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21 July- August 2001 Page 7 farmland preservation report Maryland program, from page 6 "We are negotiating with DNR and with the Greenprint program to make offers to those left out of Round Two," Wilson said. "If applicants accept Greenprint [criteria], then we can go ahead and do appraisals," for an "alternate Round Two," he said. Contact: Doug Wilson, 410 841 -5881; David Burke, 410 260 -8775. Michigan Rural Development Council booted from state offices, funding terminated LANSING, MI - The Michigan legislature has cut funding for The Rural Development Council of Michigan (RDCM), the state's leading advocate for farmland preservation. Effective Oct. 1, the organi- zation must vacate its offices at the state Depart- ment of Agriculture, according to executive director David Skjaerlund. The Council will become a 501c -3 organization .and continue with private funding sources, Skjaer- lund said. Michigan Commissioner of Agriculture Dan Wyant said the state -is in a "budget crunch" and that the department "made a priority decision" that sent the Rural Development Council packing. "It's a huge loss to us, but Dave's leadership will be established somewhere else. His leadership and his passion will continue to benefit the state of Michigan." Wyant said the RDCM wasn't the only loss to his department, which, due to a projected $700 million shortfall in state revenue, lost over $3 million in funding, five percent of its budget. Food banks, conservation districts, food safety and other budgets were affected and some positions will be removed, he said. Skjaerlund said the move into nonprofit status will be an opportunity to become a political force in advocating adoption of legislation it pursued last year. "The board has a lot of passion and is very determined to be a voice for rural issues including farmland preservation." Skjaerlund said the RDCM, created in 1993, is not in financial straits as a result of the state fund- ing loss, which amounted to just $90,000. It recently received $119,000 from the Kellogg Foundation to "help local communities establish farmland preser- vation programs," and has a number of other grants in hand. The Council will continue sponsoring its Ulti- mate Farmland Preservation Tours to the Mid - Atlantic, with the next tour scheduled for Sept. 6 - 10: The Rural Development Council of Michigan is a collaborative effort of both public and private entities, and one of 35 state councils that comprise the National Rural Development Partnership, which receives federal funds. The Councils were created specifically to find innovative ways to improve rural life and industry. The Michigan council received $130,000 in federal funds this year. Land use is just one of the many diverse issues the Council's three - person staff tackles, but innova- tion in promoting farmland preservation has beer* a hallmark of the organization. Since 1999, the RDCM has conducted, twice yearly, the Ultimate Farmland Preservation Tour, with more than 650 people participating to date in the in- depth, five -day tours. It sponsors a land use leadership training program, as well as a land use tour of the state, taking two days to visit communities that have progressed in their approaches to urban redevelopment, subur- ban development designs and farmland preserva- tion. The RDCM has been instrumental in develop- ing legislation to bring Michigan into line with the rest of the nation in its taxation of farmland with a solid proposal for agricultural use assessment. The organization sponsored the "Ultimate Land Use Conference" in Michigan last year, with more than 500 people attending. This year, the Council is sponsoring regional workshops to help localities set up local farmland programs, a vital activity due to underfunding of the state's farmland program, according to Skjaerlund. Contact. David Skjaerlund, 517 373 -4550.