CREEK COUNTY, Okla. — A Creek County family is fighting an emotional battle.

The family has owned Denham Ranch for decades. Now, hundreds of acres of land could be sold to developers.

Shirley Andrew was raised on the land, which is situated near Kellyville. Her parents, Frank and Audrey Denham, raised Shirley and her four brothers here.

After Frank and Audrey passed, the land was split among the children. Eventually, Shirley owned a third of the land while her brother David owned the rest.

When David died in 2019, he left his part of the property to the Nature Conservancy. But Shirley said he would have never left the land to the organization if he knew what they were trying to do with it.

“I think he thought that they would preserve the nature here, because it’s just there’s just deer all over, there’s wild turkeys, there’s coyotes, there’s everything and this is their home, and it isn’t going to be for much longer,” said Shirley.

The Nature Conservancy sent FOX23 a statement, saying in part, “our scientists and experts evaluate conservation value when we receive a donation. In this case, it was determined that the donation, although an attractive piece of property, did not meet our conservation criteria. Because Mr. Denham left us the land without any stipulations, we’re able to use the proceeds from his donation to support our ongoing conservation work.”

Shirley and David’s nephew, Brent Denham, believe that David thought the land would remain untouched.

“I don’t think there’s any way in the world that my uncle would have knowingly signed a document knowing that somebody could just sell this place,” said Brent. “Because that’s exactly what he told me, that he doesn’t ever want this place to be sold.”

Shirley is now negotiating with David’s trust, offering her part of the property for the front part of the land. This area includes the historic home she was born in.

She’s spent more than $41,000 and two years in legal fees.

Shirley says she wishes she could purchase David’s share, but she can’t afford it. She hopes to reach a deal with the Nature Conservancy and to be able to host Christmas in the family home next year.

The Nature Conservancy issued a statement involving the situation:

First, we’re grateful for the generous donation Mr. David Denham left us as a part of his estate plan. We receive a variety of much needed support from volunteers, membership donations, estate gifts, real estate, and other types of donations. Each are essential in driving our mission to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. When we receive land donations, our scientists and experts evaluate the conservation value of the land—considering habitat types, habitat size, presence of biologically important species, presence of invasive species, whether it falls within one of our priority landscapes, as well as several other factors. In this case it was determined that the donation, although an attractive piece of property, did not meet our conservation criteria. Because Mr. Denham left us the land without any stipulations, we’re able to use the proceeds from his donation to support our ongoing priority conservation work. It is common for non-profits, including TNC, to sell donated real estate, vehicles, or other valuable assets. In fact, our team prefers to work with donors during their lifetimes as they create their estate plans to ensure donor wishes are honored.

We do not yet own the land Mr. Denham donated, and therefore, we don’t know the specifics on how the land may be divided and sold.

We are working in good faith to swiftly complete Mr. Denham’s generous donation. We are very close to completion and are thankful to Ms. Andrew for her patience.

Gifts like this are openly marketed after we’ve fully accepted the donation. Therefore, the market will determine the value. Whatever the value, his generous donation will significantly contribute to our efforts to protect Oklahoma’s treasured landscape.

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