|
COMMON GROUND VOL . 13 NO . 1 JANUARY-MARCH 2O02
<br /> • •
<br /> Land Protected , from page 1 Fish and Wildlife Service and Jim
<br /> ■ In the largest conservation easement in its Connaughton, chairman of the White House
<br /> history, Maryland contributed $ 7 . 6 million to Council on Environmental Quality . "We
<br /> a federal-state - county partnership to protect hope this meeting is the first of an ongoing
<br /> 5, 000 acres of farmland along the Eastern effort to engage the states in setting the
<br /> Maryland Shore of the Chesapeake Bay . Chino Farm, agenda for natural resources conservation in
<br /> contributed $ 7 . 6 the largest in Queen Anne' s County, in- this country, " Norton said . The group plans
<br /> cludes 2 . 5 miles of Chester River shoreline . to meet April 25-27 to discuss the work of
<br /> million to a fed- About 300 acres will be managed under the committees on land conservation, transporta-
<br /> eral -state- county federal Conservation Reserve Enhancement tion and agriculture . The Conservation Fund,
<br /> partnership to Program to create buffers and improve water with assistance from the Richard King
<br /> p 'rotect 5 000 acres quality . More than 100 acres will be re - Mellon Foundation, provided financial sup -
<br /> planted with trees to provide wildlife corri- port for the initial meeting .
<br /> of farmland along dors to link adjacent forest lands . The Fund,
<br /> the Eastern Shore which helped arrange the easement, has as - ■ Jim and Lucia Gilliland of Memphis,
<br /> of the Chesapeake sisted in protecting 99, 000 acres in the state . Tenn . , recently loaned $ 500, 000 interest-free
<br /> to The Conservation Fund to create the Con-
<br /> Bay ■ DeKalb County, Ga . , tapped its new $ 125 servation Partners Fund . Like many Ameri-
<br /> million fund for parks and green space in cans, the Gillilands have watched a sputter-
<br /> December to add 940 acres to the Davidson- ing stock market and record low interest
<br /> Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve 20 miles rates and decided to seek a better return by
<br /> east of Atlanta . The acquisition coincided looking beyond traditional investments .
<br /> with a 100- acre gift to the county by the Through the new partners fund, investors
<br /> Richard King Mellon Foundation that in- agree to loan at least $ 250, 000 interest- free to
<br /> creased the reserve to more than 1 , 600 acres . the Fund for at least two years . The money
<br /> The land includes rocky outcrops, woodland will fund land conservation projects, and
<br /> and a stream within the South River water- loans will be repaid at the end of the term .
<br /> shed . The additions form a land bridge that The Gilliland money helped protect 5, 000
<br /> connects the preserve with Panola Mountain acres along the Cumberland Trail in Tennes -
<br /> State Conservation Park . The Conservation see . The state which ai
<br /> The Urban Land , ms to create a 280 -
<br /> Fund assisted with the gift . mile linear park, secured more than half the
<br /> Institute and land, leaving more than 2, 000 acres unpro-
<br /> the U. S . Green ■ The Denver Business Journal recently tected . With a boost from the Gilliland loan,
<br /> Building Council chose the preservation of the 21 , 000- acre The Conservation Fund bought the land and
<br /> Greenland Ranch in Douglas County as a now has time to raise money with its part-
<br /> will host a two -day Groundbreaker of the Year Award winner . ners to protect it for the long term . For more
<br /> symposium about The project, which Sydney Macy of The Con- details about the Conservation Partners Pro-
<br /> the practice of servation Fund ' s Colorado office worked on gram, contact David Phillips ( 703 / 525 - 6300,
<br /> sustainable for years, brought $ 70 million in funding to - dphillips@conservationfund . org ) ,
<br /> gether from Great Outdoors Colorado, Dou-
<br /> development . For glas County and a conservation buyer . The ■ In the largest environmental grant in its
<br /> more information county purchased 3, 600 acres of the ranch history, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
<br /> for recreation . A conservation easement was ( mott . org ) has given $ 3 . 975 million to The
<br /> On " The Practice
<br /> placed on the remaining 17, 400 acres of the Conservation Fund to create a revolving loan
<br /> of Sustainable working ranch, which was purchased by the fund ( 616 / 426- 8825, pkohring@aol . com ) to
<br /> Development, conservation buyer in July 2000 . protect coastal and freshwater ecosystems in
<br /> to be held March the & state Great Lakes basin . The revolving
<br /> ■ Leaders of 45 state natural resource agen- fund will provide land trusts and govern-
<br /> 26 - 27 in cies, led by John Oliver, secretary of the ment agencies with short- term loans to pur-
<br /> Pittsburgh, Pa . , Pennsylvania Department of Conservation chase ecologically significant areas and
<br /> call 8001321 - 5011 , and Natural Resources, met at a landmark conservation easements . The Conservation
<br /> meeting in Shepherdstown, W . Va . , in Octo- Fund will provide technical assistance to
<br /> ber to seek ways to encourage multistate help complete the acquisitions . The new
<br /> partnerships and more effectively communi - fund is expected to protect $ 15 million of
<br /> cate their interests to the federal govern- land in 5 years . " This grant is a tremendous
<br /> ment . The leaders were joined by Gale leap forward, " said Peg Kohring, the Fund ' s
<br /> Norton, Interior secretary, Fran Mainella, Midwest director . " We can look at larger
<br /> director of the National Park Service, Steve blocks of land and be more systematic in the
<br /> Williams, since confirmed as director of the preservation of ecologically important sites . "
<br />
|