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Attachment 1 4 <br /> 1 1"00 01 t "1 00 10 ' <br /> m <br /> °` rf° m, rf f fluvir m, Agri uUur r ig R r n <br /> Orange County's Lands Legacy Program was created by a board of commissioners' resolution <br /> on April 4, 2000. The purpose and mission is to work with willing landowners and other <br /> partners to protect and conserve the county's most important natural and cultural resource lands <br /> before they are damaged or destroyed. The program is administered by the Department of <br /> Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation (DEAPR). <br /> Through Lands Legacy, the County has completed projects in all seven townships. That success <br /> was achieved with the help of many partners, including dozens of landowners interested in <br /> conserving their land through the granting of permanent conservation easements. Other key <br /> partners included Triangle Land Conservancy, Eno River Association, OWASA, Duke <br /> University, and other local governments. The County has also partnered with state and federal <br /> agencies that awarded over $5 million in grants for park acquisition/construction and for <br /> conserving farms and open space. <br /> Over the first 17 years of Lands Legacy, Orange County acquired land for eight new parks, <br /> preserved all or portions of 20 active farms (1,930 acres), and conserved nearly 1,500 acres of <br /> natural open space in the Eno River, Cane Creek, Little River, and New Hope Creek watersheds <br /> upstream of public water supply intakes. A list of completed projects is attached. <br /> An evolving focus for the program <br /> Lands Legacy was established to protect the following types of land: <br /> • Parkland <br /> • Natural areas and wildlife habitat(including prime forests) <br /> • Riparian buffers (especially in public water supply watersheds) <br /> • Prime farmland <br /> • Historic and cultural sites <br /> During the first few years Lands Legacy focused on parkland acquisition, and then shifted its <br /> focus to farmland preservation, responding to farmer interests and grants for purchasing <br /> conservation easements. More recently, the program has worked to conserve land along rivers <br /> and streams—thereby helping to protect our public water supplies and securing areas for low- <br /> impact recreation. <br /> The cost of conservation j6% „iiiiiiiiiii %%%%///%// / . ,,,ir������/iiiiiiixirr ^i�1��� r <br /> Orange County's land conservation over /����������� '' <br /> the past 17 years cost the County $5,195 , <br /> per acre—much less than 1% of the 4g � ��( � <br /> /D//////////%/ ;;, <br /> County's budget over that period. Those � � � � ` 1 <br /> Y g Y �� / ' " �x�� i/1✓/w ail <br /> funds went toward the direct conservation °'����"'� °"""'O" f <br /> of 3,401 acres by the County,plus an ��ID, /�� � r, �, �r r 'iii;; 1,oltoolv9)additional 1,338 acres acquired by the `1 ' x <br /> State for Eno River State Park, for the y %r� � 1�� ��;�r�� '%��� ����' fi,u,1� �7/ '� " <br /> portion of Little River Park located in � 1"� , >% i;"fi " <br /> Y <br /> Durham County, and for other local <br /> conservation easement projects. <br /> Over time the price of land has risen <br />