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iS � J s�, Page 2 Continued from page 1 farmland preservation report scandalous. He warned that it can be expected that easement violations will increase over time, causing landowners to lose faith in land trusts. Wentworth said a Pennsylvania land trust had recently had legal fees of over $100,000 in an en- forcement case. Wentworth proposed creating a "collective legal defense pool," that would garner annual contributions and pro bono work. "If we get bad case law in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, it will hurt every land trust in the region," he warned. Wentworth said that stewardship "goes beyond enforcing a document, to engaging in a relationship long - term." Ecological restoration will-evolve as the focus of stewardship, he said. In addition, Wentworth urged land trusts to consider projects in cities, to "work to bring minori- ties" into their efforts, and to envision the land trust movement in a way that is "wildly ambitious... that every child in Americawill grow up within 10 minutes of a green*space." July -Aug. 2002 Shore quality of life," and "focuses on one of the greatest landscape protection tools available: strong, proactive planning and zoning," the plan states. The ESLC has put the initiative forward to the six counties in the form of a resolution for county elected officials to sign by July 25. The resolution, if signed, would have counties work together to achieve land use and design standards as well as a transporta- Land trusts and land use About 40 people attended a workshop titled "Land Use Planning: Roles for Land Trusts" moder- ated by Robert Etgen of the Eastern Shore (Md.) Land Conservancy. Of those attending, only four indicated they had been involved in land use planning in their localities. "Our mission is to preserve land - we have to be true to our mission. It's much broader than conserva- tion easements," Etgen said. Easements, "are just a program under the mission." Etgen said his organization, which operates in a six - county region where close to 30,000 acres are under easements, understood that involvement in planning was imperative as development began moving into Maryland's rural Eastern Shore from neighboring Delaware, and that "planning and zoning systems on the Eastern Shore were not ready." The Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) approached the need by creating its "Regional Landscape Initiative," which asserts in its mission statement, "There is simply too. much valuable land, and not enough time or money to protect it all through conservation easements alone." The program "pro- vides tools to curb sprawl and protect the Eastern Eastern Shore (MD) Land Conservancy Six - County Anti - Sprawl Plan 4 Protect 50 percent of Eastern Shore land by 2010; . 4 Put agriculture into local economic development plans; 4 Channel at least 50 percent of new development into locally designated growth areas by 2005; 4 Enact design standards that make new development complement local architecture by 2005; 4 Assure diverse, affordable housing is available by 2010; 4 Develop a regional transportation plan that includes public transit between towns by 2010. Adapted from "Eastern Shore 2010: A Regional Vision", a resolution drafted by the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and sent to six county governments. For more information see tivww. eslc. org. tion plan that includes public transportation. Etgen said he didn't know whether all six coun- ties would sign on to the resolution, or whether any of them would. "Land protection is our bread and butter, but it's not enough," said Amy Owsley, director of commu- nity planning for ESLC. She said the ESLC feels that involvement inland use, and advocacy, is a proper function for her organization. "We don't think it's a choice." Asked if involvement wards off easement donors or sellers, Rob Etgen said the opposite seemed true. "Involvement usually bumps our land protection numbers up." Dexter Mead'of the Piedmont Environmental Council, a member of the panel, agreed with Etgen that involvement, and its attending publicity "brings at least as much support as flack - people who oppose our policies and actions wouldn't give us an'easement anyway." The Piedmont Environmental Council works in Continued on page 6