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Foundation For Sustainable Forests: Loving The Land-- Clarence & Deb Cleer, Spring Creek, Warren County; Erie Gives Day Aug. 13

By Ellis Giacomelli, Foundation for Sustainable Forests

(Reprinted from the Spring/Summer Foundation for Sustainable Forests newsletter.)

Clarence and Deb Cleer live in Spring Creek, Warren County, close to many Foundation for Sustainable Forests-protected woodlands.

Years ago, Clarence approach the Foundation about the possibility of selling his woodland as a bargain sale, meaning less than fair market value.

In 2011, the Foundation purchased the property using an owner-financed model in which the Foundation could conserve the property in perpetuity through small monthly payments over a long period of time.

The Foundation sees significant potential in this model of financing land conservation and are happy to highlight the Cleers’ story.

Clarence Cleer is a thinker.

“I call his brain the primordial ooze,” said Clarence’s wife Deb. “Even when he’s on his way to sleep, it comes.”

Clarence has been exposed to the woods all his life, though he doesn’t describe himself as an outdoorsman. He enjoys hiking and spending time alone in the woods, and he has a clear vision for his land and a conservation-oriented way of thinking that extends into his many creative ventures.

A thinker, no doubt, a tinkerer and inventor, Clarence has used his career experiences in the heating industry to reimagine products and systems.

Most of his ideas have been centered around heating technology, but others include a more efficient urinal model and a breathable surgical cast.

“I guess the bottom line for all of them, with the exception of that cast, was the conservation of energy,” he said. “That’s the umbrella.”

Clarence’s land, situated on a small south-facing hill in Spring Creek, has witnessed Clarence’s thoughtful management and conservation ethic.

Since Clarence and Deb moved to their Spring Creek home in the early 2000s, Clarence has employed some timber stand improvement principles to benefit his woods.

He has connected with local foresters and the Foundation for Sustainable Forests for further management guidance, and he sold 50 acres of his forested land to the Foundation as a bargain sale in 2011.

“I’m at peace with it,” he said. “It’s not an issue anymore of what I’m going to do with it.”

As we sat in their kitchen, birds sang to us through the windows, and Clarence and Deb recalled the many priceless memories their land has inspired.

“For me, the ability to create memories for my grandchildren-- stuff they’ll never forget-- that’s irreplaceable,” Deb said.

Clarence said the woods were all he needed to entertain the young ones.

“All I had to do was take them out in the woods, simple as that, didn’t have to take a damn thing with me and they’d be gone,” he said. “I had to keep an eye on them so they didn’t wander off and get lost, but they’d just play all day, digging an old stump apart or climbing a tree.”

They laughed about times when Clarence used dynamite to remove stumps, but they also expressed some fear of clarcuts, gas wells and camp developments that could threaten future memories.

“I thought that selling to the Foundation would give me all that I wanted out of the woods-- access to it if I wanted to go, taking care of it and number three, keeping it safe from development,” he said.

Clarence said he hopes other properties in the area will eventually be incorporated into the Foundation.

Protecting their land from development and allowing it to become a sustainable forest has allowed their neighboring home to remain a refuge.

“Sometimes people say to me, ‘you have an awfully long driveway to plow,’ and I say ‘good,’” Clarence said.

Clarence has a way of speaking, a soft yet clear voice, that evokes the kind of pensiveness so present in his inventive and creative personality.

In their peaceful corner of the world, Clarence and Deb continue to laugh, continue to remember all their land has provided and will provide and Clarence continues to think.

If you’re interested in learning more about land management or how you can protect your forestland, contact the Foundation.

For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the Foundation For Sustainable Forests website. Click Here to support their work.

Erie Gives Day Aug. 13

Don’t forget to support the Foundation for Sustainable Forests and other environmental groups in the Northwest during the August 13 Erie Gives Day.

(Reprinted from the Spring/Summer Foundation for Sustainable Forests newsletter.)

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