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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />WORKSESSION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: August 31, 2004 <br />Action Agen~.d{a <br />Item No. <br />SUBJECT: Lands Legacy Action Plan for FY 2004-06 <br />DEPARTMENT: Environment and Resource PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />Conservation <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Draft Action Plan 2004-2006 <br />Map of Proposed Priority Areas <br />List of Acquisitions (2000-2004) <br />Funds Status Report (under separate <br />cover) <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />David Stancil, 245-2590 <br />Rich Shaw, 245-2591 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To consider adoption of the draft Lands Legacy Action Plan for fiscal years <br />2004-06. <br />BACKGROUND: The Board of Commissioners adopted the Lands Legacy Program in <br />April 2000. Through this program, Orange County seeks to protect its most critical natural <br />and cultural resources through a variety of voluntary means. Over the first four years of <br />the program, the County has acquired 688 acres for new county parkland and nature <br />preserves, and protected another 446 acres of privately owned farmland and natural lands <br />with conservation easements. Many projects are accomplished in partnership with other <br />conservation entities, including Triangle Land Conservancy, Orange Water & Sewer <br />Authority, Eno River Association, and the Orange Soil and Water Conservation District. <br />The Lands Legacy Program is activated each year by adoption of an Action Plan, <br />concurrent with the CIP process. This year, the Action Plan was withheld until decisions <br />about the CIP and bond sales were made, since these directly impact the Action Plan. <br />The Action Plan presented herein reflects acquisition priorities for the 24-month period <br />beginning .July 1, 2004 and ending June 30, 2006. Since the FY 2004-05 fiscal year is <br />already underway, some of the priorities listed in the plan are already familiar to the Board, <br />such as the farmland easement projects. Other projects are multi-year projects that are <br />repeated from the previous action plan. <br />The draft plan was developed with input from citizen advisory boards (listed with their <br />areas of expertise in parentheses): Commission for the Environment (natural areas and <br />