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3 <br />Assessment of Long-Term Protection Mechanisms <br />for Lands Legacy <br />. May 31, 2006 <br />Background <br />In 2000, Orange's County's nationally-recognized Lands Legacy Program created a <br />mechanism for the County to acquire, hold and maintain lands of important natural and <br />cultural resource significance. To date, over 1,600 acres have been acquired through <br />purchase or donation, fee-simple ownership or conservation easement, and these lands <br />are being monitored and stewardship performed in keeping with stewardship plans or <br />easement provisions. <br />In many ways; the Lands Legacy Program functions as a County land trust, although it is <br />not formally such. The adopted Lands Legacy Program Policy Document (4/4/00) <br />- envisioned that such a mechanism might bear further review over time, and suggested <br />that the potential for formally addressing long-term protection strategies for Lands <br />Legacy (including exploration br creating a local government land trust or open space <br />authority) be examined after a period of years. Since May 2006 marks five years since the <br />first Lands Legacy Action Plan was adopted (May 3, 2001), staff is prepared to examine <br />this issue further, if the Board desires. <br />There are a broad spectrum of permanency mechanisms that may exist, ranging from <br />creation of open space authorities and non-profit land trusts affiliated with local <br />governments, to partnerships with existing land trusts, to creating a formal registration of <br />lands as being within the "Lands Legacy Program" (as done with the NC .Natural <br />Heritage Program). <br />Although uncommon, there were at least five (and perhaps more) Local Government <br />Land Trusts (LGLT's) in operation in the United States in 1998, based on research <br />conducted at that time: <br />^ The Annapolis Conservancy (Annapolis, MD) <br />^ Block Island Land Trust (Shoreham, RI) <br />^ Boulder Land Trust (Boulder, CO) <br />^ Davis Rural Land Trust (Davis, CA) <br />^ Narragansett Land Trust (Narragansett, RI) <br />^ Severn River Land Trust (Anne Arundel County, MD) <br />Research conducted for the Lands Legacy Program Policy Document in early 2000 <br />looked at these known LGLT's, and briefly at the potential for a different structiure <br />permitted under N.C. General Statutes, an Open Space Authority (OSA). An Open Space <br />Authority would require special legislation to create an "authority" (the same basic <br />premises and statutes as OWASA is constituted, for example). No such authorities exist <br />