MFHA HUNTING HABITAT CONSERVATION AWARD WINNERS FOR 2004: FOUR WINDS FOXHOUNDS

The annual Hunting Habitat Conservation Award, jointly sponsored by the MFHA and the Chronicle of the Horse, was awarded this year to the Four Winds Foxhounds for their multi-faceted efforts in land conservation and habitat protection. The award was presented in New York at the Annual Meeting of the MFHA by board member Dick Webb to all four Joint-Masters – C.R. and Carol Stanley and their sons, John and Thomas.

Speaking for the family, C.R. said, “We began fifteen years ago putting land together. John has spearheaded the whole thing. We’re quite proud of him, we support him, and he leads the way.”

The Stanleys maintain a private pack of English and Crossbred hounds that hunt the fox in Martin County, Florida. C.R. and Carol own the Four Winds Ranch, a cattle and citrus operation, which is also home to the foxhounds and constitutes their primary hunting territory. Son John manages the Ranch.

The Four Winds Ranch is just thirty-five miles from Palm Beach and within commuting distance for the five million people residing along Florida’s southeast coast. Thus the area is in great demand for ranchettes. As neighboring properties fall to development, the Stanleys have dug their heels into their own ground and pursued a five-pronged approach to the preservation of open space and habitat in their area: (1) conservation of their own property through land purchase and perpetual easement; (2) utilization of best management practices to protect the flora and fauna on their property; (3) facilitating the enrollment of property owned by others in conservation programs; (4) political volunteerism; and (5) education.

Over the past fifteen years, C.R. and Carol have purchased almost two thousand acres in western Martin County. In 2000, they conveyed a wetland conservation and restoration easement on five hundred acres to the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), a subsidiary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The erection of any structures on the property is prohibited in perpetuity. The protected area supports a unique ecosystem, home to numerous species of plant and wildlife, including endangered species. This five hundred acre habitat is home to the American bald eagle, ivory-billed woodpecker, red cockaded woodpecker, pileated woodpecker, wood stork, whooping crane, ibis,  roseate spoonbill, and numerous other birds and reptiles.

The Ranch follows NRCS guidelines for Water Quality Best Management practices for their cattle and citrus operations. The rotational grazing program enhances wildlife and forage. Conservation tillage practices renovate old pasture and produce new grass. During periods of drought, water is conserved in the orchards by micro-jet irrigation systems.

As an elected board member and Vice President of the Martin County Soil and Water Conservation District, John Stanley has facilitated the enrollment of three neighboring ranches into the Wetlands Reserve Program, adding another thirty thousand acres in Martin County. John is also a member of the Rivers Coalition, helping to facilitate the restoration and management of the St. Lucie Estuary. He also serves on the Management Plan Review Committee for the South Florida Water Management District and on the board of the Treasure Coast Resource Conservation and Development Council. By virtue of his historical knowledge of the region and his technical expertise, John is consulted by local government officials and by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences on a variety of conservation issues.

Finally, the Four Winds Foxhounds makes every effort to educate youth on wildlife and habitat conservation through seminars given at the ranch to 4-H and Pony Club groups. The Stanleys’ goal is to practice and promote sustainable agriculture while preserving the fragile ecosystems of South Florida. In doing so, they are providing a model upon which, they hope, an environmentally caring community will grow and flourish.

Unfortunately, too many lawyers and financial advisors caution their clients against placing land in conservation programs, arguing that, even though the clients may be so inclined, they are closing off options they or their progeny may wish to have in the future. I asked John if he had thought about the possibility of his yet unborn children resenting these restrictions he is placing on their inheritance.

“I can only hope that I can instill in my children the same values – love of the land, respect for the wildlife – that I believe in,” he replied. Amen to that.