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- Info
This land (trust) is your land
| Author: |
Martens, Tom; Peterson, Tom |
| Date: |
1992 |
| Periodical: |
American City and County |
| Abstract: |
In every state land trusts, grassroots land conservation groups, are offering their resources and expertise to help local governments preserve the character of their communities. And they are doing something that is on the minds of nearly all local government officials - saving them money. They do it by helping governments buy land for parks, wildlife protection and open space at below market value - often at substantial savings; by raising funds to privately buy public land; by acquiring land for parks, adding improvements and then managing them on behalf of local government; by playing the roles of mediator, planner and consensus builder in land-use disputes; and by acting as surrogate staff for small or revenue strapped government agencies. They also protect land that, if developed, would change the historic character of a community, such as that in an agricultural town threatened by urban sprawl. "Some land trusts are large conservation organizations with professional staffs," says Jean Hocker, executive director of the Land Trust Alliance (LTA), a Washington, D.C.-based land trust umbrella group. "Others are small, volunteer groups. Regardless of size, all land trusts are sensitive to the interests of their communities, as well as the needs of landowners. Because they are problem solvers and efficient at using donated time and money, land trusts offer a cost-effective approach to conservation." While land trust activists are motivated by ideals and vision, they are doggedly pragmatic. "The land trust movement is made up of doers," says Hocker, "people who possess some pretty technical skills in real estate transactions, tax law, public relations, land management, and nonprofit administration - and turn them into protected land." |
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