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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: February 15, 2011 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. 7 " ~ <br />SUBJECT: Lands Legacy Action Plan for FY 2010-12 <br />DEPARTMENT: Environment, Agriculture, Parks PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No <br />and Recreation (DEAPR) <br />ATTACHMENTS: <br />1) A Ten-Year Retrospective <br />2) Lands Legacy Action Plan (2010-12) <br />3) Map of Proposed Priority Areas <br />4) Status of Funding Sources (as revised) <br />5) Status of Site Access for Public Use <br />6) Top 10 Natural & Cultural Sites Proposal <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />David Stancil, 245-2510 <br />Rich Shaw, 245-2514 <br />PURPOSE: To consider adoption of the Lands Legacy Action Plan for the current and <br />upcoming fiscal years (FY 2010-11 and FY 2011-12). <br />BACKGROUND: The Board of Commissioners adopted the Lands Legacy Program in <br />April 2000. Through this program, Orange County seeks to protect its most critical natural <br />and cultural resources through a variety of voluntary means. Since 2000, the County has <br />conserved or acquired 2,552 acres for a variety of parks or conservation purposes such as <br />new parklands, nature preserves, conservation easements on farmland and natural lands, <br />cultural resources, and watershed buffer lands. The County also assisted in the <br />conservation of an additional 1,307 acres by other partners during that same timeframe. <br />Most projects are accomplished in partnership with other conservation entities, including <br />Triangle Land Conservancy, Orange Water & Sewer Authority, Eno River Association, the <br />Orange NRCS/Soil & Water Conservation district, State and federal trust funds, and <br />adjoining local governments. A summary of the accomplishments and evolution of Lands <br />Legacy over its first 10 years is included as "A Ten-Year Retrospective" (Attachment 1 - <br />first presented at the Board's October 2010 work session). <br />The Lands Legacy Program is directed each two years by adoption of a two-year Action <br />Plan. The 2010-12 Action Plan reflects acquisition priorities for the 24-month period <br />beginning July 1, 2010 and ending June 30, 2012. As in years past, the draft Action Plan <br />was developed with input from citizen advisory boards (listed with their areas of expertise <br />in parentheses): Commission for the Environment (natural areas, prime forest, riparian <br />buffers, open space/trails), Agricultural Preservation Board (farmland preservation), <br />Historic Preservation Board (historic/cultural resources) and the Parks and Recreation <br />Council (parklands, open space/trails). <br />This Action Plan comes at a time where, after 10 years of learning and maturation, the <br />program finds itself in a different position. During the remainder of this current economic <br />downturn, while the State's conservation trust funds are in short supply, DEAPR proposes <br />