE1st Floor

EDGAR FARMHOUSEBasement

EDGAR FARMHOUSE2nd Floor



Proposal DevelopmentINVITATION TO COMPETE

As noted earlier, this RFP is, by law, open to all interested parties on a competitive basis.Hence, the proposal judgedmost likely to achieve the best use of the farm in the current offeringwill be selected for implementation. However, we are encouraging all interested parties toprepare as creative and strong a proposal as their experience and resources allow. Superiorideasmaywell be proposed by persons having limited experience or resources. Such proposalswill receive careful consideration for this and future offerings; promising concepts can berefined and improved for future offerings. And promising proposers can be helped to improvetheir knowledge, skills, and resources in order to becomemore competitive in the future.

FORMAT AND ACCURACY

Proposals submitted in response to this request should follow the simple format suggested below.You are asked to answer questions or supply specific information to fifteen numbered items.Please number your responses correspondingly, from one to fifteen, and respond fully andaccurately to all questions/requests. Honest, accurate responses are essential to determiningthe best match between proposals/proposers and a particular farm. False statements are a basisfor disqualifying any proposal, or for voiding a lease if discovered at a later date. Additionalpenalties for false statements are prescribed in 18 U.S.C. 1001.

PURPOSE OF THE INFORMATION REQUESTED

The information requested here will serve as the substance of your proposal. Straightforwardand thoughtful responses to the information requested will effectively demonstrate whata proposer would like to accomplish, and why. And thorough responses will give proposalevaluators a good basis for judging whether a proposer has the knowledge, experience, andresources to accomplish their vision.

INQUIRIES & EXPLANATIONS

Any explanation desired by a proposer regarding the meaning or interpretation of the RFPmust be submitted in writing and with sufficient time allowed for a reply to reach the proposerbefore the submission of their proposal. Oral explanations or interpretations given in reply willnot be binding. Any information given in writing to a prospective proposer will be furnished toall prospective proposers as Supplemental Information: Questions &Answers (see page 23) ifsuch information is necessary to proposers in submitting a proposal, or if the lack of suchinformation would be prejudicial to uninformed proposers.

Proposal ContentsPlease respond thoughtfully, creatively, and accuratelywhen providing the following information.Describe your vision of the farming business you would like to develop on the farm beingoffered. Your proposal should address all issues raised in the following questions in somemannerand detail. Please organize your proposal contents as responses to the fifteen following questions.

PROPOSER IDENTIFICATION

Please provide full identification of the person(s) responsible for the proposal submitted:Name(s), address(es), telephone number(s), fax number(s), or e-mail address(es). In addition,please supply the name(s), address(es), and phone number(s) of two personal and twoprofessional references.

FARM OF CHOICE

Prior lease offerings have includedmultiple farms, and proposers have been required to indi-cate a preference, or explain how their proposed enterprise would be adapted if they wereinterested in more than one farm. In 2009 only a single farm is being offered. Hense, pleaseexplain your interest in this particular property – and identify why it is suited for your intendedenterprise.

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FARMING ENTERPRISE

Describe your “enterprise” (i.e., pick-your-own strawberries; 57 varieties of veggies; specialtymeats for ethnic markets; sheep’s milk cheese; etc.). Explain your choice of this enterprise asopposed to other possibilities.

Describe and explain your intended production practices. Do you intend to become acertified organic producer?Why? Explain where you fit on the spectrum of productionpractices outlined in Appendix B, and the environmental consequences of your practices.

Describe and explain your retail and niche marketing philosophy, and some of the specificpractices you intend to implement.

Develop a timeline and narrative describing what youmight expect to accomplish in one year,three years, five years, ten years, beyond. Describe your assumptions and contingencies.

COMPATIBILITY

Describe in your ownwords your understanding or interpretation of the purposes of theCountryside Initiative.What do you see as the Initiative’s most important or useful features?The least important or useful?What would you like to see changed, rethought, or redirectedabout the purpose, vision, or goals of the Initiative, if possible?Why?

Describe ways in which you are a good fit for the Countryside Initiative. What would you, andyour farm, contribute to the big picture – to the goals and objectives of the Initiative?

Two goals of the Countryside Initiative, described in this RFP, are “reestablishing a workingagricultural landscape” in the park and the desire for each farm to be an expression of “beautyin the countryside.” Explain how your enterprise will interpret and contribute to these goals.

Howwill your farm encourage interaction with regular park visitors and residents fromsurrounding communities?

Having read and considered the terms presented in the Countryside InitiativeModel Lease(see page 23, Supplemental Information), are you prepared to execute a similar documentwithout substantial modification? Briefly identify any section of the lease you would hopeto modify.

RESOURCES

Describe your human resources: Explain the knowledge, skills, and experience that you wouldbring to your proposed enterprise. Please describe your farming experience in some detail.Similarly describe the role you expect hired staff/interns, familymembers, friends, or otherpersons to play in the enterprise.

Detail your financial resources: Do you have savings, or access to other capital to launch yourenterprise?What capital investments will be needed for your particular enterprise, on yourparticular farm?Where will the capital come from?Will you have non-farm sources of revenueto help support your family/group/organization? Before final selection, proposers must supplyproof of the financial resources described/claimed in their proposal (credit report, list ofassets, list of assets for individual lenders, etc.). Proposers are encouraged to complete andinclude a Financial Capability Information Formwith their proposal (see page 23,supplemental information, No. 6).

Other Resources: Describe any other available resources (equipment,...) that will enable you toexecute the farm enterprise.

BUSINESS PLAN

Prepare a basic three-year start-up budget showing anticipated expected capital expenditures,annual enterprise operating expenses, annual living expenses, and annual revenues sufficientto safely cover all expenditures. (See Appendix C for typical annual enterprise operatingbudget categories, details, and format.)

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Submission of ProposalsITEMS TO INCLUDE

Proposers are requested to review the preceding general section, Proposal Contents &Evaluation, to be certain that all fifteen questions/requests have been carefully addressed.A transmittal letter (based on the model in Appendix A) will complete the requiredinformation. TheNational Park Service assumes no responsibility for a proposal submittedon the basis of an incomplete package.

NUMBER OF COPIES, METHODS OF TRANSMITTAL

Six (6) copies of the transmittal letter and proposal must be enclosed in a sealed envelope orenvelopes, and received at the National Park Service office before the local prevailing time anddate stated in the cover letter accompanying this RFP. The face of the sealed envelope(s) shallshow the proposer’s name and address, and the receiver’s address as shown here:

Countryside Initiative RFPCuyahoga Valley National Park15610 Vaughn RoadBrecksville, OH 44141

Telephonic proposals, faxes, e-mail, and other means of transmittal will not be considered.Please note that proposals will not be returned to the proposers and will be retained by theNational Park Service.

LATE PROPOSALS, MODIFICATIONS, & WITHDRAW

Any proposal received at the designated location after the time specified for receipt (see thecover letter accompanying this RFP) will not be considered unless: (1) It was sent by registeredor certifiedmail not later than the fifth calendar day prior to the date specified for receipt ofoffers (e.g. a proposal submitted in response to a solicitation requiring receipt by the 20th of themonthmust have beenmailed by the 15th or earlier); (2) It was sent bymail and it is determinedby the Government that the late receipt was due solely to mishandling by the National ParkService after receipt at the Park Service office; or (3) It is the only proposal received.Modifications to any proposal are subject to conditions (1) and (2) above. Proposals may bewithdrawn bywritten notice, signed by the proposer or an authorized representative.

Acceptance and Evaluation of Proposals& Issuance of LeasesPROPOSAL ACCEPTANCE

NPS reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive information and minorirregularities in proposals received. Proposals will be conditionally accepted or rejectedwithin sixty (60) days of the date specified for receipt of proposals. Final acceptance of anyproposal will be conditional upon satisfactory negotiation and execution of a lease, andupon the lease’s approval by the Regional Director, Midwest Region, NPS.

Acceptance of a proposal will not create any rights on the proposer’s part including, andwithout limitation, rights of enforcement, equity or reimbursement, until the lease and allrelated documents are approved and executed. All obligations of NPS are subject to theavailability of appropriated funds.

PROPOSAL EVALUATION

All proposals will be scored on the quality of their response to the forgoing fifteen questionsand requests for information. Each question/request is important, and failure to satisfactorilyaddress any can be disqualifying. Successful proposalswill demonstrate a thoughtful and thoroughresponse to the entire set of questions/requests. In brief, proposers must present a clearand appealing vision of what they want to accomplish and why; and theymust convincinglydemonstrate that they have the knowledge, skills, and resources to effectively implementtheir vision.

Responses to the forgoing fifteen questions will be used to score each proposal on six specificcriteria:

1. The farming concept is feasible and appropriate for the intended property.2. Themarketing strategy is likely to ensure long-term business success.3. The compatibility of the proposers intended use of the lease property with respectto preservation, protection, and visitor use of the park.

4. The financial capability of the proposer’s to implement their proposal and carryout the terms and conditions of the lease.

5. The experience of the proposers demonstrates the capability to carry out theterms of the lease (farming, marketing, business management, etc).

6. The resources, abilities, and commitment of the proposers demonstrate highpotential for effective, long-term implementation of both the letter and spirit of aCountryside Initiative lease.

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SupplementalInformation Available

Supplemental information is available to help potential proposers better understand theinitiative in general, and the specific farm in the current offering. The followinginformation is available on the CVNP and CVCC websites (www.cvnp.gov/cvnp andwww.cvcountryside.org). Hard copies will be available for those without convenient accessto the internet at the CVCC office, and at each preproposal farm site tour.

1. Supplemental FarmTopographic & Soil Maps2. Countryside InitiativeModel Lease3. Sustainable Agriculture Select Bibliography4. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation5. Supplemental Questions &Answers6. Financial Capability Information Form

Countryside Conservancy2179 Everett RoadPeninsula, OH 44264Phone: 330-657-2542Fax: 330-657-2198Web:www.cvcountryside.org

*Note: CVCC serves as the primary public contact for the Initiative. CVCC is a non-profit501(c)(3) corporation chartered in 1999 by the State of Ohio.While, the corporation’s full legalname remains Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy (and is used in this RFP), it nowgenerally “does business as” the Countryside Conservancy.

AppendicesThe three appendices referred to in this RFP text, and listed here, are presented on thefollowing pages.

A.Model Transmittal LetterB. Preferred Production Practices for Sustainable AgricultureC. Typical Budget Categories, Details, and Format

Appendix AMODEL TRANSMITTAL LETTER

Countryside Initiative RFPCuyahoga ValleyNational Park15610 Vaughn RoadBrecksville, OH 44141

Dear Evaluators:

(I)(We) hereby propose to lease (name of farm) located in Cuyahoga ValleyNational Park, inaccordance with the terms and conditions specified in your RFP. (I)(We) are prepared toexecute a lease without substantive modification of the Countryside InitiativeModel Lease,except as specifically identified in the enclosed proposal, and asmay be agreed to byNPS, oras may be required byNPS pursuant to the terms of the RFP and any governing regulations.

(I)(We) certify that the information furnished herewith is true to the best of (my)(our) knowledgeand beliefs. (I)(We) also certify that (I)(We) have not been suspended or disbarred from holdinga Federal contract.

(I)(We) have responded fully and accurately in (my)(our) proposal to each of the followingquestions/requests for information.

1. Proposer identification and references2. Farm of Choice3. Description/details of my/our farm’s enterprise4. Production practices, and their environmental consequences5. Retail and niche marketing philosophy and practice6. Development timeline and narrative7. Understanding of the Countryside Initiative8. Enterprise’s fit/contribution to the Initiative9. Contribution to CVNP’s agricultural landscape10. Interaction with park visitors and nearby communities11. Farm lease issues12. Human resources13. Financial resources14. Other resources15. Business plan

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Appendix BPREFERRED PRODUCTION PRACTICES FOR SUSTAINABLE

AGRICULTURE

Countryside Initiative farmers will be expected to possess substantial knowledge of sustainableproduction practices. Proposers must demonstrate awareness of preferred production practicesin their RFP submission. Subsequently farm lessees will have to provide greater detail onexpected production practices in annual operating proposals.

There are awide range of practices which are acceptable formost enterprise types, and Initiativefarmers will be free to choose whichever practices they prefer, provided they do not violategeneral principles of sustainability. The charts shown here suggest a spectrum of practices fromless sustainable tomore sustainable. Farming in the real world is not abstract; it involves specificconflicting circumstances and pressures which are not easy to balance. In general, however,Initiative farmsmust strike a balance which puts them clearly within the more sustainable partsof the spectrum.

PRODUCTION PRACTICES FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVESTOCK

ENTERPRISES

Like sustainable crop production, sustainable livestock production involves a wide range ofproduction practices which are acceptable for Countryside Initiative farms. Initiative farmersare free to choose among literally hundreds of specificmanagement options related to livestockspecies, breeds, genetics, facilities, feeds and feeding, grazing systems, health care, butcheringand processing, marketing, and so forth – provided those choices result in humane care of allfarm animals during the course of their lives, and provided that the environmental consequencesof the livestock enterprise are positive.

ANIMAL WELFARE

Countryside Initiative livestock operations must use what are generally referred to as looseconfinement systems. That is, poultry are not caged, swine are not tightly crated, beef cattle arenot packed into feedlots, and dairy cattle are not confined to small exercise areas. All livestockmust have regular access to open air and pasture.All livestock facilitiesmust be properly ventilatedand provide animals with clean, dry rest areas (sheltered from wind during cold weather).Each proposer/lessee is responsible for recommending specific livestockmanagement practicesfor CVCC/CVNP review and approval.

GRASS-BASED LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION

In simplest terms, Countryside Initiative livestock enterprises are expected to be grass-based.Plant scientist and grazing researcher E. Ann Clark, University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada),describes certain recent concepts of grass-based farming as attempts tomimic ormirror naturalprocesses. In nature, there is no waste, because the output of every process constitutes theinputs for other processes. In contrast, conventional livestock production systems (whichdepend on specialized crop production to support livestock fed in confinement) breakmanyof the natural cycles that protect ecological systems.

Mind-set for sustainable Agriculture *

Less Sustainable Thinking More Sustainable ThinkingGet through this year Next few years make or break Transfer farm to kids or to another good farmer Stewardship for many generations

* Adapted with permission from Sustainable Vegetable Production from Start-Up to Market (NRAES-104). Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service,(NRAES), PO Box 4557, Ithaca, NY 14852-4557, www.nraes.org.

Production Practices for Sustainable Vegetable/Crop Enterprises *

Less Sustainable Practices More Sustainable Practices

* Adapted with permission from Sustainable Vegetable Production from Start-Up to Market (NRAES-104). Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service,(NRAES), PO Box 4557, Ithaca, NY 14852-4557, www.nraes.org.

Crop RotationMonoculture (same crop in samefield each year)

Organic Matter MaintenanceAdd crop residues only

Nitrogen FertilizationBroadcast bagged fertilizer in fall

Insect ManagementCalendar spray insecticides (onpredetermined schedule)

Weed ManagementApply herbicides as primary weedcontrol tool

Disease ManagementApply fungicide on a predeterminedschedule (e.g., weekly)

Two years between the same cropplanted in the same field

Add animal manures + cropresidues

Broadcast bagged fertilizer inspring

Scout for insect pests, then spraynon-selective insecticide

Apply reduced rates of herbicideand cultivate

Use disease modeling to timefungicide applications as needed

Three years between the samecrop planted in the same field

Add cover crops, animal manures,+ crop residues

band and sidedress fertilizer tomatch timing of crop uptake

Scout for insect pests, then sprayselective, least-toxic pesticide

Cultivate to remove weeds

Employ cultural practices thatprevent disease

Four years between the same cropplanted in the same field

Add compost, cover crops, + cropresidues to soil

Rely on N from organic residues,in addition to timely fertilization

Use cultural practices and beneficialinsects to control pests

Use allelopathy, smother crops,and mulches to suppress weeds

Plant disease-resistant cultivars


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Clark notes that properlymanaged grass-based livestock production will mimic nature in atleast five keyways, which are described below in very simplified form. Fuller, technical discussionsbyClark and others are available in publications on sustainable livestock production by theNatural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Services (NRAES), a consortium of theCooperative Extension Services of thirteen eastern land grant universities and the UnitedStates Department of Agriculture.

1. Ground Cover. Perennial pasture provides year-round ground cover protecting bare soilfrom crusting, pore clogging, and the erosive effects of rainfall. Ground cover acts as a mulch,reducing moisture loss, stabilizing daily soil temperatures, and inhibiting weeds and insectsassociated with annual plowing (which are conventionally treated with biocides). Note: Thesustainable crop production practices described in this appendix also ameliorate many of theproblems related to conventional annual plowing.

2. Soil Conservation. Perennial pastures grow and contribute to soil organicmatter from earlyspring to late fall. Moreover, uncultivated land promotes the accumulation of organic matterand nutrients frequently lost during conventional cultivation. This enhances a vigorous soilbiotic community, and strong plant growth. In turn, that enhances water infiltration andreduces runoff, thereby reducing soil erosion and off-site contamination.

3. Nutrient Cycling. Perennial sods reduce the risk of off-site pollution through efficientnutrient cycling. They provide active nutrient uptake during high precipitation in early springand late fall (in marked contrast to annual crops). Grassland impedes overlandmovement ofwater (hence the use of grass waterways). And deep-rooted pasture plants (like alfalfa) interceptand take up beneficial nutrients (which could become pollutants if they were to percolate pastthe plant root zone).

4. Manure.Livestock producemanure – a valued source of nutrients (in limited quantities) ona well-integrated farm. But manure is a huge waste/contamination problem for confinementfeeding operations. In most large-scale livestock enterprises, where most of the livestock feedcomes from off-site, there is little possibility that the site can absorb the manure generated.Initiative livestock enterprises will be expected to match livestock numbers to both the grazingcapacity and the manure utilization capacity of a particular farm site. Note: It is also assumedthat properlymanaged grass-based farms do not allow livestock direct access to streams orponds, thereby avoiding water pollution and bank collapse/erosion.

5. Biocide Independence.Well-managed perennial pastures do not require any type ofpesticide or herbicide.

In short, properlymanaged grass-based livestock production removes several seriousenvironmental harmswhich frequently result from conventional, grain-based, close-confinementsystems. Grass-based systems are well suited to the type of small scale, diversified farmingpreferred for the Countryside Initiative.

Additionally, proposers should be aware of two specific management practices commonlyused in grass-based farming appropriate and preferred for Countryside Initiative enterprises –management intensive grazing andmulti-species grazing.

1. Management Intensive Grazing.One of the key tools of grass-based livestock productionis commonly termedmanagement intensive grazing (MIG). The keyword here is management:MIG is knowledge and labor intensive, not capital, chemical, or technology intensive. Indeed,some of today’s finest graziers describe themanagement of soil, plants, livestock, weather, marketdemand, and other factors, as an art. That is an apt term for the depth of understanding, andcreative adjustments, required to balance and guide somany subtle factors toward desirable ends.

Traditional/conventional pasture management in America has been anything but managementintensive – or an art form. Traditional/conventional pasture management is often termedcontinuous grazing. The basic strategy here is to do nothing: Turn livestock into a pasture forthe entire season, letting them pick and choose to eat whatever, and wherever they like. Themany economic and ecological drawbacks to this practice need not be detailed here.

MIG systems operate at the opposite end of the sustainable grazing spectrum, using what isusually called rotational grazing or strip grazing. Here livestock are moved from one grazingpaddock or area to another ever day or so (every few hours in some systems), dependingon how a grazier chooses to balance the many factors involved. It is important to note thatrotational grazing actually allows animal stocking rates from two to ten times as high per acreas continuous grazing – while avoiding the overgrazing problems commonly associated withcontinuous grazing.

2. Multi-species Grazing.The Initiative will encourage multi-species grazing in its variousforms (grazing sheep, goats, cattle, and poultry sequentially or together). Multi-species grazingpushes pasture ecosystems toward diversity, complexity, and stability – while simultaneouslyreducing herd/flock disease and parasite pressure, andmarket cycle risks associated with sin-gle species production.

Proposers, future lessees, and others wishing to pursue the issues raised here in Appendix B,are encouraged to refer to the technical publications cited in the CVCC Sustainable AgricultureSelect Bibliography (see page 23, supplemental information available).

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Appendix CTYPICAL BUDGET CATEGORIES, DETAILS, AND FORMAT

The generalized operational budget form/format shown below suggests the kind of financialdetails proposers should supply to demonstrate a grasp of their enterprise’s financial requirements.However, this form presents financial information in a highly summarized way, and greaterdetail would strengthen a proposal; evaluators need to understand how proposers computedor estimated each line item. Since any proposed budget, at this point, must be quite tentativeand speculative, proposal evaluators will want to be certain that proposers knowhow to generatehard, accurate numbers that they (the proposers) could act on.

This simplified budget formmakes no attempt to fit enterprise income and expenses into alarger family/household budget, or vise versa. However, it will be helpful to proposal evaluatorsto understand what the enterprise will contribute to the financial support of the family/household. Or conversely, what the family/household’s other financial resources are expectedto contribute to the farming enterprise.

Note: The budget categories shown below are merely intended to represent a plausible mixof activities for a diversified Initiative farm. It is assumed that the line items of any budgetsubmitted with an actual proposal will vary considerably from these hypothetical line items.

Capital investments for buildings, ponds, fences, equipment, etc., will be highly individualized.Proposers should provide reasonable cost estimates for expected improvements, and indicatetheir source of financing. Such improvements should be treated as a brief capital budget,separate from the operating budget. (However, such improvements/ investments may result insignificant annual fixed expenses, which will appear in the operating budget.)

TYPICAL ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET SUMMARY EXAMPLE

Farm Income

Pick Your OwnStrawberries $Pumpkins $

$FarmstandVegetables & Fruit $Herbs & Flowers $

$Farmers’ MarketVegetable & Fruit $Herbs & Flowers $Poultry $Lamb $

$Custom MeatsBroilers $Turkeys $Lambs $

$OtherBreeding Stock $Cull Sheep $

$Enterprise Subtotal $Non-enterprise Support $Total Farm Income $

Annual Net Return

Total Farm Income $Total Farm Expenses $Net Profit (loss) $

Farm Expenses

Fixed CostsFMV Rent (residence) $Capital improvement loans $Vehicle & equipment loans $Farm liability insurance $

$Variable CostsFMV Rent (%G. income) $

$Pick Your OwnMachinery/labor hours $Plants/seeds/production $Sales supplies $

$FarmstandLabor hours $Sales supplies $

$Farmers MarketLabor hours $Sales supplies $

$LivestockBreeding Stock $Food/hay $Butchering $Veterinary $Labor hours $

$Repair & MaintenanceVehicles & equipment $Portable sheds $Fences/pens $

$Vehicle Operating Expense $Utilities $Office Supplies & Equipment $MarketingAdvertising/flyers $Farmers market fees $

$Income Taxes $

TOTAL FARM EXPENSES $

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Photo Credits Key: BLF – Basket of Life Farm, CVCC – Countryside Valley Countryside Conservancy, DH – Dennis Hamm,GBF – Greenfield Berry Farm, GFP – Goatfeathers Point, GR – George Remmington, HDA – Herip Design Associates, OTS – Old TrailSchool, SLF – Spicy Lamb Farm, SV – Sarah’s Vineyard.

HDA Photo Collection © 2008. Reproduction or use of pictorial content from the HDA Photo Collection in any manner is prohibitedwithout written permission.

Maps produced by Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Technical Assistance & Professional Services.

Historic photographs provided by Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Peninsula Library & Historical Society.



PURPOSE OF THE RURALLANDSCAPE MAPThis map, though highly simplified, is intended

to convey a fuller sense of the complex mosaic

of land ownership and use in Cuyahoga Valley

National Park, including specific agricultural usage.

This portion of the Cuyahoga Valley was

blanketed by small farms in the early 20th century,

covering over 80% of the landscape. This map

dramatically depicts how little salvageable

farmland remains: Roughly 7% of federal property

and 4% of the park as a whole.

The Countryside Initiative should be understood

as just one of several management tools/programs

used by CVNP to manage the diverse rural

landscape features of the park.

MAP KEY



E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A ™

National Park ServiceU.S. Department of the Interior

Cuyahoga Valley National Park15610 Vaughn RoadBrecksville, Ohio 44141

Back to the Future“Some folks have a hard time believing that the future can be much different, and possibly much better than the past or the present,” observesagricultural economist John Ikerd. “In reality the future is almost never like the past or present. The challenge is to help shape a future that we want…”.

In the mid 20th century, humankind (energetically led byAmericans) embarked on a radical, grand-scale experiment with food production anddistribution – based on concepts andmethods derived from the industrial revolution of the 19th century. It seemed like a good idea at the time.In retrospect, it seems less so. Growing food using large-scale industrial productionmethods, and distributing it over vast distances increasinglyappears misguided. In general, it results in generic foods of inferior taste, limited diversity, and lowered nutritional value.More often than not,such production and distribution systems degrade the communities and environment where they occur.

While these might seem like good and sufficient reasons to abandon the grand experiment with industrial food production, our enormouseconomic and intellectual investment in this paradigm guarantees equally enormous inertia and resistance to charting a different course. Still,change will come. In the near-term, transitioning to ways of food production and distribution which are smaller andmore local will be a matterof consumer driven choice – a desire for better food, more vibrant communities, a healthier environment. In the not-so-distant future (twentyyears or less), rescaling and reorganizing food production and distribution will cease to be a matter of choice. Industrial style food productionand distribution cannot exist without massive inputs of cheap fossil fuel energy – and that appears virtually certain to become amemory.

The farms of theCountryside Initiative are, of course, intended to finally achieve the hope and intent of CuyahogaValleyNational Park’s founders:Prevent the disappearance of the Cuyahoga Valley’s rural landscape and rural character. But they are also part of an emerging national grassrootsmovement to change the way 21st centuryAmerica thinks about, buys, and uses food. They are an attempt to model a different future – a futurepossiblymuch better than the past or present.

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Documents

Countryside Conservancy RFP