Landscape Conservation Solutions . . .
for farm, ranch, forest &
natural land
and areas undergoing new
development
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Here is a collection of monthly updates that have been posted to this site since January 1997, progressing backwards in time from the most recent updates. For this month's update, click here.
Choose the updates you wish to view: 1. Help is now available to individuals, businesses, and local & state governments to pursue new projects, expansions, and products to generate revenues: Stewardship America Has launched a "Funding Finder" and "Money Maker" service that greatly streamlines and expedites the process of sorting through the thousands of grants and program dollars available to find which funding options best meet individual, business and local needs. For details, click here 2. Rural Lands Stewardship Program: New projects are starting in Florida. Interest is being shown for the Rural Lands Stewardship Program in California, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. More details will follow as projects develop. See "The Rural Lands Stewardship Program" A quick, easy, 90-day approach has been developed to help local citizens, businesses, private landowners and planners assess whether the Rural Lands Stewardship Program, or another land use planning option, is appropriate for a specific local area. Details are available by emailing or calling the contact people listed on the "contact us" page. Please ask about the "Thumbnail Plan" when inquiring. information on the Rural Lands Stewardship Program is available for download, including a quick overview, fact sheets, letter from a "public interest group" lauding the RLSP, and PowerPoint presentations. These information resources can be found at http://privatelands.org/rural/info.htm Four of Florida's five Water Management Districts have committed to providing technical assistance and financial support to Rural Lands Stewardship planning efforts. As a result, more than half the counties in FL (30 counties) now have a greater opportunity to initiate RLSP projects. The Florida Legislature approved a bill on April 30, 2004 that makes the Rural Lands Stewardship Program a specifically "encouraged" designation on future land use maps for all counties in Florida. The bill also includes several additional provisions to help counties carry out and fund rural lands stewardship planning efforts. Now that the program is established in Florida, other states can now benefit as well. For a summary of highlights, click
here. 3. Fiscal and economic impact studies show values of rural enterprises and private stewardship efforts the fiscal& economic impact methodologies developed by Stewardship America are being used in a study for Hillsborough County, Florida. The study:
(1) calculates revenues and expenses for
different types of land use; Results of the Hillsborough County study will be released early in 2005. For information on "True Cost Accounting" and other studies of this type, see True Cost Accounting and Studies 1. CH2M Hill & Stewardship America Team Up to Launch "Landscape Conservation Solutions": CH2M Hill, Inc., with 165 offices, 14,000 employees and 500 projects sites in 30 countries, joins Stewardship America's Conservation Delivery Team to launch "Landscape Conservation Solutions." For details, click here to read announcement. 2. Landscape Conservation: Stewardship America, Inc. has developed a package of programs and services, called "Landscape Conservation Solutions," to help individuals, businesses and local and state governments "squeeze more results out of every dollar." For details, click here. 3. "New Settlement Pattern" Tool: A highly successful "new settlement pattern" tool, being implemented in the fastest-growing metropolitan area of the U.S. over the past 20 years, shows that more can be done with less -- if the right market-based incentives are used. The Rural Lands Stewardship Program, being implemented in Collier County, Florida, is providing $280 million of conservation value for an investment of just $800,000. For details, click here. 4. True Cost Accounting: This tool was developed as a result of findings from a series fiscal and economic impact studies conducted in Florida over the past eight years by Stewardship America, Inc. It is now being adopted by all 500 governmental jurisdictions in the state. This tool transforms line-item budgeting into a precise measure of cost and revenue differences between different types of land use. It therefore helps policymakers better understand the long-term consequences of population growth and different land use decisions. click here 5. The Farmland Stewardship Program: Has been expanded to accommodate all types of rural land and working land uses. For the latest details on this conservation delivery tool, follow the links from the FSP contents page 6. The Klamath Basin of Oregon & California -- a region fraught with conflicts between farmers, Tribes, endangered species, river recreationists, fishermen and water allocations. A week-long visit with local governmental officials, local representatives of several federal agencies and local producers was undertaken in January 2003 to learn more about the issues facing the Klamath Basin, discuss possible strategies for addressing these issues, and suggest ways in which the delivery of conservation options could be facilitated through the Farmland Stewardship Program. For details, click here. 7. Farm Bill Update:
The 2002 Farm Bill Conservation Programs page contains links to a set of fact sheets on the conservation programs that can be printed for distribution. Details on farm bill implementation also can be obtained from the House Agriculture Committee website: http://agriculture.house.gov/farmbill.htm View comments submitted by Stewardship America on the interim rule for Technical Service Provider Assistance: click here Stewardship America is now setting up a team of experts to deliver conservation services to producers. For the latest details, click on current status. A Rule to Watch -- Proposed rule for Sec. 1604 of the Farm Bill (7 CFR 1400) could wreak havoc with state and regional environmental efforts. For details click here USDA Technical Assistance Summit -- watch a video replay of the Nov. 7 summit. For details, click here. 1. The Farmland Stewardship Program:
For more details, click on current status. 2. Farm Bill Update:
The 2002 Farm Bill Conservation Programs page contains links to a set of fact sheets on the new programs that can be printed for distribution. The National Association of Conservation Districts has a very good table summarizing implementation status of the conservation programs at http://www.nacdnet.org/govtaff/FB/ImpStatus.htm Details on farm bill implementation also can be obtained from the House Agriculture Committee website: http://agriculture.house.gov/farmbill.htm For summaries (and complete text) of the farm bill legislation, go to legislation. 3. Agriculture Facts. The House Agriculture Committee has prepared several documents providing an excellent overview of U.S. agriculture production and the importance of agriculture to the U.S. economy. These documents include:
4. Articles on the farm bill, farm bill implementation and related topics: Articles on the farm bill, farm bill implementation and related topics: Rule Making Comments transmitted to USDA A series of suggestions for USDA to take into consideration in its rule making for the Title II Conservation Programs of the 2002 Farm Bill were compiled in cooperation with a broad range of agricultural interests in Florida and transmitted to USDA Secretary Ann M. Veneman on August 21, 2002. You may view the comments by clicking on:
The comments are an outgrowth of meetings that were held in June with top officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, The White House, the U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to determine how programs from different agencies can be assembled and coordinated through a stewardship agreement and what can be done to deliver these programs to producers in an understandable, streamlined way. Recent articles on farm bill implementation and related topics:
Highlights (scroll down or click on your choice): 1. The Farmland Stewardship Program concept is included in the "Partnerships and Cooperation" section of the farm bill (Sec. 2003). For information on steps that are being taken to begin implementing the Farmland Stewardship Program, go to current status. This page provides links to several documents describing how the program will work and what is being done to make existing programs work better and more effectively, and deliver more conservation dollars to the ground.
Details on farm bill implementation also can be obtained from the House Agriculture Committee website: http://agriculture.house.gov/farmbill.htm Four documents describing the bill are available by clicking on the following links:
All documents are in PDF format and require the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download for free. For details on actions leading up to passage of the Farm Bill, view the updates from previous months (below). 3. Articles on the farm bill, farm bill implementation and related topics:
Highlights (scroll down or click on your choice): The U.S. House of Representatives approved the final farm bill on May 2 by a vote of 280 to 141. The U.S. Senate approved the final farm bill by a vote of 64-34 on May 8. President Bush signed the bill in an early-morning ceremony May 13. Details are available from the House Agriculture Committee website, http://agriculture.house.gov/farmbill.htm For news stories on the final farm bill accord, click on the following articles--
See How They Voted for the Senate vote tally. For details on actions during April, go to quick update archives. 2. Several conservation priorities have been approved that will ensure that producers in ALL areas have access to the farm bill conservation programs. For details, read the status report, Conservation Programs Now Address Needs of More Producers. 3. For details on actions leading up to final passage of farm bill, follow the links below:
4. Other Information Resources: Highlights (scroll down or click on your choice): 1. Negotiators have agreed. House-Senate Farm Bill Conferees reached accord on a final bill late April 26. The final bill language will be reviewed by all Conferees. The bill will then go to the House and Senate floors for a final vote, before being presented to President Bush for signature. For news stories on the final accord and the committee's discussions leading up to the accord, click on the following articles--
For a list of conferees, click House and Senate conferees. 2. The Farmland Stewardship Program concept is included in the "Partnerships and Cooperation" section of the farm bill. A proposal to include more details about the Farmland Stewardship Program as final language was being decided upon was not accepted by Senate negotiators.
3. For an overview of the Senate Farm Bill, with links to the final text of the bill and all amendments, go to: http://agriculture.senate.gov/Briefs/2001FarmBill/2001farmbill.html
4. For an overview of -- and commentary on -- the House Farm Bill go to: http://agriculture.house.gov/farmbill.htm.
5. For comparisons between the two bills, follow the links below:
6. An amendment was proposed to the Grassland Reserve Program to ensure that existing habitats for important plant and animal species can be retained -- and not replaced in order to qualify for the program. Two provisions contained in the Senate version of the Farm Bill relating to WHIP and CRP also are highlighted for favorable attention, since these provisions will make it easier for landowners to retain existing habitats. For details, click here. This proposal was shared with several organizations working on the Grassland Reserve issue. One of these organizations, the National Wildlife Federation, wrote back with a cautionary response. You may read the the exchange of emails on this issue by clicking on comments on proposed change. Highlights (scroll down or click on your choice): 1. Staff-level meetings continued on an almost daily basis through the Easter recess (March 22-April 7) in an attempt to resolve differences in the House and Senate farm bills. These meetings resulted in a series of issue recommendations prepared by Congressional aides for the Conference Committee members to consider (which were adopted without debate when committee members returned on April 9). While staff meetings and low-key lobbying on the farm bill continued, conference negotiators continued to predict a bill would be passed in April, in time to cover 2002 crops. For details, click on NASDA e-news. A description of the tug-of-war between various interest groups who took advantage of the recess to promote the issues important to them is described in the March 24 New York Times. For details, click New York Times. A March 19 meeting between House and Senate conferees was twice postponed then canceled. Staff worked diligently in the days and hours leading up to the meeting, to resolve disagreements on spending allocations for different sections of the legislation, including those funding commodity subsidies, conservation programs and food stamps. At day's end the lead negotiators of the House/Senate Farm Bill Conference announced that an agreement had been reached on an overall budget framework, including title-by-title funding levels.
Congressional negotiators had hoped to work out a final agreement prior to the Easter recess on an overhaul of farm programs that could take effect for this year's crops. For details, see AP news story. Conferees met for the first time March 13 to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill. Staff-level discussions began Feb. 21 and revolved around non-spending items for the first three weeks, with participants agreeing to or rejecting less controversial items. The conferees agreed on March 13 to 144 mostly non controversial provisions. Another 500+ issues have yet to be resolved.
3. The Farmland Stewardship Program is included in the House Farm Bill. You can help ensure it is retained in the conference committee farm bill.
4. View Slide Show. This Flash Macromedia slide show takes only one minute to view. It gives a quick overview of the Farmland Stewardship Program. Here's how to view it:
You also may download the slide show as an Acrobat Reader PDF document. 5. Farm Bill Debate. Here are several links that provide additional details on the status of the Farm Bill.
Staff-level meetings began Feb. 21 to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill. Discussions have been revolving around non-spending items, with participants agreeing to or rejecting less controversial items. As one staff member reported, "Think of an 8th grade dance where the boys are on one side and the girls on the other. It'll take some time for the dancing to start..." Water quality concerns reported in the Sunday Feb. 10 New York Times underscore importance of the Farmland Stewardship Program (contained in Sec. 256 of the House-passed Farm Bill). For details see New York Times water quality article. The FSP would help resolve these problems by combining water quality programs from all agencies -- EPA's Sec. 319, the proposed Fishable Waters Act, USDA's EQUIP, Army Corps of Engineers, etc. -- into a single, one-stop agreement tailored to the specific needs of each operation, that would be easy for producers everywhere to implement. The Farm Bill passed the U.S. Senate on Feb. 13 by a vote of 58-40. For reactions to passage of the bill, click on White House/USDA position and New York Times story or Washington Post story. For a summary of actions on the Farm Bill in the U.S. Senate, click here. President Bush addressed the National Cattlemen and Beef Association Convention on Feb. 8 in Denver. For an overview of his remarks, click on the Administration's most recent position statement on farm policy. For more details, click on AP news story. Want to know more about the Environmental Working Group -- the activist organization behind the Internet web site that riveted public and media attention with detailed information on farm subsidies, and fueled the 66-31 vote in the Senate on Feb. 7 to cap subsidy payments? Conservative columnist Michelle Malkin explains her view of the EWG and describes what the organization stands for and where it wants to go. For details, click Michelle Malkin column. Also, view Feb. 24 New York Times article. Country of origin labeling takes on new importance in light of national food security concerns following 9/11, and health risks posed by lax meat inspections that allow tainted beef to enter the US. For details, see Feb. 25 Washington Post story. The problems outlined in this article are underscored by another article reporting on a serious health risk in Germany. Adulterated butter that includes animal byproducts and fat sold to German dairies by the Italian Mafia, is now raising serious concerns about increased risk of mad cow disease. For details, see Reuters news article. Farm Bill Debate. Here are several links that provide additional details on the status of the Farm Bill:
Overview of the First Session of the 107th Congress, from the New York Times. Farm Bill Stalls in U.S. Senate. For details on the Farm Bill debate in the U.S. Senate during December 2001, click here.
Farm Bill Debate advances in U.S. Senate. For details, click here. Farm Bill Debate Moves to U.S. Senate. For details, click here. The U.S. House of Representatives Approves Farm Bill. The House overwhelmingly approved "The Farm Security Act of 2001," H.R. 2646, by a vote of 291 to 120 on October 5. For details, click here. Input on the Farmland Stewardship Program (HR 2646, Title II, Subtitle F, Sec. 256) was solicited at the end of August from a variety of groups representing farm organizations, commodities, conservation, environmental advocacy, sportsmen and state agency associations. This input was used to create proposed changes in Sec. 256 and formed the basis for expanded bill language that was introduced in the U.S. Senate as part of S. 1673 on Nov. 9, 2001. Details on this language can be viewed at Legislation. Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL), sponsor of HR 2542 and member of the House Ag Committee who was instrumental in including the Farmland Stewardship Program in HR 2646, wrote USDA Secretary Ann Veneman on September 21. He points out how the Farmland Stewardship Program is consistent with her September 19 policy statements on agricultural policy. A copy of the letter can be viewed at Rep. Putnam letter to Sec. Ann Veneman Dialog with environmental groups. Several environmental groups raised concerns about the intent of some of the language contained in Sec. 256. Defenders of Wildlife initiated a dialog in an attempt to reach better understanding -- if not complete consensus -- on the proposed changes to Sec. 256. You may see the list of subjects discussed, and follow links to read the comments on each subject, by going to Coming to Consensus. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (or CAFOs) is a powderkeg issue where environmental and agricultural groups are deeply polarized. It also is an issue that will play a role in the debates on the Farm Bill in the U.S. Congress this fall. An article in the Washington Post on August 17 reported on this polarization. It generated a response which has been submitted for consideration as an Op-Ed feature in the Post. Discussion of this issue also resulted in suggestions from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on an innovative approach that can provide a reasonable middle-ground on this issue. Links to the Washington Post article, Op-Ed and the Wisconsin approach can be viewed at Points for Consideration. Special Alert: August 2 Update The update is a pdf file; you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it. It will take about 30 seconds for the file to download with a 56K modem. The Farmland Stewardship Program has been incorporated into 2002 Farm Bill. Approved and passed by voice vote on July 27, 2001, the House Agriculture Committee's farm bill proposal, "The Farm Security Act of 2001", H.R. 2646, was introduced by Larry Combest (R-TX), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, with Ranking Minority Member Charlie Stenholm (D-TX). The Farmland Stewardship Program is included as Section 256 of the bill. It is one of only two new conservation programs to be added to the Farm Bill (the other is the Grassland Easement Program). The text can be viewed at Sec. 256, Subtitle F, Title II, H.R. 2646. A fact sheet providing a section-by-section summary of the bill can be viewed at Fact Sheet. "The American Farmland Stewardship Act of 2001," H.R. 2542, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL, 12th District) on July 18, 2001. Rep. Putnam is the only Florida member on the House Agriculture Committee where the bill was referred. See bill language, H.R. 2542. Also, see press release from Rep. Putnam's office. Oregon Legislation Passes! HB 3564 - B has survived all major challenges and will soon become law in Oregon. It re-passed the Oregon House on Monday, June 18. The vote was 57 - 0. For more details, see Oregon legislation. Florida Legislation Passes! The Florida State Legislature has granted authority to create a Resource Conservation Agreement program within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Until now, the Resource Conservation Agreement has been carried out solely through model projects funded by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and private funders. The Resource Conservation Agreement -- the precursor to the Farmland Stewardship Program -- was included in the "Rural and Family Lands Protection Act" (H 1389 and S 1758), an agricultural conservation bill crafted through a cooperative effort led by Florida Farm Bureau Federation and Florida Audubon. On May 3 the "Rural and Family Lands Protection Act" was added to S 1922, the general bill for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, along with the "Rural Lands Stewardship Program," which had been included in the state's Growth Management bill, (H 1617). S 1922 was passed back through the House with these amendments early May 3 and then passed the Senate. It was signed into law by Gov. Jeb Bush on June 19. For more details, see Florida legislation. "It is tremendously gratifying when everything you are working on takes a step forward." That was the reaction of Stewardship America President Craig Evans to a productive, weeklong series of meetings in Washington, D.C. in mid-April, 2001. Evans met with:
He also attended meetings at the:
During his meetings, Evans learned that:
National Support Grows. The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) held its mid-year meeting in Washington DC Feb. 23-27. Prior to the meeting, FSF's Public Relations Consultant, Gary Kozel, sent out a briefing packet on the Farmland Stewardship Program (still referred to as the Resource Conservation Agreement at the time) to all 53 commissioners of agriculture in the U.S. and its territories. The alert generated 32 phone calls in response, with five commissioners calling personally to voice their support for the Resource Conservation Agreement. Kozel followed up by phone with all 53 offices. He said the response was "phenomenal." Glenda Humiston, Deputy Undersecretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture under
Secretary Dan Glickman, made a presentation to NASDA about the Farmland Stewardship
Program in 2000. As a result, NASDA used the
FSP along with Sen. Tom Harkin's Conservation Security Program as the basis for its
recommendations for the Farm Bill. Another group with strong interest in the FSP is the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD). Rich Duesterhaus, who heads up NACD's Farm Bill Task Force, has met on several occasions with Craig Evans to discuss NACD's Farm Bill proposals, which have been drafted to complement the FSP. FSP Consistent with President George W. Bush's Private Lands Initiatives. The Farmland Stewardship Program is consistent with President George W. Bush's "Plan for Building Conservation Partnerships," issued on June 1, 2000 during the presidential campaign. To download the plan, click Download Bush Conservation Plan now. You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the file (available for free from: Adobe Acrobat Reader) Farmland Stewardship Program - California. The California Department of Food and Agriculture brought together representatives of state and federal agencies, farm groups, conservation organizations and private landowners on March 2 to explore the possibility of implementing a Resource Conservation Agreement/Farmland Stewardship Program demonstration project in California. One meeting participant indicated that the meeting was "well attended," and the concept was "well received." Representatives of several groups in attendance volunteered to establish a "planning committee" to work on the next steps. A federally- and state-funded project (CALFED) may provide the opportunity -- and funding --for launching at least one demonstration project. Draft Documentation Now Available. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), has completed its work on Hall's Tiger Bay Ranch, which is being used as a model for the Farmland Stewardship Program. A GIS map showing the property's habitat types and land uses has been prepared. Also completed are brief descriptions of the representative species supported by each habitat and the management practices recommended to ensure the integrity of the habitats and compatibility with the property's ecological functions and ag operations. This 5500-acre ranch will be the first property to develop a long-term management plan, both for native wildlife habitat and water resources, following the concepts developed through this project. The long-term agreement will cover 4,500 acres of native habitat and 1,000 acres of improved pasture. The documentation can be seen by
clicking on: Hall Ranch Documentation. The
documentation also includes five appendices: Model Project Benefits. The documentation developed by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) for the Farmland Stewardship Program is identical to the documentation used by NRCS for all the USDA's Farm Bill programs -- including the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). As NRCS was developing documentation for the model project, it discovered three beneficial features about the proposed Farmland Stewardship Program: 1. Unlike the other Farm Bill programs administered by the USDA, which focus entirely on restoring resources that have been damaged or put at risk, the Farmland Stewardship Program focuses on retaining valuable habitats and other environmental resources that are in a completely natural or pristine condition and prescribing management practices to maintain their integrity and viability. No other USDA program currently does this. 2. Because many of the Farm Bill programs were created in the Midwest, they contain criteria that often preclude their effective use in Florida and other states. The Farmland Stewardship Program avoids these constraints. It offers a way in which a site-specific management plan can be developed that recognizes the unique nature of a property's environmental resources and the interactions that occur between these resources and agricultural operations. Consequently, the Farmland Stewardship Program both builds on and expands the utility of existing Farm Bill programs. 3. In addition to the documentation used when property is enrolled in a Farm Bill program, the Farmland Stewardship Program requires a "farm operation document" describing the property's existing and proposed agricultural uses. When this document is combined with other materials in the Farmland Stewardship Program, all regulations, permits, recommended management practices and conservation programs can be consolidated into a single, site-specific document with a 10- or 20-years duration. The Farmland Stewardship Program would thus greatly reduce paperwork and operating costs. It also could potentially serve as an "umbrella" to incorporate all regulations and programs -- from all levels of government -- into a single, easy-to-understand document. For a list of other benefits of the Farmland Stewardship Program, click on benefits A complete description of the Farmland Stewardship Program concept has been posted to this web site, including a working draft of the proposed agreement and an outline of all the exhibits and attachments that will be a part of the agreement. These materials are the result of a five-year process to build consensus among private landowners, conservation and environmental interests and representatives of government agencies. These materials can be accessed from a single page, by clicking on: The Farmland Stewardship Program Concept You can view an outline of exhibits and attachments by clicking on: FSP Contract. Your input and suggestions are welcome. A public education program has been developed, with a 13-minute video, press releases, fact sheets and other information describing this project -- and its potential for use throughout Florida and the U.S. to provide incentives to private landowners to care for and maintain important natural resources on their properties. These materials were distributed to state policy makers, conservation and environmental leaders, heads of affected government agencies, and leaders of state and national farm groups in the spring of 1999. You can view the majority of these materials, including the video, by clicking on The Farmland Stewardship Program Concept . More information on these public information materials -- and this project -- can be obtained by writing Stewardship America, One Park Place, Suite 240, 621 N.W. 53rd Street, Boca Raton, Florida 33487. Or click send e-mail, if you wish to offer comments, request information or order a copy of the video "Private Lands: Partners in Conserving America's Resources" ($15 including shipping). Additional Project Highlights For further background on the Farmland Stewardship Program, here are some key events that helped shape the concept: Several Legislative Proposals were considered in the 106th Congress as a means of launching the Resource Conservation Agreement. Language for a possible stand alone bill was first proposed in May 2000. One proposal would have incorporated the Resource Conservation Agreement into the other conservation programs that would have been extended and established through the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (HR701 and S25, S2123, S2181 and S2567). To view the amendments that were under consideration, please click on: Amendments to CARA. Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL) took the lead in the U.S. Senate in advocating for the Resource Conservation Agreement in the 106th Congress. However, because so many amendments were proposed and added to CARA in the Senate markup hearings at the end of July, 2000, Sen. Graham decided not to jeopardize the bill further by proposing any additional amendments. Another strong advocate for the program in the Senate was Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID). The Farmland Stewardship Program/Resource Conservation Agreement has been attracting support from senior-level government officials in Washington, DC and national environmental organizations. Other states also are showing interest in launching pilot projects. For a report on these developments during 2000, click on: progress report. Strong Interest Shown from Property Owners. A pilot project, to demonstrate the value of the Resource Conservation Agreement throughout the U.S., was proposed in Florida at the end of 1999. In a two-week period, 20 property owners, with 170,000 acres of land, expressed interest in participating in the project. A description of these properties, and the reasons for the landowner' interest in the program, can be seen by clicking on: pilot projects. As word of the pilot project has spread, additional landowners have asked if they could participate. Total acreage represented by interested landowners now exceeds 300,000 acres. Good News! The Florida Forever Act, the successor to P-2000, Florida's highly successful land acquisition program, includes language that can lead to implementation of the "Resource Conservation Agreement." The Act includes two key provisions -- one that allows management funds to be spent on private lands, using "management service contracts, leases, cost-share arrangements or resource conservation agreements;" and one that earmarks $5 million for installing agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) which can be carried out through Resource Conservation Agreements. Committee language also directs the Florida Forever Commission "to analyze existing stewardship programs and recommend new private land management incentives and funding sources to assist private landowners in keeping their land in private ownership and implementing sound environmental stewardship practices, including, but not limited to, potential forms of local, state, and federal tax relief including inheritance taxes; long-term management and use agreements; technical assistance; mitigation agreements; whole-farm planning; and multi-agency cooperative stewardship initiatives, including federal, state and local programs." Enormous credit is due to the Florida Cattlemen's Association and, in particular, the Florida Farm Bureau Federation, for their advocacy efforts to include these provisions in the Florida Forever Act. A last minute amendment by The Nature Conservancy limited the use of management funds on private lands to "lands listed as projects for acquisition." This means that many private lands with Priority 1 panther habitat would not qualify. But that can be rectified in another session of the Legislature. Refinements were made to the proposed Resource Conservation Agreement at a landowners' meeting in January 1999 at the Hendry County Extension Service in LaBelle, Florida. Information on these amendments can be obtained by clicking: Private Lands Workshops, (http://fl-panther.com/workshop.htm) then clicking on the description of the January 20, 1999 Landowners' Meeting (http://fl-panther.com/199meet.htm). An October 1998 workshop was successful for two key reasons: 1) consensus was finally reached on all the outstanding issues regarding the form and content of the proposed Resource Conservation Agreement -- the vehicle developed over a two-year period through a consensus-building process to implement the Landowners' "Conceptual Plan," and 2) recommendations were made on the actions that can be taken to make it easier for private landowners to take advantage of existing conservation programs. Further details can be obtained by clicking on: workshop results. A two-day workshop was held in May 1998 at the Best Western Waterfront Hotel, Punta Gorda, Florida. Sixty people attended: 21 private landowners or landowner representatives (who, together, control almost 225,000 acres of agricultural land), 15 representatives of government agencies, 11 representatives of conservation interests, 8 representatives of other interests (Florida House of Representatives, University of Florida, Seminole Indians), 3 facilitators and 2 FSF staff members. Keynote speaker was Rep. Ralph Livingston (Ft. Myers). 45 issues were discussed. Consensus was reached on 41 and discussion was continued on 4. For information on issues discussed at the workshop, please click on: workshop results. A resolution supporting the premises, concepts and objectives of the projects, sponsored by Rep. Ralph Livingston (District 75, Ft. Myers), was adopted April 20, 1998 by the Florida House of Representatives. The text of the resolution can be seen by clicking on: House Resolution 9477. A one-page description of the project's concept was prepared by the Public Education/Public Policy Committee in 1998 to help stimulate discussion and input to the project from other groups across the U.S. Copies of the Concept Paper and Resolution 9477 were mailed to all major conservation and environmental organizations in the U.S. (almost 2,000 groups). An e-mail version of this information also was sent to all state farm bureaus and ag organizations. Responses were received from over 300 groups, from almost every state and territory, asking to be kept informed about the project. By October 1999, the project's national mailing list had grown to more than 750 individuals in all 50 states and U.S. territories. A comprehensive economic analysis was conducted during 1997. The analysis clearly shows the Landowners' Conceptual Plan has the potential to be a very cost-effective approach for conserving habitats for threatened and endangered species, such as the Florida panther. Because its duration is less-than perpetual, its overall costs also are less, when compared to the costs of conservation easements and public land purchases. Study results can be viewed by clicking on: Executive Summary & Findings or on Methodology & Calculations. The Full Report, which can be ordered from the publications page in this web site, includes the Endnotes, where all sources of information for the study are cited, and the Spreadsheets where the calculations used in the study are shown in detail. For information on the February 1997 Landowners Meeting that laid the groundwork for all Phase 2 activities to refine the concept and come up with techniques to make it work on the ground, please click on February 1997 Landowners Meeting. This is must reading to understand landowner sentiments toward the Conceptual Plan -- and more traditional approaches to preserving endangered species on their properties. For further information, please visit one of the links below: |
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