Economic Benefits of Open Space (bibliography and citations) -- 1998 Purchase of Development Rights: Conserving Lands, Preserving Western Livelihoods -- 2001 Other Sources & Links Utah's Critical Lands Conservation Committee -- a link to the Committee's web page Arizona's Preserve Initiative -- a link to page describing Arizona's initiative to preserve open lands WGA Contact |
ARCHIVE: This page no longer being updated. It is made available for historical reference. (4/9/01) WGA established an Open Lands Initiative in 1997 in response to the governors' concerns about dramatic population growth occurring in our region during much of this decade. With growth has come vanishing open spaces, whose loss is important to westerners because of their role in defining the character of the West. The loss of open space is localized but often highly visible and emotionally-charged, and many western states face similar challenges in keeping lands open. The governors recognize that even though the West has a tremendous amount of public land in open space, private lands are also important in giving communities a sense of cultural identity; scenic and historic landscapes; recreational opportunities; buffer zones for parks, forests, and other protected areas; wildlife habitat and water recharge areas; a local supply of food and fiber; and jobs and revenue from agricultural activity. Accordingly, the focus of the WGA Open Lands Initiative is on landowner-driven conservation of open spaces on private, productive working ranches, farms, and timber lands. To kick off the initiative the governors held a major conference, "The Land of Wide Open Spaces: Setting an Open Lands Agenda for the West." The conference was hosted by Governor Jim Geringer at the Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park on September 29 and 30, 1997. It attracted well over 200 participants from 13 Western states. Attendees were fairly equally divided among landowners, environmentalists, and local, state and federal officials, and many attendees commented that this mix of interests would not have been possible even just a few years ago. Governors Mike Leavitt and Ben Nelson also spoke and moderated conference panels, and staff representing Governors Romer, Batt, Hull, and Bush were also in attendance. Conference participants put forward an impressive number of ideas about how the governors can work in partnership with other entities to increase open lands conservation in the West. WGA published a detailed summary of conference presentations. WGA has since engaged in follow-up efforts to develop specific projects and partnerships. With support from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, WGA is working with the Trust for Public Land to assist western states in identifying and developing statewide strategies for funding open space. TPL and WGA have made available a comprehensive bibliography of the literature on the economic benefits of open space. It contains over 100 citations addressing many different dimensions of this issue. In addition to a list of articles and reports, entries are broken out and excerpted by over 20 topics, such as "the costs of open space versus developed land uses," "flood control and hazard mitigation," and the "market for open space." WGA is advising governors' staff on funding issues on an as-needed basis, and a survey of current western state open space conservation programs is underway to encourage "the art of the possible" by informing states about what their neighbors are doing. WGA is working with the American Farmland Trust to help states improve community access to advanced information technologies and data that can help them address open space challenges. Detailed proposals have been developed for strategic farm and ranch land mapping projects that would identify agricultural lands at risk, forecast alternative futures, and help develop and implement local landowner-driven protection programs. Funding is being sought to support this project. WGA is also working with land conservation organizations in Washington, D.C. to identify and advance new federal tax measures that will strengthen incentives for private landowners to maintain open space. |