February 12, 2008
Maine a conservation model in Colorado
A friend from Colorado pointed out this story from the Rocky Mountain News about the growing use of conservation easements. While Mainers sometimes complain about public access and the price of conservation here, we look “pretty dang progressive” from the Rockies, he says. (That’s how they talk out west.)
We already knew that Maine leads the nation in acres conserved under no-development easements. But, as the News points out, we’re also well ahead of other states in providing public access to those lands, we spend about 80 percent less in public funding than Colorado does and we have better oversight to make sure we get what we pay for.
Yee-ha.
Posted by at 10:12 AM
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Nice to read some good news about Maine for a change. Though reading the comments on the Rocky Mountain News site brings up questions about conservation easements in general.... How about a primer on the whole scenario? Show us the money!
Posted by kitkat
February 12, 2008 10:50 PM
It's great that Maine has the highest percentage of preserved private land, but it has, I believe, the lowest percentage of land preserved overall, because it has so little public land. Baxter State Park and Acadia are wonderful, but not enough, and we really need a better program to preserve land, especially large and biologically significant pieces of it. Land For Maine's Future is terribly underfunded - a few million dollars every few years doesn't buy much!
Colorado has millions of acres of public land, split between a number of national parks, Forest Service Land, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, and land preserved by cities and counties. The citizens of Colorado are taking a much more active step than we are, by funding preservation through sales taxes, bond issues, lottery funds, and other means.
Thankfully we had Governor Baxter, and now have Roxanne Quimby taking up where he left off, or we would not have any large chunks of land preserved anywhere in the state. The Nature Conservancy has preserved some wonderful pieces of land too, but we need to do MUCH more!
If everyone who cares about wild places would contribute to their local land trusts (see www.mltn.org for a list of local trusts) and to statewide trusts like The Nature Conservancy (www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/maine), and would lobby to fund Land For Maine's Future EVERY YEAR, we could save a lot more of what is left!
Posted by
February 13, 2008 07:04 AM
My view of success is to maintain the purchasing of conservation easements on private land. Direct State or Federal control of the land allows for government mischief and endless controversy (roadless areas anyone?).
Posted by
mainecommenterFebruary 27, 2008 07:21 AM
Look what the State of Maine is doing to Sebago Lake in the name of special interests. I would say it fails the progressive grade. www.friendsofsebago.org
Posted by
Roger WheelerMarch 1, 2008 11:51 PM
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