As states face tight budgets in the economic downturn, a new report released by Environment New Hampshire today draws on the experience of 15 states in securing reliable funding for open space programs. Among its key recommendations, Preserving Our Natural Heritage embraces creating dedicated funding sources for preservation – as has happened in New Hampshire.
The report highlights New Hampshire as a state that has successfully secured a dedicated funding source for the state’s primary land preservation project, the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP). In 2007 New Hampshire created a dedicated revenue stream for LCHIP by creating a $25 fee on each real estate transfer which will provide an estimated $6 million in annual funding for the program.
“Between 2003 and 2007, the success of LCHIP was being undermined by inadequate and unstable funding,” said Fox. “The recent decision to create a dedicated funding source for LCHIP is an important step forward in ensuring that New Hampshire’s treasured places are protected for future generations.”
America lost 21.6 million acres of forests, fields, and farmland to development from 1992 to 2003 – an area larger than the state of Maine. To stem this tide, several states set up programs to buy up remaining open space before it was lost to the next subdivision. But when budgets get tight, legislatures sometimes derail the funding schemes they established for open space – siphoning off money, even from dedicated revenue streams. The report recommends several accountability measures to solve this problem.
“Nothing secures preservation funding so much as the voice of the voters,” explained Fox. This fall, voters in three swing states, Minnesota, Ohio, and Colorado, will consider measures that will fund open space programs.
The report also has several other recommendations for effective open space programs. For example, Environment New Hampshire concludes that multi-year bonding creates the stability required to negotiate real-estate deals over a number of years. But even these well-structured programs have end-dates, and require continued political leadership to renew them. This year, Florida extended its successful Florida Forever program, but in New Jersey, the Garden State Trust Fund now languishes – facing up to a two-year gap in funding if lawmakers fail to act.
In addition, the report suggests that some forests and fields can also be protected with tax incentives for conservation easements. Voters in Florida and Georgia will consider such programs in November.
Lastly, the report cautions that acquiring public land does not always guarantee protection – noting Michigan’s decisions to encourage more logging in state forests.
“The recent lust for drilling on public lands reminds us that stewardship will require not just ownership but vigilance,” Fox concluded.
