Guest Column

Nikki Rovner and Mary Heinricht

No Time to Lose

Development is rapidly consuming Virginia's farmland and forests. The Commonwealth needs to invest more in preservation of open space.

“It shall be the Commonwealth’s policy to protect its atmosphere, lands and waters from pollution, impairment or destruction for the benefit, enjoyment and general welfare of the people of the Commonwealth.”

     --Article XI, Constitution of Virginia

Experts predict that if current trends continue, over the next 25 years Virginia will develop an area equal to that developed since the Commonwealth was settled by Europeans. The rate of loss is accelerating and is now more than two times faster than our population growth. Vitally important resources like prime farmlands are being lost at the greatest rate, with forestland loss close behind.

Virginians have said repeatedly in surveys, polls and by voting, that they are willing to invest in the protection of the lands of the Commonwealth. But the Commonwealth has failed to provide dedicated funding to protect our resource lands for future generations.

Background

Virginia has excellent programs to facilitate land conservation, including the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation and the Office of Farmland Preservation. Unfortunately, since 2000, very little funding has been allocated to these programs despite an increased desire and need for land conservation efforts. Virginia has agreed to permanently protect 20 percent the Chesapeake Bay watershed, but has made no real progress towards funding this important commitment.

Nationally, states provide an average of 60 percent of the funding for purchase of development rights programs, recognizing that many localities do not have the ability to raise local revenues for this purpose. Nine localities in Virginia have adopted purchase of development rights programs (PDR) and many others are examining ways to save their rural areas. Only two of these programs have dedicated funding, three are unfunded and the others rely on annual appropriations.

Virginia also has an innovative land preservation tax credit program. This program encourages private conservation action by allowing taxpayers who make gifts of land or conservation easements to reduce state income liability and transfer unused credits to other taxpayers.

Recommendations

Virginia should fully fund its land conservation programs.

• Provide funding to localities with Purchase of Development Rights programs. Virginia’s Agricultural Vitality Program recently released a model to help localities develop programs to protect the land base that is needed for healthy rural economies that rely on agriculture and forestry.

• Matching grants to nonprofits, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and localities. The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation leverages private, local and federal investment by paying up to 50 percent of the cost of land conservation projects. A portion of the VLCF’s funds are directed to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation to provide for the donation and acquisition of open space easements.

• Public land acquisition. While occasional funding has been made available through general obligation bonds, Virginia has never provided an adequate revenue stream for natural resources agencies to meet an increasing population’s needs for recreational opportunities. Funding is needed to take advantage of current opportunities to buy land for wildlife management areas, state forests, parks and natural areas.

• The land preservation tax credit is also an important tool that should remain part of Virginia’s land conservation toolbox.

-- January 31, 2005