Caldwell-Colmenares Property
More than 50 years ago, Theron Caldwell Ris saw an opportunity to create something lasting when she purchased land in Dickson County. Over the years, her family’s experiences on the land led to a deep-rooted commitment to protecting its natural character. In 2010, Theron worked with The Land Trust for Tennessee to ensure the property would never be subdivided or overdeveloped. Over the years, her daughter, Erica Caldwell Colmenares, and her family have continued that commitment—most recently by expanding the protected area to 200 acres by working with The Land Trust for Tennessee once again.
Phil and Erica Colmenares at their most recent closing.
Erica Colmenares connection to the land goes back to her childhood when her mother, Theron Caldwell Ris, and her father, William Caldwell, purchased the property in the late 1960s. While the family lived in Nashville, Theron saw an opportunity to invest in the land for a remarkably low cost compared to today. Though the family moved to Wisconsin in 1972, Theron was determined to keep the property so that it would be protected.
“There was nothing on it except the old shelter” Colmenares recalled, referring to the primitive structure down the road from the property’s entrance. The Colmenares’s have since updated the shelter, but it remains off-grid. “We spent summers camping there. When I was younger, we’d go for at least a week during spring break. My mom was an artist, and she would always bring her art supplies and send us off to explore on our own.”
Theron Caldwell Ris outside the old shelter.
“We were like feral children,” Colmenares said, chuckling. She described her and her siblings roaming the land, jumping off the bridge over Johnson Creek into the water, caring for a couple of horses one summer, and occasionally finding unexpected visitors, like wandering cows from a neighboring property.
Growing up, Colmenares saw how her mother valued nature. “She was a vegetarian and really adamant that people shouldn’t hunt,” Colmenares explained. “She had no problem expressing her opinions. She once placed flowers under a deer that a neighbor in Wisconsin had hung in his yard for processing after he caught it, which of course was infuriating to him.”
Theron Caldwell Ris on the day of the family’s first conservation easement closing in 2010.
Though she had strong opinions, Theron also wanted to build good relationships with her neighbors in Dickson County, ensuring the land was looked after. Her care for the land led her to explore options for its protection. It was at a festival in Centennial Park where she and her family first learned about The Land Trust for Tennessee. The idea of permanently protecting the land from development aligned with her values, leading to the original conservation easement in 2010.
When Erica and Phil Colmenares purchased the land from Erica’s siblings, they made a promise to keep it protected. “We wouldn’t have bought the land if we weren’t interested in protecting it,” she said. Erica and Phil plan to move back to Wisconsin this year and sell the protected property to a neighbor they’re close with. “We thought we were going to live here for the rest of our lives, but at the very least, we knew we could do this and feel really good about it,” said Colmenares.
Erica and Phil Colmenares with their neighbor, who will be purchasing their protected property.
Since moving to the property in 2021, Erica and Phil have focused on sustainable living. They’ve planted perennial food sources like jujube trees, Asian pears, persimmons, figs, grapes, and more, and they’ve installed water cisterns to collect rainwater. They also keep chickens and goats, though the goats turned out to be pickier eaters than expected when they purchased them to eat weeds.
For Colmenares, conservation is about more than just keeping the land undeveloped—it’s about ensuring it remains a healthy, functioning ecosystem. “I think it’s important to protect nature and open space. Once a woods or wild area is gone, it’s very unlikely that it will come back. To be able to protect it from that happening seems like a good thing,” she said.
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- The updated primitive shelter at the protected property.
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- View of the forest from the shelter.
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- The porch outside the shelter.
According to Colmenares, working with The Land Trust for Tennessee made the conservation process straightforward. “Everyone was very clear about what we can and can’t do, and they took the time to explain why. None of it seemed arbitrary. There was good reasoning behind it all. The process was thoughtful, clear, and relatively inexpensive for us.”
One common misconception about conservation easements, Colmenares noted, is that landowners no longer own their property. “People think it’s not ours anymore, but we own it. We were even able to build a house on it in a designated area that we decided on. We just can’t subdivide it or develop it, and that’s fine with me.”
Erica Colmenares and her siblings at the protected property.
As Erica and Phil prepare to move on from the property in the coming months, they hope future owners will share their commitment to the land. “I hope in the future it’s always owned by someone who wants to keep taking care of the trees. I just hope it’s taken care of by people who appreciate it the way we have. I know that at least the immediate buyers, our neighbors, are those people. They knew my mom and understand what she wanted.”
3D topographic map of the protected property.
Thanks to the efforts of Theron Caldwell Ris and the continued dedication of Erica and Phil Colmenares, along with Erica’s siblings, Ben, Sam, Alan, Megan, and Bret, 200 acres in Dickson County will remain protected forever, ensuring that future generations, both human and wildlife, will continue to use and enjoy this land.