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Bush Signs Farm Bill Vol. 13, No. 3 July— September 2002 ■ The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act (usda.gov/ Editorial: Ed McMahon of The Conservation farmbill), signed into law May 13 by President Bush, in- Fund argues that community leaders don't cludes $17.1 billion in new funding for conservation pro- need to lower their standards to attract 2 grams over 10 years. development. Congress authorized spending $597 million over six years on the Farmland Protection Program, up from just $52.5 million over the past six years. The program pays half the cost for state and local governments to purchase development rights on farmland. Nonprofit organizations are eligible to participate in the program, which Congress expanded to include farm and ranchland with historic or archaeological resources. Legislators also authorized spending $1.5 billion through 2007 to boost enrollment to 2.275 million acres in the Wetlands Reserve Program, which pays landowners for 30 -year or permanent easements, and provides wetland restoration funding. See Farm Bill page 7 Grand Canyon, Gettysburg Battlefield Lands Preserved ■ Grand Canyon grazing rights: The Richard King Mellon Foundation, with assistance from The Conservation Fund, recently acquired 36,110 acres of federal grazing rights and 240 acres of private land from a willing seller in the Grand Canyon - Parashant National Monument. The property, known as Pakoon Springs, includes the most significant water source in the national monument, which borders the Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona. The Foundation donated the property to the Bureau of Land Management. Earlier this year, the Fund, the Grand Canyon Trust and other partners, working with ranching families, acquired 43,000 acres of grazing rights, 400 acres of private land and significant water resources in the na- tional monument for permanent protection. See Grand Canyon, page 3 Small Tracts: Maryland preserves land faster than it is developed, fisheries rebound quickly in marine reserves, American 4 donations break record, and industry cuts its chemical releases. Corporate Notes: Dupont donates land to protect a greenbelt around a historic company town, Avista Utilities helps protect 6 Montana riverfront property, Cargill agrees to largest wetlands restoration in California history and MeadWestvaco protects reptiles and amphibians in habitat corridors. Also, Toyoto's hybrid gas- electric vehicle tops 100,000 in sales, and Coca -Cola helps inaugurate a corporate effort to develop sustainable water strategies. Award: International Paper honors an' environmental educator in Washington and a land trust leader in New Jersey with $10,000 grants.