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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: April 4, 2000 <br />Action Age da <br />Item No. ~` <br />SUBJECT: "A Lands Legacy Program for Orange County" _ <br />DEPARTMENT: Environment and Resource PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />Conservation <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />"Lands Legacy" Report (under separate Dave Stancil, 245-2590 <br />cover, appendices upon request) Rich Shaw, 245-2591 <br />Comments from advisory boards <br />Resolution adopting Lands Legacy TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Program Hillsborough 732-5181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To consider adopting, as policy, a program for natural and cultural resource land <br />acquisitions entitled "A Lands Legacy Program for Orange County." <br />BACKGROUND: In June 1998, the Board called for the development of a comprehensive land <br />acquisition program to protect and acquire (whether fee-simple or via easement) prioritized <br />natural and cultural resources in the County. This concept, along with the creation of a new <br />Environment and Resource Conservation Department, was presented at public hearing in <br />November, 1998. <br />ERCD staff developed a program outline in the spring and summer of 1999, and all relevant <br />advisory boards developed proposed critieria for evaluation of resource land acquisition in the <br />fall of 1999. A draft report was presented to the Board at the October 12, 1999 work session. <br />Comments and direction from the Board were incorporated into a revised version of the <br />document, which was provided for Board review in February. Advisory boards reviewed the <br />proposal in March. and any comments received are attached. <br />The proposed program contains a number of sections that address the rationale for the <br />program, inventory existing resources, and review GIS data (both current and needed) that is <br />being used to create a Comprehensive Resource Database. Other similar programs around the <br />nation and the state are noted, along with the criteria for evaluating land acquisitions suggested <br />from each advisory board, and ways that the GIS resource database could be used to identify <br />priority acquisition areas. <br />Potential tools for land acquisition, ranging from donations to easements to fee-simple, are <br />explained in the document. Possible funding sources and land management options are also <br />addressed. <br />