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9 <br /> Lands Legacy Action Plan 2018-20 <br /> Lands Legacy Program <br /> Action Plan 2018-2020 <br /> Introduction <br /> The purpose of Orange County's Lands Legacy Program is to help protect the county's most <br /> important natural and cultural resource lands before they are damaged or lost to incompatible <br /> land-uses activities. Much has been accomplished by the County and its many partners, but <br /> there are still many special places needing some level of protection. <br /> Lands Legacy works with landowners who are interested in conserving their land. All projects <br /> are voluntary. Some properties are purchased outright to serve a specific public purpose, such <br /> as for a park or nature preserve, consistent with adopted county plans. Most properties <br /> protected through the program are accomplished with a conservation easement-- a permanent, <br /> legal agreement between the County and the landowner, whereby the land remains in private <br /> ownership. To qualify for a conservation easement the property must have special <br /> "conservation values,"the protection of which will provide meaningful and lasting public benefit <br /> (e.g., water supply watershed, prime farmland, natural heritage area, historic or cultural site). <br /> In most cases the property possesses multiple conservation values. <br /> Most projects completed through Lands Legacy are in partnership with other organizations, <br /> such as Eno River Association, Triangle Land Conservancy, Orange Water and Sewer Authority, <br /> Duke University, and other local governments. The County often uses state and federal <br /> matching grant funds to acquire land or to construct facilities. <br /> The Lands Legacy Program is guided by a three-year Action Plan that sets priorities for <br /> determining what projects to work on over the specified timeframe. The Lands Legacy Action <br /> Plan is prepared the DEAPR staff and adopted by the Board of Commissioners. Some projects <br /> are long-term efforts that span multiple action plans. <br /> The process of developing the Action Plan begins with staff identifying potential projects and <br /> asking the Board for initial guidance. Staff then meets with advisory boards for their input on <br /> development of priorities for the upcoming years. <br /> Staff prepares a draft Plan and presents it to the Board of Commissioners for their consideration <br /> and feedback. The Action Plan is then finalized for Board approval prior to adoption of the <br /> County's Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). <br /> The following is the Action Plan is for the years 2018 through 2020. Like the previous <br /> action plan, this one focuses on fewer target areas. The reason for limiting the scope of <br /> projects is to allow staff to complete one or more of the larger, multi-year priority projects. <br /> Staff is also adjusting to the reduced availability of state grant funds to local governments and <br /> the elimination of the NC Conservation Tax Credit. The scaled-back plan will also continue to <br /> enable the staff to tend to its land stewardship responsibilities of properties "land-banked" for <br /> future parks and preserves. However, as with previous plans, the number and amount of <br /> potential projects exceeds available funds. This is an expected and regular occurrence with <br /> these plans, and simply requires that prioritization among the projects will be needed as they <br /> move toward completion. <br /> 2 <br />