Linking Protected Open Space into a Regional Network | Public Recreational Facilities, Parks,
and Preserves | Restoration Sites and Development Initiated Open Spaces | Open Space
Protected by Non Profit Land Trusts | Open Space Funding, Staffing, and Resources |
Open
Space Restoration, Management, and Access
Open Space Protected by Non Profit Land Trusts
Natural, Cultural, Watershed
Rising land costs are making it more difficult to finance open space protection. Land trusts are finding it increasingly challenging to raise funds to ease open space. Trusts must commonly rely on complex deals involving the leveraging of state, county, local and private funding. Open space funding grants are static, while real estate values rise. Since the process of easing open space can take a decade or more, the trusts have to gauge how much funding will be needed over a course of years. Public funding available to the land trusts for open space protection is often based on a bond referendum with a limited time period.
There is a growing concern that public pressure to modify protection easements may threaten the protection value of those easements. It is anticipated that there will be increased pressure to modify easements on open space as isolated open spaces become more surrounded by development. If there is strong community support for altering an easement, the land trusts would like to ensure that there will be appropriate mitigation, such as protecting two new acres for every acre lost.
Cultural and political changes are creating new challenges for open space protection and monitoring by land trusts. The population of landowners with large parcels is aging, and their heirs tend to be less interested in living on family lands. There are also ongoing changes to federal legislation regarding tax breaks to landowners who donate easements. Furthermore, land trusts do not always have accurate property boundaries for older easements making monitoring more difficult. New County-funded grants now require permanent markers, but some smaller land trusts may not have funding to survey their parcels.
Linking Protected Open Space into a Regional Network | Public Recreational Facilities, Parks,
and Preserves | Restoration Sites and Development Initiated Open Spaces | Open Space
Protected by Non Profit Land Trusts | Open Space Funding, Staffing, and Resources |
Open
Space Restoration, Management, and Access
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