- The 92.5-acre Earl and Hazel Jones Center for Conservation in Burlington serves as a living classroom with camps, internships, wildlife research and habitat restoration.
- The Boone County Conservation District requested $400,000 from the county’s conservation fund to build a headquarters and education facility on the property.
- Named in honor of conservationists Earl and Hazel Jones, the center protects forests, streams, wetlands and native wildlife while promoting conservation education amid Boone County’s continued growth.
The late Earl and Hazel Jones were dedicated farmers and conservationists who left a visible and enduring impact on Boone County’s scenery.
Upon Earl’s death in 2014, he donated his sprawling Verona farm to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Boone County Conservation District. Jones wanted to ensure the farm would be used to preserve natural habitats and landscapes within the county.
Mark Jacobs, director of the conservation district, told LINK nky that Jones’ lifelong environmental stewardship reflected his organization’s core values.
“He had 155 acres out there, and he was a very good conservationist,” Jacobs said. “His property was beautiful; not overgrazed, not overworked and not eroding away. It was lush pastures and little patches of nice forest land. He did a great job. That was his passion for years and years.”
Today, the Jones legacy continues through the Earl and Hazel Jones Center for Conservation, a different conservation-oriented property about 17 miles north of their farm.
In 2023, the conservation district purchased 92.5 acres of property off Gunpowder Creek in Burlington. The site was previously home to the ruins of the historic Crisler-Gulley Mill – a gristmill constructed in 1817. Before the purchase, the property was colloquially known as the Sebree property.
Since acquiring the property, the conservation district has focused on transforming it into a living classroom for outdoor education and conservation. The Jones Center site hosts student internships, educational camps, workshops and public programs focused on local ecosystems. Conservation district interns have conducted bat monitoring, small-mammal studies, and fish surveys in Gunpowder Creek, while its staff has mapped forest health and biodiversity across the property.
The property is biologically diverse, home to forests, meadows, streams, wetlands and pollinator-friendly flower fields, as well as several species of small mammals, including coyotes, otters, white-tailed deer, beavers and gray squirrels, among others.
Jacobs said the next step for the conservation district regarding the Jones Center is to build a central facility on the property to serve as the organization’s headquarters. The goal is for the new center to house the organization’s administrative staff and conservation equipment together under one roof.
In addition, Jacobs said the prospective building would provide the conservation district with more space to expand its programming for students and families.
“I think it gives us a lot more credibility when we’re actually doing this stuff and passing that on to homeowners and property owners that are trying to manage their property,” Jacobs said. “It also gives them an opportunity to come out and see some of the stuff we’re doing, like our the native meadow we planted and the other conservation practices that we’re implementing out there. It’s a good opportunity for that.”
Jacobs presented the organization’s headquarters proposal to the Boone County Fiscal Court on May 26, advocating that Boone County allocate $400,000 from its annual conservation fund to the project. The project could also be potentially financed with the remaining $600,000 from the Earl Jones estate and $200,000 from the Imperiled Bat Conservation Fund.
During the meeting, Boone County Administrator Matthew Webster explained that the fiscal court established the fund years ago to support preservation and conservation initiatives in the county.
“The court directed staff to include in our annual budget a pot of money that would be available for three entities: the Boone Conservancy, the Boone County Conservation District, or the county itself to sponsor or co-sponsor preservation and conservation activities,” Webster said.
Since that meeting, Jacobs said the organization has yet to receive a formal response. Despite this, he remains hopeful.
In many ways, the Jones Center property is symbolic of Boone County, as the county juggles balancing natural conservation with economic growth. The property sits on the edge of Boone County’s suburbia, safeguarding natural habitats from encroaching development.
“Boone County is very unique,” Jacobs said. “On the east side, it’s kind of flat. Then, as you go west, it dives down to the river level. It has very, very incised, steep stream valleys that go down to the river, which kind of holds off development because some areas are steep.”
