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3� Page 6 farmland preservation report Right to Farm in New Jersey (Continued from page 5) sey's farmland values are the highest in the nation, and land continues to appreciate at twice the treasury bill rate. Adelaja outlined the difficulty of protecting farmers from nuisance complaints in a densely inhabited state. "Where people are interested in preservation, they are not interested in right- to- farin. It is the farm community that makes right -to -farm happen, whereas it is a combination of farm and nonfarm constituents that make preservation hap- pen," he said. The result is the public will support right -to- farm to get farmland preservation, "but the law will be weak." Adelaja's research showed that communities with higher income were more supportive of farmland preservation and less likely to support right -to -farm, but where farmers had more political clout, right -to -farm ordinances with teeth had a better chance of passage. Right to farm legislation at the local level typically pro- vides breaks for farmers when it comes to government actions such as tax exemptions in annexations, and an explicitly stated right to engage in normal farming practices that include activi- ties some nonfarm neighbors might claim are a nuisance. Larry Libby, co -chair of the conference organizing com- mittee and Swank Professor in Rural -Urban Policy at The Ohio State University, said he believes there will be another similar conference in about three years, again, focusing on one category of farmland protection techniques. Virginia county may get P ®R WILLIAMSBURG, VA— James City County, which encom- passes major tourist attractions including Colonial Williams- burg and other important historic sites, will consider a pur- chase of development rights program in November, accord- ing to planner Ben Thompson. "We do believe it will be approved ... we're using this to protect rural lands, whether agricultural or forestal." The pro- gram has already been budgeted at $1 million and a program manager has been hired. "We took other jurisdictions in Virginia — Loudoun, Albemarle and Virginia Beach and brainstormed. We took the components most appropriate for our community." Contact: Michael Drewry at 757 259 -3110. October 2001 news briefs In Connecticut ... The State Bond Commission, chaired by Gov. John Rowland, approved easements on four farms totaling 560 acres, at a cost of $2.089 million. The state now has 27,928 acres preserved on 186 farms. In California ... Two neighboring jurisdictions outside San Diego are fighting over conflicts in their growth plans, affecting thousands of acres of farmland. At the LTA ... Land Trust Alliance Executive Director Jean Hocker is stepping down after 14 years lead- ing the nation's only organization serving the needs of land trusts. Hocker said she will take a "sabbatical" and at some point re- turn to the field in some capacity to foster continued growth in land conservation. She was honored by 1400 attendees at the organization's recent annual rally in Baltimore. The LTA recently reported that lo- cal and regional land trusts have protected 6,479,672 acres of open space as of Dec. 31, 2000. That is a 241 percent increase over the 1.9 million acres protected as of 1990. National land trusts have protected millions of acres as well. A record 1,263 local and regional land trusts were in operation in 2000, a 42 per- cent increase over the number (887) that existed in 1990. In Maryland ... Since a new in- come tax credit for donated ease- ments took effect July 1, the Mary- land Environmental Trust has re- ceived four donations equaling 570 acres. The new incentive allows a $5000 per year credit up to $80,000 over 15 years. Frederick County officials have approved a point system and other features of a proposed installment purchase program expected to go to public hearing before the end of the year, It would be the fifth Maryland County using installment purchases. In Virginia ... Loudoun County is working to implement its updated comprehensive plan, which calls for