Our Holiday Gift to You: The Story of Taylor’s Trees

Most everyone who knew Taylor Emmons marveled at his athletic abilities, sense of sportsmanship, love of the outdoors, and his empathetic nature. His untimely passing was felt by thousands, as evidenced by the capacity crowd at his celebration of life service. Thanks to his purpose-driven father, a ton of collective effort, and some foresight from Taylor himself, the passions that marked this great kid’s life will be perpetuated through the Taylor Emmons Scholarship Fund and Taylor’s Trees. At the heart of these dual philanthropic tributes is a rich parcel of Maine timberland.

This whole process started before Taylor died, and it just kind of dovetailed into his legacy,” says his father, Mike Emmons. Some seven years ago, the family moved from Maine to Sarasota so that Taylor’s older brother, Mikey, could develop his baseball skills at the world renowned IMG Academy. Taylor was enrolled at The Out-of-Door Academy (ODA), and he flourished at the college prep school. The National Honor Society member was captain of the golf team, co-captain of the baseball team, and named Homecoming King by his schoolmates. “He loved The Out-of-Door Academy,” says his dad. “He did well academically, did very well in sports, and was just a very popular kid.”

Taylor graduated from ODA and was a University of Miami sophomore when he was fatally struck by an SUV near the Coral Gables campus in December 2010. He was 19.

“The thing about Taylor — and it’s easy for me to say because I was his dad — but you talk to anybody and they’ll tell you that even though he was a really good looking kid and a good athlete, he treated everybody the same. He liked everybody, and everybody liked him. I don’t know what the final number was, but when he died, the funeral home had never seen a crowd that big.”

Emmons, a 30-year veteran of the land game, got his start with Harry Patten in 1980 (see Land Report Summer 2009). He also pursued investments on his own. A few years ago, he came across the parcel of timberland from which Taylor’s Trees would evolve.

“I had an acquisitions guy who was out looking for property,” Emmons recalls. “I had moved to Florida and went up to Maine for a week to Sugarloaf to go skiing, and he said, ‘Mike, I think you ought to come take a look at this piece of property. It seems like a pretty good deal.’

“So I skipped a day of skiing and went and looked at this piece of property in Maine. It was a great deal, and I bought it. It was 9,000 acres. It didn’t really have any timber value. About 2,000 acres had been put into a conservation easement to protect the two streams. I took the other 7,000 acres and subdivided it into some 500-acre tracts and just never got around to selling it. The more time I spent up there, the more I fell in love with the place. The idea of owning 7,000 acres and growing timber on it and passing it on to my kids started appealing to me. So I decided not to sell it,” he says.

During his junior year, Taylor had participated in an Out-of-Door Academy program in which the school’s students stuffed backpacks with basic school necessities for kids without the means to buy them themselves. The experience was an eye-opener, and the teen expressed concern about the thousands of homeless kids in otherwise affluent Sarasota.

“Taylor said, ‘there seems to me there’s something we ought to be able to do,’” recalls his dad. “It really bothered him.” The thought stuck with Mike as well:

“I got to thinking about it from time to time, and then one day I got a call from Josh Rhodes, who hunts bear on our property in Maine. Josh says, ‘do you mind if my wife goes tipping on your property?’ I said, ‘Under one condition. You’ve got to send me a wreath.’ So two weeks later, I get this absolutely beautiful wreath from the clippings off my property, and it smells just like Maine. I got to thinking that maybe we could grow some Christmas trees and ship them down here and the kids from the academy, in conjunction with the underprivileged kids, could sell them [as a fundraiser].” After factoring in the logistics of clearing the land, planting 1,000 trees per acre, and shipping the harvested ones from Maine to Florida, Emmons realized it could be more than a moneymaker. As Taylor had hoped, it could be a great way to help others.

While the first crop of trees grew in, wreath sales would provide a little cash flow. At the same time they would help develop a customer base.

“Originally my thought was to raise money for the school as well as the disadvantaged kids,” he says.

Emmons and David Mahler, headmaster at ODA, held a series of meetings to discuss the project. Mahler was intrigued with the idea and encouraged Emmons to pursue it. “We talked about it before Taylor’s passing, the idea of using some of the proceeds from the tree farm to help these kids,” says Mahler. Today, Emmons’s long-term goal is to create a place in Maine where students from ODA and underprivileged kids from Sarasota can experience the great outdoors while hunting, fishing, pulling lobster traps, and, of course, planting trees.

“It takes about six years for a planted pine to become marketable,” Emmons says. “My daughter, Samantha, was moving from the Lower School to the Upper School, and I said, ‘wouldn’t that be cool if the kids who were in sixth grade actually participated in planting the trees, then six years later, when they’re harvested, they’re actually selling the trees that they helped plant six years before?’”

As summer 2010 got underway, Emmons’s crew cleared the land and planted the first 4,000 trees. Six months later, Taylor’s life was tragically cut short. In lieu of flowers or other tokens of sympathy, the family established the Taylor William Emmons Scholarship Fund and asked for donations in Taylor’s name.

“We’ve received over $136,000 in donations from family, friends, and people we didn’t even know,” Emmons says. “The outpouring was just incredible. To this day the money still pours in.”

In keeping with the legacy, the memorial foundation has partnered with All Faiths Food Bank to sell handmade wreaths from Taylor’s Trees in Maine. All proceeds from the sale of the 22-inch double-sided wreaths will go to the Taylor William Emmons Scholarship Fund and the corresponding backpack program, which feeds hungry children through the food bank.

This past June, the ODA’s baseball field was dedicated in Taylor’s honor. Topping off the ceremony was the announcement of Desmond Lindsay as the first recipient of a Taylor William Emmons Scholarship.

“Desmond possesses a lot of Taylor’s qualities. We have no doubt … he is going to carry on his name perfectly,” says Taylor’s mom, Katie.

“What I want is that every year a kid gets to go to the academy because of Taylor,” Mike Emmons says. “I want to have four kids in the school on scholarship in Taylor’s name. One in every class.” To that end, Emmons has set a goal to generate $1 million so that the scholarship fund can be self-sustaining.

Says David Mahler, “Taylor was a great kid: a strong student, an exceptional athlete, fun-loving, friendly, and outgoing. The Taylor Emmons Scholarship Fund is an incredible way to maintain Taylor’s legacy. It’s really a testament to Mike and Katie and the strength of the Emmons family that in a time of such sorrow and sadness, they’ve decided to changes lives for the better. This scholarship will change innumerable lives going forward.”

The Emmons family also has a living, breathing memento of Taylor’s big-heartedness. Through a Facebook connection, Taylor rescued a dog while in college. When he brought Bella home for Thanksgiving, Mike insisted that Taylor take her to the local shelter in Bradenton. His message was a simple one: college is no place to raise a pet.

The day after Taylor’s tragic accident, his older brother, Mikey, rallied the family to call the shelter and get Bella back. Though she had already been adopted, the shelter understood the family’s circumstances, and made the necessary arrangements for Bella to come home. Another timeless reminder of this wonderful life. — Nancy Myers

To place a wreath order, log on to www.temmons.org. To learn more about the Taylor Emmons Scholarship Fund, call Executive Director Sandy Albano at (941) 915-9249 or send her an email at salbano@temmons.org.

2011 Land Report 100: Irving Family

No. 5  Irving Family

1,200,000 acres

In 1882, J.D. Irving began a business that now employs 15,000 throughout Eastern Canada and the U.S.  J.D. Irving, Limited has invested in biomass energy, a clean, renewable natural resource, at one of its paper mills. It’s also moved to replace heavy oil with natural gas on its Cavendish Farms, and even to reduce greenhouse emissions at its headquarters. The family’s Irving Woodlands company is all about forestry. Since its founding in Maine over 60 years ago, this division has made great strides in stewardship and in reducing its carbon footprint. In addition, the family company continues its tradition of planting trees. Over the past 50 years, it has planted over 827 million of them. This year alone, J.D. Irving will plant some 28 million seedlings in its forests.

 

Land’s Best Friend: German Shorthaired

The German shorthair lineage began with the old Spanish pointer – progenitor of the modern pointer – crossed with the bloodhound for scenting ability, foxhound for speed and endurance, and, finally, the pointer. The result was a large, powerful, methodical breed that pointed both furred and feathered game, retrieved from land and water, trailed wounded big game, and even tracked and bayed wild boars.

German shorthairs began to trickle into the U.S. in the 1920s, and found favor with hunters who wanted close-working, easily trained pointing dogs. Most American hunters, however, grounded in a tradition of stylish, big-running, pointers and setters, found the shorthair’s methodical, houndish working style less than inspiring.

After World War II, many of the same economic forces that gave rise to the versatile breeds in Europe – urbanization, shrinking habitat, increased leisure time, and a burgeoning middle class – stimulated interest in multipurpose hunting dogs of all types. Devoted American breeders worked to adapt the shorthair to American conditions while retaining the breed’s versatility.

As a result, today’s hunter can choose from an abundance of excellent German shorthair bloodlines and working styles, from fairly close-ranging dogs that excel at grouse, woodcock, and pheasant hunting to stylish, big runners that scour the countryside for quail and also retrieve doves and fetch ducks from creeks and stock tanks.

Do:

• Pay close attention to bloodlines. Some shorthairs rival English pointers in range and speed, and may be “too much dog” for the average hunter.

• Make your pup a member of the family. German shorthairs form tight bonds.

• Train with firmness and consistency. True to their hound and pointer ancestry, German shorthairs are very intelligent and adept at bending rules.

Don’t:

• Expect your German shorthair to do the work of a Labrador or Chesapeake Bay retriever. The breed is best-suited for fetching from creeks and ponds in moderate conditions.

Sold! Wyoming’s Bighorn Lodge

Surrounded on three sides by Grand Teton National Park in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the Bighorn Lodge sold last week in an auction that included bidders from eight states; the winning bidder is from New Hampshire.

Sitting on 5.32 acres, Bighorn Lodge features breathtaking and unobstructed mountain views. As a premier mountain residence built with “museum quality” Western Cedar logs from British Columbia, Canada, this luxury property is considered to be the most beautiful log home in Jackson Hole and the entire Rocky Mountain region.

Its proximity to Jackson Hole allows for endless outdoor activities, from world-class alpine skiing and fishing to hunting, horseback riding, and wildlife viewing.

Auctioned by Concierge Auctions, the final price and buyer are confidential.

Land Report Top 10: Hana Ranch

Situated in the tropical setting of eastern Maui, Hana Ranch is considered one of the most beautiful locations in the world.

Featuring two miles of Pacific oceanfront that rises over 2,200 feet up the slopes of Haleakala, this 4,500± acre working cattle ranch sits in one of the last places in Hawaii that remains untouched by the stresses of urbanization and over-development.

As a founding member of the Maui Cattle Company, which is known for its all-natural grass fed beef, the ranch’s cattle operation includes a cow herd of approximately 1,200 and produces 1,000 calves per year.

Hana Ranch is listed with Island Sotherby’s International Realty. For more information, contact Dan Omer at (808) 281-2100.

Click here to see the full list of Land Report’s Top Ten priciest properties.

On the Block: Wyoming’s Steele Creek Ranch

Situated on the east slope of the Big Horn Mountains, near the “Horn,” Steele Creek Ranch is considered to be one of the most scenic and private mountain frontage ranches in Wyoming.

At 2,570 ± acres, this working cattle ranch features a diversity of terrain and habitat – from rolling grasslands to red stone outcroppings and ponderosa pine forests. Steel Creek, a perennial spring-fed stream, dissects the property and provides year-round water for the abundance of wildlife, including pronghorn, mule deer, elk, Merriams’ turkey, Hungarian partridge, sage grouse, and a variety of other non-game animals.

Located near the Bighorn National Forest, this private and secluded ranch offers amazing opportunities for the trophy big-game hunters, specifically elk, mule deer, and pronghorn antelope. There are also many recreational opportunities, from horse-back riding and mountain biking to cross-country skiing and fishing.

Date: 1:00 pm Mountain Time on Thursday, January 19, 2012

Location: Steele Creek Ranch, 1040 Greub Road, Buffalo, WY 82834

For more information, or to receive a detailed brochure:
Mirr Ranch Group
(307) 674-7377
www.MirrRanchGroup.com

J.P. King Auctions
(800) 558-5464
www.JPKing.com

Land Report Top 10: Aspen Valley Ranch

Situated in the picturesque valley just outside of Aspen, the Aspen Valley Ranch is the last working ranch in the area that reflects the mountain heritage of the West.

At 813 acres, this prestigious family legacy ranch is a rare offering in Woody Creek, Colorado. With its unique traits of both a historic, working ranch and a luxurious recreational getaway, this property features senior water rights, irrigated pastures, and a new 10-stall horse barn. Additionally, its proximity to public lands, trails, wildlife, the Roaring Fork River, and a handful of Aspen ski areas provides ample recreational opportunities.

Aspen Valley Ranch is listed with Joshua & Co. For more information, contact Joshua Saslove at (970) 948-3876 or joshua@joshuaco.com.

Click here to see the full list of Land Report’s Top 10 priciest properties.

2011 Land Report 100: Aubrey McClendon

No. 100 Aubrey McClendon

90,574 acres

McClendon loves land. It was an essential aspect of his childhood growing up in the Sooner State; it’s been an integral element of his career as the chairman and CEO of Chesapeake Energy Corporation, which he founded in 1989 with just 10 employees and $50,000 paid-in capital. More than two decades later, Chesapeake has staked its claim as an industry leader and is now the most active driller of new wells in the U.S. So how did his company begin its rocket-like ascent in the energy industry? Land, of course, specifically, high-quality leases the company secured in McClendon’s home state of Oklahoma. As the Duke alumnus often says, “No lease, no grease.”

Today, Chesapeake has amassed a leading portfolio of some of the best leases in the country’s most prolific unconventional liquid plays, hidden fields with intriguing names like Bone Spring, Granite Wash, and Wolfberry. And then there are the Barnett, the Haynesville, the Bossier, the Marcellus, and the Pearsall. McClendon believes these natural gas plays are not just his company’s future. He sees this clean fossil fuel as the keystone of America’s future. In the mind of this energy executive, natural gas has the potential to revive the sluggish U.S. economy while helping to put an end to the “insane” transfer of some $400 billion, hard-earned American dollars annually to oil-exporting countries, many of whose leaders are sworn enemies of the U.S.

With this in mind, Chesapeake announced a $1 billion investment fund this summer. Its goal is a simple one: to break OPEC’s stranglehold on our economy while creating much-needed American jobs. (See www.chk.com/independence.)

Says this Land Report 100er, “We believe the long-term solution to America’s economic and energy challenges will come from American natural resources, American ingenuity, and American innovation.”

 

Land Report Top 10: Ranch Dos Pueblos

Located in Santa Barbara, California, Ranch Dos Pueblos is one of the largest remaining ranches along the Gaviota Coast – stretching from the Santa Ynez Mountains down to a sandy beach on the Pacific Ocean.

At 2,175 acres, the ranch includes a lovely private sandy beach compound, which offers breathtaking views of passing ships, soaring gulls, frolicking dolphins, and the occasional spouts of migrating whales. The property also features abundant agriculture with numerous native and specimen plantings, trees, and orchards.

Surrounded by large ranches and the Los Padres National Forest, Ranch Dos Pueblos offers an array of recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, and fresh water recreation at nearby Lake Cachuma.

For sale for the first time in over 30 years, Ranch Dos Pueblos is listed with Kerry Mormann & Associates.

Click here to see the full list of Land Report’s Top Ten priciest properties.

2011 Land Report 100: No. 70-79

No. 70 Wells Family

149,000 acres

The Rush Creek Land & Livestock Company, established by Thomas E. Wells in 1890, is still a family-owned, ­working cattle ranch. Spread out over eight counties in Nebraska, Rush Creek Land & Livestock has bred and raised its own line of purebred Arabian horses, which are used for working the cattle as well as for endurance competitions.

 

No. 71 Gerald J. Ford

144,580 acres

New Mexico’s Diamond A Ranch once belonged to Robert O. Anderson, the nation’s largest landowner in the middle of the last century. Today, it belongs to SMU alumnus Gerald Ford, who also owns 815 acres in Kentucky that was once the site of Allen and Madeleine Paulson’s Brookside Farm.

 

No. 72 Mike Mechenbier

142,000 acres

New Mexico rancher and philanthropist Mechenbier has adjoining ranches, including the Dockery-Collins, the Pie Ranch, and the Four Daughters, named in honor of his four girls. Mechenbier also founded an orphanage that serves as an alternative to foster care with a focus on keeping siblings together.

 

No. 73 Harrison Family

140,000 acres

The Harrison Quarter Horse Ranch traces its tradition of exceptional horses to 1941, when D.J. Harrison first registered his horses with the AQHA. Ranch Manager Rosemary Harrison helps keep this legacy alive.

 

No. 73 Thomas Lane Family

140,000 acres

Respected Montana rancher Thomas Lane built his family’s cattle and ranch business from half a section into seven ranches throughout the state. Lane passed away this past winter, and his four sons and two daughters continue the family’s ranching tradition and legacy of stewardship.

 

No. 75 Isaac Ellwood Heirs

130,000 acres

The Renderbrook Spade Ranch was established in 1889 in Texas by Isaac Ellwood, who invented barbed wire. Today, in addition to the original spread, there are five more ranches in West Texas that are collectively known as Spade Ranches.

 

No. 75 JA Ranch Heirs

130,000 acres

The oldest privately-owned ranch in the Texas Panhandle, the JA Ranch takes its name and its brand from John Adair, who, along with his wife, Cornelia Wadsworth Ritchie Adair, established operations in 1876 in a partnership with Charles Goodnight. Today, the JA is managed in a partnership between Cornelia’s great-granddaughter Cornelia “Ninia” Ritchie, great-great-grandson Andrew Montgomery Bivins, Jay O’Brien, and Dale Smith.

 

No. 75 Monahan Family

130,000 acres

J.H. Monahan began the Monahan Cattle Co. in Nebraska as a 160-acre homestead in 1893. The ranch today spreads across three counties and supports a substantial commercial cattle operation, along with a Hereford breeding program. Members of the third generation of Monahans oversee operations jointly.

 

No. 78 Les Davis Heirs

127,500 acres

In the New Mexico Territory, few could rival Frank Springer. A brilliant attorney and newspaperman for the Maxwell Land Grant company, he played a crucial role in the founding of many of the future state’s leading cultural institutions, including the Museum of New Mexico.

 

No. 79 Booth Family

125,000 acres

The family’s Booth Land and Livestock Ranch in Wyoming is a cow-calf operation that has also been managed to facilitate movement of wildlife such as elk, pronghorn, and mule deer.

 

No. 79 Brite Ranch Heirs

125,000 acres

The Brite Ranch, founded in 1885 by Luke Brite, is overseen today by the fourth generation of the family. Jim White III manages the ranch, located in the Capote Mountains of Far West Texas.

 

Next Page »