Agenda - 01-23-2014 - 6j - Laserfiche WebLink

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3 Orange County Lands Legacy Program Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation Orange County's Lands Legacy Program was created by a board of commissioners' resolution on April 4, 2000. The purpose and mission is to work with willing landowners and other partners to protect and conserve the county's most important natural and cultural resource lands before they are damaged or destroyed. The program is administered by the Department of Environment,Agriculture, Parks and Recreation(DEAPR). Through Lands Legacy,the County has completed projects in all seven townships. That success was achieved with the help of many partners, including dozens of landowners interested in conserving their land through the granting of permanent conservation easements. Other key partners included Triangle Land Conservancy,Eno River Association, OWASA,Duke University, and other local governments. The County has also partnered with state and federal agencies that awarded over$5 million in grants for park acquisition/construction and for conserving farms and open space. Over the first 12 years of Lands Legacy, Orange County acquired land for seven new parks, preserved all or portions of 16 active farms(1,700 acres), and conserved nearly 600 acres of natural open space in the Eno River, Cane Creek,Little River, and New Hope Creek watersheds upstream of public water supply intakes. A list of completed projects is attached. An evolving focus for the program Lands Legacy was established to protect the following types of land: • Parkland • Natural areas and wildlife habitat(including prime forests) • Riparian buffers(especially in public water supply watersheds) • Prime farmland • Historic and cultural sites During the first few years Lands Legacy focused on parkland acquisition,then shifted its focus to farmland preservation, responding to farmer interests and grants for purchasing conservation easements. More recently, the program has worked to conserve land along rivers and streams— thereby helping to protect our public water supplies and securing areas for low-impact recreation. The cost of conservation Orange County's land conservation over _ , ' t,: ■ the past 12 years cost the County $3,641 per acre—much less than 1%of the ` '} County's budget over that period. Those t' • funds went toward the direct conservation of 3,077 acres by the County,plus an additional 1,338 acres acquired by the State for Eno River State Park,for the portion of Little River Park located in Durham County, and for other local conservation easement projects.