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6 <br />Farmland. For farmland resources, the Agricultural Districts <br />Advisory Board has developed a program to use the Land <br />Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA) system for ranking prime <br />farmland. <br />Parkland and Recreation Lands. The County is currently pursuing <br />an update to the Master Parks and Recreation Plan, through the <br />Master Parks and Recreation Committee. This effort to identify <br />current and future resources is being held in conjunction with the <br />Towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough (who have their <br />own parks and greenways programs). <br />Historic Sites and Landscapes. The Historic Preservation Element <br />of the Comprehensive Plan describes an evaluation and ranking <br />system for historic resources. <br />3. Land Resources Database. A GIS database of prioritized land <br />resources will be created for use in evaluating acquisition options. This <br />database will include data previously generated by the County and the <br />Triangle Land Conservancy, along with new research. Upon <br />completion of the Comprehensive Resource Acquisition Program, the <br />ERCD will coordinate the compilation of a records and mapping <br />database that contains prioritized areas that will be maintained and <br />augmented over time. <br />4. Land Acquisition Mechanism. The County will have the <br />mechanism and expertise to acquire desired land or sites, and to <br />manage those sites as appropriate. Implementation of the <br />Comprehensive Resource Acquisition Program will be instituted using <br />the current and new personnel resources, as well as seed or matching <br />money from the County, augmented with grant funding from a variety <br />of possible sources, such as the Natural Heritage and Clean Water <br />Trust Funds. <br />While the development of a comprehensive acquisition program will be <br />ongoing, there will be options on an interim basis to enable the County to <br />work with voluntary conservation easements and donations, or to develop <br />school/park sites. There may also be opportunities to purchase desirable <br />properties before the comprehensive program is completely developed <br />(e.g., the recent purchase of property at the Northern Human Services <br />Center). These options are shown in Attachment A. <br />3 <br />