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Southern States News Viewpoints of Land Preservation and Conservation in Virginia (04/17/08) The Virginia Agribusiness Council hosted a panel on the subject of Viewpoints of Land Preservation and Conservation on April 9, 2008 in Richmond, VA. The panel participants included:
PERSPECTIVES FROM THE PANEL NIKKI ROVNER-Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources *Benefits of preserving land include water and air quality, agriculture, tourism, and protecting our historic resources. *Governor Kaine has set a goal of preserving 400,000 acres by the end of his term, and Virginia is on track to meet this goal, with some additional efforts. *Options for landowners to preserve land include: * PowerPoint presentation available upon request to va.agribusiness@att.net. SENATOR EMMETT HANGER- Senate District 24 * Virginia has a history of preserving and conserving our lands since the 1960s, but really became active beginning in the mid 1990s. * Many of Senator Hanger’s efforts to establish the VLCF and tax credit program were a result of his work on the Commission on the Future of Virginia’s Environment. * His goals for preserving lands include: a)focus on farm and forest land preservation, b)funding for local PDR programs of $30 million/year funded through a portion of the recordation tax and, c)preservation of 1 million acres of land by 2012. * For preservation to be successful, Virginia must come to grips with land use planning and provide local government with appropriate tools. The state must come to the table to provide an incentive for local governments to preserve lands. Right now, incentives for economic growth and land preservation can be at odds. SENATOR JOHN WATKINS- Senate District 10 * Slightly different perspective as a farm owner and businessman. He is committed to agriculture, conservation, and sustainability, but remains concerns about the abuse of well-intentioned programs and the burden that tax credits put on other taxpayers. * Government funds should be directed to the preservation of properties that are worthy, such as productive farm and forest land, and lands that will protect the Chesapeake Bay, wetlands, and streams. An option for funding these programs is the grantors tax. * TDRs (Transfer of Development Rights) can provide a great tool for localities and landowners to preserve lands. Land use taxation is another powerful tool to encourage land to stay in agriculture and less intensive uses. * Concerned that requiring easements to be held “in perpetuity” means “forever.” This implies that the current generation knows better than any future generation how to manage that land. QUESTIONS FOR THE FUTURE (The Virginia Agribusiness Council is interested in your viewpoint of this important topic. Please respond to va.agribusiness@att.net.) 1) Should Virginia set a goal on how much land it needs to preserve? If so, by what measurement? (Number of acres? Acres per citizen? Farm and forest land acres? Quality vs. Quantity?) 2) Should the government fund the preservation of only lands that meet certain criteria? (Example: productive forests and farms, soils, water quality impacts, historic resources, natural areas, etc.) 3) Are there enough tools for landowners to preserve their land currently? Is the information getting to you and your community about options that are available? 4) What do you think about land being preserved “in perpetuity” vs. a shorter term of time? What is gained and what is lost?
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