Agenda - 10-20-1998 - 9b - Laserfiche WebLink

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B. Developing a plan and program for the acquisition of land for resource conservation, and implementing that program. One of the new department's most significant tasks will be to elevate planning for resource protection to a new level through the voluntary acquisition of the County's most critical land resources. While some planning and prioritization of important resource lands has occurred to date, a comprehensive program to evaluate the County's most important resources will need to be developed so that the County can begin systematic acquisition of land through conservation easements, fee simple ownership, or other agreements. This department will take the lead in identifying and recommending natural and other resources to be protected and conserved, as outlined in Section A above, and will also coordinate the conservation of resources recommended by other departments, such as Recreation and Parks. This program will be of a voluntary nature and will be subject to review and approval by the Board of Commissioners, before the County can begin acquiring lands through conservation easements, fee simple ownership, or other agreements. It should be noted that development of this area of emphasis will be a stepwise process involving check -in points with the Board of Commissioners at every step. The major elements of a land acquisition program might include: 1. Organizational Structure. The County may wish to consider a process for establishing a land trust, or developing a partnership with an existing land trust, such as the Triangle Land Conservancy. 2. Land Conservation Criteria. Deciding what resources to protect and acquire is fundamental. The County has the following plans and programs in place for ranking priority resources: Inventory of Natural Areas and Wildlife Habitats. Orange County's most significant natural areas and wildlife habitat were described in the Inventory of the Natural Areas and Wildlife Habitats completed in 1988 by the Triangle Land Conservancy. In the next few months, the TLC is scheduled to complete a Wildlife Habitat Study ranking prime wildlife habitat areas. Comprehensive Resources Map. Developed as part of the Rural Character Study and Flexible Development process, this map is incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan and identifies important natural resources in the County identified to date.